Artesa estate spotlight
The official Artesa Estate Vineyards and Winery channel tells the Carneros hilltop story of Spain's Raventos Codorniu family, the house behind this 2018 Galatea Tempranillo-Cabernet blend.
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2018 Artesa Winery 'Galatea' Cabernet Red Blend, USA
Ana Diogo-Draper's Tempranillo-Cabernet Galatea, James Suckling 93, a 2018 you can open at one hundred fifty-five dollars.
Galatea is 53 percent Tempranillo and 47 percent Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley: plum, cherry, licorice, coffee, and viscous tannin, now $155.
Spain's grape and Napa's grape in one Napa Valley bottle
Galatea is named for the muse. The blend is the brief: Tempranillo for savory lift, Cabernet Sauvignon for dark fruit and structure, both from Napa Valley. James Suckling scored this exact 2018 93 for plums, cherries, licorice, coffee, juicy texture, and a savory close. No other vineyard is printed on the label, so none is claimed here.
The house
Raventos Codorniu built Artesa in 1991. Galatea is the Spanish-American conversation in the cellar, made by Ana Diogo-Draper.
The wine
53% Tempranillo, 47% Cabernet Sauvignon. Napa Valley. Plum, cherry, licorice, coffee, viscous tannin.
The vintage
After the fires of 2017, 2018 was a calm, excellent Napa red year. Tempranillo keeps the blend from turning into plain Cabernet weight.
The drinker
Red and black fruit first. Give it 30 minutes of air. Serve 60 to 64 F. Grilled lamb or braised short ribs.
Plum and cherry, then licorice and coffee
James Suckling found a fruity red with plums and cherries, some licorice and coffee, medium-bodied, juicy, with viscous tannins and a fruity savory finish. The house Galatea language adds tobacco and mocha around that fruit.
A welcome calm after 2017. Cooler spring, even ripening, an excellent Napa red year. Tempranillo keeps the blend mobile. Cabernet keeps it from turning into a simple Spanish pastiche.
Plum, cherry, licorice, coffee, a hint of tobacco and mocha.
Medium-bodied, juicy, viscous tannins, Tempranillo lift on Cabernet spine.
Fruity and savory. 30 minutes of air. Serve 60 to 64 F.
Two grapes, one Napa Valley voice
Ana Diogo-Draper blends Tempranillo, Spain's savory red, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa's dark-fruited spine. The 2018 is 53 percent Tempranillo and 47 percent Cabernet. That near-even split is the point: neither grape is a seasoning. The wine is bottled as Napa Valley. The vineyard is not named on the label, so the blend and the vintage do the talking.
James Suckling's note is drink now. Eight years in bottle have already rounded the corners.
Serve 60 to 64 F after 30 minutes of air. Lamb and short ribs pull licorice, coffee, and spice forward.
A Spanish family learning to speak Napa red
Artesa is the Raventos Codorniu Napa house. Galatea is the bottle that puts Tempranillo and Cabernet in the same sentence.
The family arrived in 1991 for sparkling wine and still Pinot. Napa reds, including this limited Galatea, came as the house learned the valley.
Ana Diogo-Draper, raised in Portugal, has been the winemaking voice. The 2018 Galatea is her Spanish-American blend, not a second-label leftover.
No To Kalon, no other vineyard name. The label says Galatea and Napa Valley. That is the claim.
Rosemary, garlic, a slow braise
Tempranillo likes herbs and smoke. Cabernet likes a rich sauce. Grilled lamb or red-wine short ribs give both grapes a landing.
Two plates. One grilled leg of lamb with garlic and rosemary. One red-wine braised short ribs.
Serve 60 to 64 F. Give it about 30 minutes of air so licorice and coffee open without softening the shape.
Grilled Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary
Smoke, herbs, and a pink center. Galatea's savory landing.
Why it works: Rosemary and garlic echo Tempranillo's spice while lamb fat softens Cabernet tannin.
View Recipe for grilled leg of lamb with garlic and rosemary (opens in a new tab)
Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs
A slow sauce, gelatin, and browned edges. The richer plate for a 93-point blend.
Why it works: Coffee and licorice meet the braise. Viscous tannins hold the sauce.
View Recipe for red wine-braised short ribs (opens in a new tab)Put this 2018 Galatea in the cart
53/47 Tempranillo-Cabernet, James Suckling 93, one hundred fifty-five dollars.
Put six in the cart. This is the Artesa red for a table that wants Spain and Napa in the same glass.
