18 year old vines planted in sandy clay-loam six miles from the Pacific in the heart of the Petaluma wind gap. Fermented 100% whole cluster with native yeast and basket pressed to neutral French oak barrels for 10 months. Ground spice and fresh red and purple flowers mix with fennel seeds, bramble berries and a hint of smoke. Medium-bodied with nuanced depth and effortless expression of dark fruit and spice. Slightly nutty, chestnut notes. Earnest and charming.

About Arnot-Roberts

Arnot-Roberts was founded in Healdsburg in 2001 by childhood friends Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts. Beginning with one barrel of wine made in their basement, the winery started small and grew slowly by sourcing grapes from some of the most remarkable vineyards in California. Duncan and Nathan grew up together in the Napa Valley and from an early age were immersed in the rhythm of agrarian life surrounded by the vineyards and winemaking of the early 1980’s. Both of their families, while not directly involved in winemaking, were deeply rooted in the community as chefs, coopers, teachers and attorneys in what, at the time, was a small up and coming wine region. After college, the duo followed their passion into the wine industry with Nathan joining his father as a cooper of oak wine barrels and Duncan pursuing winemaking in several renowned wineries in Napa and Sonoma counties.

The focus of Arnot-Roberts is to produce distinctive, site-driven wines that highlight the nature of the unique terroirs in which the grapes are grown. The journey to this end has led Duncan and Nathan to seek out vineyards throughout Northern California and now includes incredible sites in Napa Valley, Sonoma Coast, Santa Cruz Mountains, Santa Rita Hills, Clearlake and Sierra Foothills. Single-vineyard wines are the core of the production as well as a few appellation bottlings that clearly speak of their individual upbringings. Some of the vineyards are old and dry-farmed, some are newer plantings but all are farmed and cared for by passionate and conscientious growers, which is paramount to the fundamental goal of Arnot-Roberts: producing the most honest and expressive wines possible.

Vineyard

In the windswept hills west of the town of Sebastopol, just off the Gravenstein Highway, sits the gorgeous Baker Lane vineyard. This verdant, pastoral setting is home to vintner Stephen Singer’s realized dream of growing world-class Syrah in California. This hilly region between Sebastopol and Petaluma in Western Sonoma County was dominated for decades by apple orchards and livestock grazing. As competition from growers in Washington exerted pressure on the market, many apple growers either sold their land or began converting to grapes. Baker Lane is one of these sites, and the remaining heirloom trees that border the vineyard still produce some of the most flavorful apples in California. The soils here are pale, very fine sandy Goldridge loam, perfectly suited for the cultivation of Syrah. Average temperatures at Baker Lane are cool, and although warmer than Que Syrah or Clary Ranch, this site benefits from a long, steady growing season frequented by regular fog incursion and breezy afternoons though spring and summer. The Syrah grown by Stephen Singer and organic viticultural expert Greg Adams is some of the best in Sonoma County, and we are lucky to work with a small amount for our Sonoma Coast Syrah. The tiny berries here are so dark, they are nearly black in appearance. The flavors in the resulting wine are saturated with savory, roasted meaty notes that are overlaid by pretty, floral and dark-fruited aromas. We have worked with this site since 2011 and it, along with the nearby Solas vineyard, forms the backbone of our Sonoma Coast Appellation Syrah.