Napa Valley natives Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Roberts epitomize the new-generation winemaking ethos in California, which might be summarized thusly: It’s all about the vineyards. Their style is to avoid stylizing their wines—via excessive ripeness, oak, or both—and instead to strive for varietal purity and place-specificity.
And while they make a wide array of reds and whites from choice vineyards all over the state, today’s Sonoma Coast Syrah is arguably their signature wine. It has become a sought-after benchmark, but it was a paradigm shift for California when it first came on the scene—high-toned, floral, peppery, and generally more savory than what most would consider typical for New World Syrah. Working out of a warehouse in Healdsburg, Arnot-Roberts mostly leases its vineyards, favoring sites that tend towards the cool end of the spectrum for the variety in question. This is illustrated beautifully once again in today’s 2017, which incorporates fruit from four of the region’s most iconic Syrah sites. What we enjoy most about this wine is its individuality: There are many kindred qualities to Northern Rhône Syrah, but it’s not trying to be an exact replica. It wears its California colors with pride, too, resulting in an expression of Syrah that is both faithful and highly individualistic. It has a become a reference point, for good reason, so if this is your first experience with it, trust me—it won’t be your last!
Worth repeating are the Arnot-Roberts team’s homegrown bona-fides: 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 cooperage and his mom was a longtime chef at Robert Mondavi winery; Duncan’s father was a Napa attorney with many wine industry friends. 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.
Those 5,000-ish cases represent a diverse array of contract vineyards—23 and counting—across a broad swath of northern California, from Lake County to the Santa Cruz Mountains. Most of their 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 a calling card.
Today’s 2017 incorporates fruit from four vineyards within the expansive Sonoma Coast AVA. One of them, “Que Syrah,” sits just four miles from the Pacific near Occidental and is the oldest Syrah planting on the Sonoma Coast (planted in 1994, it is also, as of 2016, Nathan’s home). Other source sites include Clary Ranch, located in the breezy Petaluma Wind Gap, along with the Solas and Baker Lane vineyards along the western edge of the Russian River Valley.
In addition to favoring fruit from these cooler, later-ripening sites—where acids and aromatics are well-preserved—Arnot-Roberts tends to favor ‘whole-cluster’ fermentation for its Syrahs. Instead of destemming and crushing the grapes, whole-cluster fermentation entails placing entire grape clusters, stems and all, into the tank. Unlike with destemmed fruit, the whole clusters aren’t completely crushed, and the fermentation of whole, intact berries tends to amplify the aromatics of the wine. The stems contribute tannins that are 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 tends to mitigate alcohol levels. Like great cru Beaujolais, there’s depth here without weight—not something New World Syrah is always known for—and great varietal purity. Only neutral oak barrels are used for aging, which lasts about a year before bottling.
Tasting Arnot-Roberts always gets me thinking about the many faces of Syrah, which is found in cool and hot climates alike. In France, 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 viscous, inky Shiraz from Barossa. In Santa Barbara you get deep, blue/black fruit layered over Rhône-ish black pepper. And on the Sonoma Coast? There’s still the dark ruby-purple color, but here’s an example when color isn’t especially indicative of character. The nose is perfumed, a little lavender and violet reminiscent of a young Hermitage, along with some white pepper, black olive, rose petal and faint accents of soy and cured meat. The fruits are a mix of plum, black raspberry and black cherry, more tangy than rich. As much as you’re tempted to compare it to a Northern Rhône (if you’ve ever tasted the Syrahs of Eric Texier, you’ll find some similarities here), 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, energy, and lengthy aromatic finish of this wine. It’s a testament to the versatility of Syrah, and one that is ready to drink now and over the next 5-7 years: Decant it 30-45 minutes before serving in big Burgundy bowls at around 60-65 degrees. Pair it with some locally raised
lamb in whatever preparation moves you.
