($150) Good deep ruby-red. Captivating aromas of black raspberry, mocha, minerals, milk chocolate and nutty oak, lifted by sexy spices. Rich, luscious and creamy, with terrific weight in the mouth. Wonderfully supple and mouthcoating wine with smooth, sweet tannins and excellent persistence. This wine is based on 80% cabernet franc, the highest percentage since Arietta's outstanding 1997 red blend, which was indistinguishable from a topnotch St. Emilion when I last tasted it a year ago.

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The 2005 H Block, which is 100% from the Hudson Vineyard, is a co-fermented blend of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot. This is one of the finest I have tasted from Fritz Hatton, and it has put on considerable weight since I had it last year. An exceptional nose of white chocolate, espresso, tobacco leaf, and raspberries, in addition to red currants and even blacker fruits, are present in this complex wine, which is fragrant, medium to full-bodied, and seamlessly textured. It is a beautiful, highly nuanced, strikingly elegant wine to drink over the next 10-15 years.

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