2005 Variation One
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Tasting notes
The 2005 Red Wine Variation One is in an ideal place for drinking today. The aromatics show lovely complexity to match the wine's mid-weight, silky personality. The Variation One is not as racy as the other Arietta 2005s in this vertical, and yet all the elements are very nicely balanced I don't expect the 2005 won't hang on too much longer but it is quite expressive today.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(a 70/30 blend of syrah and merlot) Good deep ruby-red. Knockout wild nose combines black fruits, violet, mocha, bacon fat and game. Silky on entry, then less obviously sweet in the middle palate than the young 2006, with an insidious intensity to its smoked meat and mocha flavors. Finishes with building tannins. This is rich but in an awkward stage today.
The most interesting blend is the co-fermented version of Syrah and Merlot, the Variation One. The 2005 Variation One exhibits musty, moss-ridden forest floor notes intermixed with pepper, earth, and black fruits. The wine is rich, extremely complex, but I have the feeling this is a love-it-or-leave-it type of wine, given its rather distinctive aromatics. It is pure in the mouth, with some slightly austere Bordeaux-like tannins, but good delineation. This wine needs 3-4 years of bottle age, and should drink well for 15 or more. Tel. (707) 963-5918; Fax (707) 963-5919
(a blend of 70% syrah and 30% merlot) Good deep ruby. Very ripe, syrah-dominated aromas of black fruits, chocolate and meat. Lush, thick and sweet, with an opulence of texture leavened by the wine's serious tannic clout. Kongsgaard describes this as a "reverse blend" (it usually has more merlot than syrah), and mentioned the Hermitage lieu-dit Les Bessards as a comparison. He describes 2005 as "a great syrah year." This compellingly deep, chewy wine offers outstanding potential.