The young duo behind this wine—Napa natives Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Roberts—epitomize the new-generation winemaking ethos in California. For one thing, it’s not really about the ‘winery’ itself: their winery is in a warehouse in Healdsburg; there’s no tasting room or trinkets for sale; and their vineyards are (a) almost all leased and (b) scattered all over northern California.
Then there’s the style of the wines: pure, minimally oaked expressions of grapes from organically farmed vineyards that tend towards the cool end of the spectrum for the variety in question. This 2014 Sonoma Coast Syrah is a take on the grape that is growing in popularity in California: high-toned, floral, savory, and generally lighter and more acid-driven than what some would consider typical for New World Syrah. But it doesn’t just ape the style of the Northern Rhône, either. It is utterly unique, elegant, slightly rustic, and mouthwateringly good. We have been waiting years to be able to offer their wines. They are sold primarily in restaurants and via the Arnot-Roberts mailing list, so if you aren’t yet familiar with this critically lauded, beloved-by-sommeliers benchmark, now’s your chance to try it. They are, without question, one of my favorite producers in California today.
This is some seriously homegrown California wine: Duncan and Nathan grew up together in Napa, having first met in the 3rd grade. Their ties to the wine business were many—Nathan’s father founded a barrel cooperage and his mom was a longtime chef at Robert Mondavi winery; Duncan’s father was a Napa attorney with many wine industry friends—and after college Duncan went the ‘cellar rat’ route, eventually becoming assistant winemaker at Pax Wine Cellars, while Nathan kept making barrels. They founded their own label in 2001 and have kept the operation resolutely artisanal and hands-on. Even after a recent growth spurt, their annual production today lingers around 5,000 cases.
And that’s 5,000 cases from an incredibly diverse array of contract vineyards—now 23 in total—across a broad swath of northern California, from Lake County to the Santa Cruz Mountains. These days, unless you’re a multi-millionaire, the whole ‘house on a hill’ model isn’t really an option. Whereas people like Warren Winiarski (Stag’s Leap) and Jerry Seps (Storybook Mountain), both former professors, were able to acquire actual land in the 1970s, this property values and other costs of doing business make the ‘chateau’ model accessible only to a select few. The Arnot-Roberts boys share a pioneering spirit with back-to-the-landers like Winiarski and Seps, but it has manifested itself differently: rather than find one special place to make wine, they’ve found a multitude. Most of their 17 different wines are single-vineyard selections, and while they’ve shown a deft, anti-interventionist touch with everything from Trousseau to Cabernet Sauvignon, ‘cool-climate’ Syrah has become something of a calling card.
This 2014 Sonoma Coast bottling incorporates fruit from 5 different vineyards within that somewhat wide-ranging AVA. One of them, “Que Syrah,” sits just 2 miles from the Pacific near Occidental and contains some of the oldest Syrah vines on the Sonoma Coast (it is also, as of 2013, Nathan’s home, so they did manage a little ‘house on the hill’ action after all). Other sites used for this wine are the well-regarded Clary Ranch and Griffin’s Lair vineyards, both of which sit in the breezy Petaluma Wind Gap, which runs along the Marin-Sonoma County border.
In addition to favoring fruit from these cooler, later-ripening sites, where acids and aromatics are well-preserved, the Arnot-Roberts team tends to favor ‘whole-cluster’ fermentation for its Syrahs, no small factor in the house style: instead of de-stemming and crushing the grapes, whole-cluster fermentation entails placing entire grape clusters, stems and all, into the tank. Unlike with de-stemmed fruit, the whole clusters of grapes aren’t completely crushed, and the fermentation of intact berries tends to really amplify the aromatics of the wine. The stems contribute tannins that are rather distinct from the tannins extracted from grape skins or wood barrels: they are gripping, yes, and a little ‘green,’ but more palate-enlivening than bitter or drying. Most winemakers agree that stem inclusion also mitigates alcohol levels. Like great cru Beaujolais, there’s depth here without weight—not something Syrah is always known for.
Indeed, tasting this wine got me thinking about the rather broad style spectrum of Syrah, which ultimately thrives in cool and hot climates alike. Within France alone, you’ve got violet-scented, austere Northern Rhône Syrah (Côte-Rôtie) contrasted with the blacker, burlier Syrah of the Languedoc. In Australia you’ve got the motor-oil viscosity of Shiraz from Barossa. In Santa Barbara you get deep, black/purple fruit layered over some Rhône-like black pepper. And on the Sonoma Coast? There’s still the inky, dark ruby color, leaning toward purple, but here’s an example when color isn’t especially indicative of character. The nose is quite perfumed, a little lavender and violet reminiscent of young Hermitage, along with some white pepper, black olive and rose petal. The fruit component is a well-modulated mix of plum, black raspberry, and black cherry, with a purity and elegance on the palate that is a hallmark of Arnot-Roberts’ red wines. As much as you’re tempted to compare it to Crozes-Hermitage or Saint-Joseph, it veers off in its own California direction—it has the structure and finesse of those French examples but a riper, more exuberant fruit component. I love the scale, drinkability, and lengthy, aromatic finish of this wine. It’s a testament to the versatility of Syrah, and one that is ready to drink now: serve it in big Burgundy bowls at around 60-65 degrees. When I think of food for this wine, I think of French-inflected California cuisine of the Chez Panisse variety.
Here’s a recipe from its most notorious chef, Jeremiah Tower, who debuted this dish at his own spot, the ‘80s icon Stars. This is California at its stylish, worldly, irreverent best!
