Arnot-Roberts Que Vineyard Syrah 2020
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Que Syrah Vineyard is a true gem and the oldest planting of Syrah on the Sonoma Coast. The vines enjoy a long and cool growing season and are naturally self-regulated, finding their balance of canopy to fruit nicely on this forested coastal ridgetop. The wines we have made to date are electrifying in their spicy, aromatic personality and fill the glass with a mix of brilliant fuchsia color and vibrant briary fruit. Que Syrah has already shown strong potential in the cellar and, like the great wines of the Northern Rhone Valley, Arnot-Roberts looks forward to unlocking its riches for years to come as bottles mature in the cellar.
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Vinous
The 2020 Syrah Que Syrah Vineyard, from Nathan Roberts' home vineyard near Occidental, was picked very late for the year, on November 1. It offers up a beguiling mix of bacon fat, licorice, game, scorched earth, cracked pepper, grilled herbs and black fruit. The Que Syrah has a very strong, assertive profile loaded with the smokier, gamy qualities that are typical of Syrah, especially cool climate Syrah. I did not pick up any taint, but there is no question this is a wine with a very strong aromatic and flavor profile that may not be everyone's cup of tea.
Other Vintages
2019-
James
Suckling
- Decanter
Arnot-Roberts was Founded in 2001 in Healdsburg, CA by childhood friends, Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts. The focus of this two person operation is on small lot, single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay, as well as several other varieties uncommon in Northern Californian vineyards. Sites are carefully chosen and are generally on the cooler end of the spectrum for the planted varieties. Collaboration with dedicated and passionate growers is paramount in the farming of these sites.
Duncan and Nathan grew up around winemaking in the Napa Valley. Nathan is a second generation cooper and personally builds all of the French oak barrels that are utilized in the ageing of all Arnot-Roberts wines. Over the years Duncan has worked making wine in the Napa Valley in wineries like, Caymus, Groth, Acacia, Kongsgaard.
Total production of Arnot-Roberts is around 2,000 cases per year with thirteen individual wines. Both primary and secondary fermentations are carried out utilizing native yeast. For the Syrahs whole clusters are retained during primary fermentation before being basket pressed to French oak barrels. For the Cabernets, hillside sites of intense character are chosen, small amounts of whole clusters are retained during primary fermentation and the wines are aged for two years in varying amounts of new French oak cooperage, selected and toasted to meld with the vintage at hand. White wines are whole cluster pressed and stainless steel fermented with native yeast, then aged in neutral French oak barrels.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
A vast appellation covering Sonoma County’s Pacific coastline, the Sonoma Coast AVA runs all the way from the Mendocino County border, south to the San Pablo Bay. The region can actually be divided into two sections—the actual coastal vineyards, marked by marine soils, cool temperatures and saline ocean breezes—and the warmer, drier vineyards further inland, which are still heavily influenced by the Pacific but not quite with same intensity.
Contained within the appellation are the much smaller Fort Ross-Seaview and Petaluma Gap AVAs.
The Sonoma Coast is highly regarded for elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and, increasingly, cool-climate Syrah. The wines have high acidity, moderate alcohol, firm tannin, and balanced ripeness.