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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2013 and 2019 (based on 52 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.6 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 18 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by FLI on 4/28/2019 & rated 86 points: A bit heavy for my taste. Too much butter, not enough acidity. (1123 views) | | | Tasted by wineshlub on 5/7/2017 & rated 91 points: Opened one hour in advance, overcoming the annoying wax seal. Aroma of fresh baked bread and citrus. Surprisingly rich (given the aroma) flavors of stone fruit with pineapple. Pineapple finish.
Pineapple is not among my favorite chardonnay elements, but it works here. This is not an over-the-top, ripe, tropical full bore chardonnay. It's nuanced, with an intriguing bitterness, good backbone, and just a bit of funk. Very well done. (2335 views) | | | Tasted by FLI on 4/4/2015 & rated 90 points: Well balanced - not a typical cali chard. Lacks earthiness, but nice interplay of fruit and acidity. (3558 views) | | | Tasted by 560 B&W on 8/9/2014 & rated 90 points: Had a slight bitter note on the end but good overall (1436 views) | | | Tasted by CIAgrad86 on 4/14/2014 & rated 91 points: Red apple, pear, lemon, mint, with vanilla(oak). A bit harsh on the finish. Could use 6 months more bottle age. Pale straw color. Only bought one, but always have heard good things from this producer. Will look for it in the future (4620 views) | | | Tasted by Cote d'Or on 9/12/2013: PopnPour, tasted over 3 hrs and Day 2
-translucent gold
-sweet lemon
-med- acidity doesn't give much lift, sweet somewhat tropical fruits including some pineapple notes, very ripe though only medium weight, lack of discernible oak keep it from being, and no heat keep it from being clunky or blowzy
-too tropical for my taste but well-made (4145 views) | | | Tasted by MindMuse on 9/4/2013 & rated 92 points: I agree this is stylistically Old World, though agree with vanpe003 that it is not Chablis-esque; more like Puligny to me, though not quite as minerally at base. It is very smooth, sweet Meyer lemon creamsicle, green pear, touch of pineapple, touch of wet pebbles, hint of vanilla.I might have preferred with a bit more edge or crunch in the mouthfeel, but really this is a fine and elegant expression of Chardonnay and I think the QPR is excellent at $30-ish. And I think it is a good time to be drinking it right now. 91-92 (3982 views) | | | Tasted by vanpe003 on 7/8/2013 & rated 92 points: I like this. I'm not sure it compares much with various Chablis I've had as it doesn't have the bracing acidity of many of the better from that region. But it is a nicely balanced bottle from California. Medium-bodied with a controlled dollop of oak. Not a long-term ager in my opinion, as I think this is drinking nicely now and might lose a bit of its counter-balancing brightness with further age. Drink now - 2015. (3340 views) | | | Tasted by stevenjstein on 4/27/2012 & rated 91 points: Clean and well balanced. Up front, tropical fruit, apple, and pear, with a touch of flowers. On the back, mineral notes and moderate acidity. Overall, a complex and elegant Chardonnay that competes well with some much pricier Chards. (2413 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 3/19/2012 & rated 91 points: 2012 In Pursuit of Balance Tasting (Julia Morgan Ballroom, Merchants Exchange Building, San Francisco, California): Light canary yellow color; tart citrus, ripe grapefruit nose; delicate, tart citrus, lemon, mineral palate; medium finish 91+ points (stainless steel fermented, aged in neutral oak) (4078 views) | | | Tasted by t_moderne on 12/4/2011 & rated 91 points: Pop and pour. Light yellow in color; nice light, refreshing bouquet of apple and lemon meringue. Good pineapple and crips apple; vibrant and juicy wine. (2549 views) | | | Tasted by jsums on 10/21/2011 & rated 91 points: Lighter golden color. Nose: pineapple core, Fuji apple, and lime with accents of freshly baked biscuit, melon rind, and chalk. Medium body on the palate: green apple, pineapple core, and fresh lime with more bready/leesy nuance, melon rind, and chalk/sand. Aggressive lemon/lime acidity. Lingering melon rind and sandy/chalky stone on the long dry finish. Very Chablis in style. Extraordinary elegance. Will develop well over the next 5-10 years. (2548 views) | | | Tasted by bobpsi on 9/18/2011 & rated 92 points: Big fresh pineapple and lemon nose. Fresh tropical and citrus notes really crisp and well made. (2214 views) | | | Tasted by FLI on 9/16/2011 & rated 88 points: Bright and crisp without being astringent or puckery. Excellent balance. A nice contrast to the typical high-oak style. Good with food, nice sipping. Will surprise people who say they don't like Cali chards. Ready to drink. (1899 views) | | | Tasted by mjf@ulkner on 8/30/2011 & rated 90 points: On the more austere side of Cali chardonnay. Lots of Meyer lemon. Not much notable residual sugar in this, or oak for that matter. (2052 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 7/2/2011 & rated 91 points: Night at Terroir (Terroir Natural Wine Merchant and Bar, San Francisco, California): Bright light yellow color; aromatic, lemon cream, tart pineapple nose; rich but poised, creamy textured, ripe lemon, lemon cream palate with integrated oak; needs 1-2 years; medium-plus finish 91+ points (7 mos. on lees in neutral barriques) (2182 views) | | | Tasted by River Rat on 4/9/2011 & rated 92 points: Tasted at the Arnot-Roberts pick-up party. This limestone vineyard chard was the opposite of the rocky volcanic Matthiasson. Dark golden color. Big fruit driven nose and palate. Green apple, pear and a hint of peach. Nice texture and structure. Full mouthfeel with balancing acidity, minerality and juicy richness. Stainless steel fermentation and neutral French oak. Another very nice effort. (2515 views) |
| By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (3/19/2012)
(Arnot-Roberts Chardonnay Watson Ranch) Light canary yellow color; tart citrus, ripe grapefruit nose; delicate, tart citrus, lemon, mineral palate; medium finish 91+ points (stainless steel fermented, aged in neutral oak) 91 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (7/2/2011)
(Arnot-Roberts Chardonnay Watson Ranch) Bright light yellow color; aromatic, lemon cream, tart pineapple nose; rich but poised, creamy textured, ripe lemon, lemon cream palate with integrated oak; needs 1-2 years; medium-plus finish 91+ points (7 mos. on lees in neutral barriques) 91 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of RJonWine.com. (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.
Chardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeWatson RanchArnot Roberts Comments - The Watson Ranch vineyard is perched on a steep hillside overlooking the San Pablo Bay in the southernmost end of the Napa Valley. The vineyard can be seen on the top of the hill just east of the Green Island Vineyard which we sourced fruit from 2007-09. Exposed and austere, the Watson Ranch is a wind whipped site planted in 1993 on marine deposits over limestone. This soil type is extremely rare on the North Coast and is coupled with organic farming techniques, giving this parcel great potential to produce Chardonnay of singular character, structure and nuance.
Watson Ranch Vineyard is perched on a steep hillside overlooking the San Pablo Bay at the southernmost end of the Napa Valley. The ranch was named after early Napa attorney, Augustus Watson, who owned the property in the early 1900s. The adjacent property is an abandoned limestone quarry which historically employed over 300 people, mining material to make portland cement used to rebuild San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. Exposed and unprotected from the elements, this wind-whipped site was planted in 1993 by the talented Napa Valley veteran grower Salvador Ramos. Soils at Watson Ranch are composed of calcareous clay over limestone. This soil type is extremely rare on the North Coast but shows itself in a narrow fin at the tail end of the Vaca Mountains in Southern Napa County. This fractured, well-drained calcareous soil, coupled with organic farming and cool windy conditions, imbue this parcel with great potential to produce world-class Chardonnay. The fruit we harvest each year from Watson is consistently textural and vibrant with underpinnings of ample natural acidity and salinity.
In 2014 we grafted 1.8 acres of a Loire valley clone of Cabernet Franc adjacent to the Chardonnay. We enjoy drinking Cabernet Franc from France’s Loire Valley, and we felt the unique weather and soil at this site was perfectly suited to convey the cold-climate character of the grape. The wines we have made from this planting are vibrantly aromatic and loaded with spicy, briary fruit, offering a unique expression of the variety in the Napa Valley.
CHARDONNAY
Elevation: 450’
Clone/Selection: 4
Soils: Fagan series; calcareous clay over limestone
Vine Density: 6’x8’
Farming: Organic
Planted: 1993
CABERNET FRANC
Elevation: 450’
Clone/Selection: Loire 1
Soils: Fagan series; calcareous clay over limestone
Vine Density: 6’x8’
Farming: Organic
Grafted: 2014USAAmerican 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 Napa Valley Napa Valley Wineries and Wine (Napa Valley Vintners)Napa ValleySt. Helena |
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