Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
This Sonoma Coast Syrah is a blend of four sites, all fermented whole cluster and aged half in concrete tanks and half in neutral barriques for 10 months. The nose shows high-toned red plums, black cherries and allspice. The palate is precise and savoury, full of leather, sage and and espresso characters. A charming Syrah with a Pinot Noir heart. Drinking Window 2020 - 2032
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2108 Arnot-Roberts Syrah is a dynamic wine. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits richness and balance. Enjoy its fragrant aromas and generous flavors of black fruit and mineral notes with oven-baked quail and savory spices. (Tasted: October 28, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
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.