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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.8 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 40 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by bgriffi1 on 7/22/2022 & rated 93 points: Beautifully aged syrah. Balanced fruit and tannin. Shows the subtleties of the syrah grape (655 views) | | | Tasted by jjct on 3/17/2022: Pop-and-pour. Very savory, loads of olive. Fresh red fruit, great acidity, bracing tannins, open and drinking well. Plenty of sediment, so decant. This didn't really move me, but perhaps with more air it would? (901 views) | | | Tasted by 560 B&W on 6/6/2021 & rated 95 points: Incredible. Soft but not diminishing at all. I wish I had more. (1200 views) | | | Tasted by Cote d'Or on 1/21/2019: PopnPour, tasted over 2 hrs and day 2
-nearly opaque dark red-black, no bricking
-intensely jammy berry (boysenberry) at first then picks up some black pepper nuances after an hour; pepper dominates on day 2
-med/med+ acidity, med weight and depth, jammy dark berry black raspberry hard candy licorice earth, med/med+ tannins; black pepper and olive juice adds complexity on day 2
-quite impressive with a bit more depth and fruit than some other vintages (and from a bottle tasted a couple years ago) yet retaining fresh acidity, still some upside as it continues to shed tannins (1614 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 3/9/2017 & rated 88 points: Dinner at 90 Miles (Chicago, IL): This is a peppercorn bomb of both white and black. The nose also shows a bit of green olive salinity as well. On the palate, the wine does come off a little bit thin, with an odd touch of strawberry juice intertwined with the other characters which makes it a little bit disjoint. My biggest question here is how this is going to age: while this is a fine wine now, it doesn't seem to have enough stuffing on the palate from ripeness to hold for the long haul. Which is perhaps one of my objections with the "new wave" California producers -- to my palate, it seems that they pick earlier to make wine in a lighter, low-alcohol style, which is to me commendable, but often these wines would benefit from a touch more fruit and ripeness. (4418 views) | | | Tasted by KeithAkers on 3/9/2017 & rated 89 points: Nose: The nose was highly aromatic and balanced with black and white pepper, black cherries, raspberries, tobacco, and some violets. Though the nose was expressive, it lacked some depth and definition as the tones were more weighted towards the pepper aspect of it.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium+ acidity and medium tannins. The structure has integrated well and the feel showing an elegance to it with black and white pepper, black cherries, tobacco, and violets. The mid-palate and finish are a bit thin unfortunately and most of everything is concentrated on the attack.
Overall: This has started to somewhat turn into a thought experiment as opposed to a beautifully mature Sonoma Syrah. That said, there still is a good level of enjoyment to be had in the near term, but it feels like it is on the down slope. (3029 views) | | | Tasted by 560 B&W on 9/24/2016 & rated 95 points: Fantastic, with another year in bottle bringing out more complexity without losing any fruit. 12.2% (4126 views) | | | Tasted by retired_and_roving on 8/5/2016: Based on the results from the last bottle decided to give this a decant before drinking. After two hours in the decanter - first sip was a bit shrill - lots of acid - not much else. Followed this one glass for quite a while as the drinking was not too easy. By the four hour mark - the wine just blossomed like a flower. Savory but with a finish of black cherry, then later plum and tar. The last glass was incredible! My conclusion is that you need to give this way more air than expected in order to appreciate its charms - consumed directly from bottle it is tight, acidic and savory, but four hours in the decanter reveals the beautiful dark fruit and tertiary notes. (3755 views) | | | Tasted by retired_and_roving on 6/19/2016: Thinking this may be an off bottle. Nose has kind of a meaty funk that is just a shade too much to be appealing. On the palate the wine is drinking very tight - not expressive. Same on day 1 and day 2. Hoping the other 3 in my cellar will be better. (3327 views) | | | Tasted by Cote d'Or on 4/2/2016: Quick taste on PopnPour. Moderately aromatic black pepper meaty funk, med+ acidity, med- weight, relatively complex olive tapenade charcuterie savory components dominate with some dark berry, med/med- chalky tannins. Drinking very well and typical for A-R high altitude syrah in a good drinking window now with no hurry. (2104 views) | | | Tasted by Mike Dildine on 10/10/2015 & rated 93 points: 12.2% abv. Very dark ruby, expressive aromas. On the palate, dark fruit, blood, smoke and stone. Good depth and intensity, lingering aftertaste. This is an extremely distinctive wine from a famously cool vineyard. Will continue to improve. (1758 views) | | | Tasted by 560 B&W on 7/21/2015 & rated 93 points: PnP. Exuberant nose and delightful balance. Might be 94. 12.2% (1400 views) | | | Tasted by slanum on 7/4/2015: When I had this wine three years ago I was mighty impressed and found all sorts of telltale Syrah characteristics. With a moderate amount of age on it this particular bottle has settled way down--it took time and air to bring out subtle notes of leather and olive, and the wine remained remained gentle and reserved until the end. Although there was no "wow factor" of the sort that comes with some of my favorite Rhone wines, this was not a big fat "Californian-style" blob. Much less of the olives than the 6/20 note. Pleasantly low alcohol. Good. (1267 views) | | | Tasted by Keith Levenberg on 6/20/2015: "Clary Ranch, how can I help you!"
"Hello! Can we get a few tons of syrah grapes?"
"Sorry, mister. All out of syrah. How about some nice, juicy olives?"
"Olives?"
"You bet. Finest olives this side of the Mediterranean."
"Thanks, but we were kind of looking to make some wine...."
"Wine, you say! Well, that's just perfect! These'll make the greatest olive wine you've ever tasted! I guarantee it!"
"Olive wine? Is there such a thing?"
"Sure! Why not? You gotcher grape wine, rice wine, dandelion wine, why not olive wine? Mister, when you've got olives as tasty and juicy as these, there's nothing you can't do with 'em!"
"I dunno.... Are you sure you're all out of syrah?"
"Son, I'll tell you what. I've got one last bowl of syrah grapes in the back. I was gonna have 'em myself for lunch, but if you wanna take three barrels of olives off my hands, I'll throw in them there grapes for free. And if that doesn't make the finest olive wine or syrah or whatever it is you wanna call it, then my name isn't Oliver McOliveson!" (6953 views) | | | Tasted by t_moderne on 10/10/2014: Pop and pour and placed the bottle in a brown bag. The brown bagged bottles were labelled with the names of the actresses that have played Catwoman.
This was in a brown bag labelled Halle Berry.
Brief impressions from the blind tasting:
ruby red color.
Nose of tobacco and pine - like hops.
Quite herbal.
Clear signs of heavy stem inclusion. (805 views) | | | Tasted by Mike Dildine on 7/25/2014 & rated 92 points: 12.2% abv. Medium dark ruby. Expressive, very herbal aromas. On the palate, this wine is lean and edgy featuring leather, smoke, herbs and blue-black fruit. Nicely balanced, good depth and medium long aftertaste. This wine is a dead ringer for a Northern Rhone (Hermitage)? Very enjoyable. Led by winemakers like Arnot-Roberts, California is demonstrating it can compete and compete well with the best of France in lighter, lower alcohol wines. I have one bottle left, which I'll probably hang on to for a few years. (2079 views) | | | Tasted by jtinto on 11/16/2013 & rated 92 points: A delicate style of Syrah. Less ripe, but the tannins are perfectly finessed. No green notes. Elevated acid. 12.2% ABV. (2557 views) | | | Tasted by Screameagle on 8/28/2013 & rated 89 points: A well made wine but not our cup of tea. Could easily have been picked as a French wine if tasted blind. (2848 views) | | | Tasted by RobertDwyer on 7/16/2013 & rated 93 points: As predicted earlier this year, I couldn't resist opening a second bottle of this. Such a satisfying glass of wine at just 12.2% alcohol. Would be difficult to discern from a Rhone wine blind, but with an intriguing hint of new world sunshine. Tasted alongside an '04 Donjon CdP and the markings were so similar it was striking. This was much lighter but still - very similar flavor profiles. Great stuff. (3559 views) | | | Tasted by SonomaWilliam on 7/12/2013 & rated 93 points: One of the most stunning domestics Syrah's I have had, and exceeded many from N Rhone tasting the other night.
Incredible opulent nose, great body, structure, balance, comparable with N Rhone. Lots of life in this left, but very drinkable now, and I lean towards consuming while fresher. Sadly none left to re-taste day 2. (3102 views) | | | Tasted by Michael Davidson on 3/17/2013: Olive juice with some pepper in it. Intellectually, I appreciate what A-R is trying to do. I wish I actually enjoyed the wines more; this one was tough to drink. (2539 views) | | | Tasted by treidling on 3/12/2013 & rated 94 points: Intense garnet in color. Strong black and green pepper with some ash and red fruit on the nose. Identical characteristics on the palate with a focused and intense attack persisting with good acid and well-integrate tannins that blend seamlessly into the background. If you appreciate a focused, somewhat underripe style of Syrah you will love this wine. Great now and likely to continue to improve for several more years. (1927 views) | | | Tasted by RobertDwyer on 1/9/2013 & rated 92 points: Really excited to to taste this after SF Chronicle winemaker of the year. Just 12.2% alcohol. Aromatically present immediately upon opening. Olives, black pepper, corriander and just a hint of red fruit hiding in the background. Absolutely would have pegged it for a Chateauneuf-du-Pape on the nose, but where the low alcohol levels shows is on the palate. To be honest it's a little hollow, but it's such an interesting wine it's easily forgiven. Light acidity. Slightly chalky tannins with a touch of menthol in a high toned finish. Really pretty package (bottle/label/easily penetrated wax enclosure). A lot to like here. I have a second bottle of this I'll look forward to trying in a year or two but I doubt I'll be able to wait that long. (3259 views) | | | Tasted by S1 on 9/9/2012: I knew I shouldn't, but I did anyway. Col. J got home from Kuwait/Iraq yesterday.
Through the wine bong (Vinturi) into a decanter 2 1/2 hours ahead of time. Lots of green with some glycerin on the nose. Green olive tapenade, menthol, bay, with some lovely wild dark fruits, floral aromatics with a punch a black peppercorn. This is amazingly well-balanced for such a young wine and shows a great classic elegance. (2617 views) | | | Tasted by River Rat on 8/20/2012: Night 1 was all nose. Wicked good, savory, green olive, menthol, white pepper, dry aged beef, smoky oak. Left in decanter all night and put back in the bottle under cork in the morning.
Night 2 the nose is still smoking good with the initial swirl just blowing up. Reminds me a lot of an '05 Quivet that Mike Smith opened for me last year with lots of green olive again. Medium bodied, great acid, dark red raspberry and tart black cherry with violets and green slightly grippy tannins. Someone mentioned a cab franc resemblance and I see that. This is really green though so beware if it isn't your style. Wasn't sure this one would last through the night. Except in the back of my palate. Man what a lingering finish. Be sure to give it plenty of air.
Night 3 was 4 nights later. The nose went from green to black olive and leather. Entry is black olive, the mid-palate shows the acidity and the finish is still mean and green like biting into a grape seed but with a savory red fruited touch. Early look but I have 2 more in the cellar so I said WTF?
Just a super wine that needs many years to integrate. Was fun to take a look though. (2597 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, May/June 2012, IWC Issue #162
(Arnot-Roberts Syrah Clary Ranch Sonoma Coast) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, The Best of Sonoma (Feb 2012)
(Arnot-roberts Syrah Clary Ranch Sonoma Coast) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Arnot-Roberts Producer Website
Jamie Kutch left a highly paid career as a stock trader in 2005 to move to California and pursue his dream of making wine. People thought he was crazy, until the first Pinot Noir he released scored 93 points in Wine Spectator. That shouldn't come as a surprise as Jamie has cut his teeth among some of the best producers in the Pinot Noir world. From his time spent working at the revered Kosta Browne in Sonoma to receiving sage advice from none other than Aubert de Villaine of Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Jamie has taken everything he has learned to produce some of the most compelling and terroir driven wines in California.
The Kutch wines are made as naturally as possible. After the grapes are harvested by hand, they are sorted meticulously and moved only by gravity, before being fermented in small open-top containers with hand and foot punch downs using indigenous yeasts. When fermented, the wine is gravity flowed into French Oak barrels, where they age sur lie (on the lees). The vineyard pursues a minimalist philosophy, trying to produce the purest expression of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from a particular place and time.
Since foundation 2001, Arnot-Roberts has been one of the most progressive and revolutionary producers on the California landscape. Initially their focus was just on making great Californian wines, but when the cool 2005 vintage gave them wines in a more austere, high acid style than the region was used to, Nathan and Duncan reacted completely differently to practically everyone else in California – they loved them and decided to pursue lower ripeness levels and higher acidity in all of their wines henceforth.
The intent is to produce wines that express the character of the sites in which the grapes are grown. No vineyards are owned. Fruit was sourced by arrangements with farmers from prime sites in Napa, the Sonoma Coast, the Santa Cruz Mountains, the Santa Rita Hills, Moon Mountain and the Sierra Foothills. The focus is on single vineyards, but some regional / appellation wines are also made if the grapes show strong association with their origins. The common thread is that most of the fruit is sourced from cooler vineyard sites.
Syrah Varietal article (Wikipedia) | (Wines Northwest)
Note that some producers in the Northern Rhone distinguish between simply Syrah and "Serine", the latter described as ‘an ancient clone of Syrah, the berries of which are more oval-shaped and less deeply pigmented than Syrah’ by producer Tardieu-Laurent. USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Sonoma CountyMendocino CountySonoma Coast * Sonoma Coast AVA (Wikipedia)
* Sonoma Coast AVA (Wine Institue) |
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