Arnot-Roberts Spring 2024 open house

I quite enjoy the AR open houses… they are fun and low-key but well organised by the AR gang and a nice chance to chat with them casually. ultimately, they are great for being able to taste thru the lineup of releases and get a first read on how the wines stack versus prior vintages and what their drinking windows may be.

This one took place during a chilly and rainy day (seems to be my lot!)… and as usual, featured small bites by the Spinster Sisters in addition to the wines and friendly company.

• 2023 Arnot-Roberts Rosé 89 Points

  USA, California

  pale pink/salmon and light body. fresh nose of watermelon, cantaloupe and strawberries with gentle floral tones. dry and very fresh if a tad reticent at the moment, some bubblegum lipstick (a friend of mine calls that "jolly ranchers") and pith gain prominence midpalate. moderate citric length.
  
  as usual, i'll put this down to settle in and re-emerge next summer.
  
  11.5% AbV; blend of 71% Touring Nacional/ 15% Trincadeira/ 11% Grenache and 3% Tinta Cão; fruit sourced from five different vineyards in a number of AVAs; each site was picked and vilified separately and foot-trod for colour extraction; fermentation in stainless. bottles in early January 2024.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2022 Arnot-Roberts Falanghina Russian River Valley 89 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

  pale straw and medium body. very reticent nose with seashells (i wanted to put my ear to glass to check if i could hear the ocean while waiting for the nose to open up)… and then subtle whiffs of lemon, white blossoms and sea-spray. more expressive in mouth, the fresh lemon vein is prominent from entry to finish, and around it dance some notes of stonefruit and hazelnut. the saline accent carries thru the moderately long finish.
  
  dry and smooth textured, it is very refreshing and just about accessible.
  
  well-carried 13.5% AbV; all Beneventana clone from two sites (70% from Las Cimas and 30% from Handel-Denier); whole cluster fermented and malo in stainless, then aged in neutral French oak for ten months.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2022 Arnot-Roberts Ribolla Gialla Bengier Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  the source of the fruit is the same vineyard (now called Bengier, formerly known as Vare) as it has been.
  
  pale straw colour and light body. fresh tangerine and ripe apple in the nose with floral whiffs. silky and a bit reticent in mouth, with time it gains in the mid palate with white-fleshed melon, lime and accents of honeycomb and fresh herbs. bright acidity that is proportional and very good length round up the experience.
  
  this is certainly drinkable now, but i prefer my Ribollas with some five years in bottle to fill out some more and display more layers… upside potential there.
  
  12% AbV; whole-cluster pressed with no skin contact and fermented in stainless; ten months' ageing in neutral French oak.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

Arnot-Roberts make very distinctive cool-climate Syrahs. I thought that the 2021s released last year were phenomenal, and was somewhat apprehensive these 2022s would be a bit of a letdown. Not quite.

While they may not reach those heights of complexity, the current crop makes up for that with earlier accessibility. I fully expect to drink my 22s before my 21s…

…it was also enjoyable to hear Duncan speak of the challenges and reward of growing Syrah at the edge of the continent. His passion and delight in making these wines was rather apparent and well, the proof is in the bottles.

• 2022 Arnot-Roberts Syrah Clary Ranch 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  magenta-tinted light purple and medium body. nose of blueberry and red plum with lavender, peppercorn and sea-spray accents. rather open already, there is a focused quality to the fruit as it unfolds in layers that show thru accents of pepper, herbs and bits of salty dust. moderately grippy but smooth tannins and very good length.
  
  beautiful and focused expression of cool-climate Syrah. this should come around sooner than the '21… probably as soon as in a couple of years. and while it'll likely have a long life, the purity suggests it may be very rewarding in the medium term (say, around 2027).
  
  12% AbV; 100% whole cluster inclusion; basket pressed; aged in neutral French oak for ten months.

  Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2022 Arnot-Roberts Syrah Que Syrah Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  bright purple with magenta rim and medium body. plum and dark berries mingle with lavender, star anise, and crushed herbs in the nose. also somewhat open already, there is a savoury core to the fruit from entry to finish and layers are already apparent. a firm structure will need some time to integrate but is already smooth-textured. finish is a bit clipped at the moment, but a long raspberry aftertaste follows.
  
  while this will need a bit of time to open up, it will likely do so before the '21, even if its development runway turns to be a shorter. there is good upside potential here.
  
  12% AbV; 75% whole cluster inclusion; basket pressed; aged in neutral French oak for ten months.

  Read 2 Comments / Post a Comment / 3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

This release also marked the return of the single-vineyard Cabs from the 2021 harvest, as AR did not prouce them from the 2020 fire-plagued season.

And while there was no "Montecillo" release this year, AR decided to continue with the Bordeaux blend they started last year to make up for the lack of single-vineyard Cabs. It seems they may continue this flexible blend going forward, and that current release seems more readily accessible than last years' was a very welcome development.

• 2022 Arnot-Roberts California Red 92 Points

  USA, California

  purple with opaque core and medium-plus body. bright nose of fresh dark fruit with hints of five-star spice. very juicy in the mouth with fruit that tends more red than dark and holds its own against the fairly grippy tannins. it has very good concentration, depth that is already apparent in accents of spice, good acidic lift and very good length.
  
  more open at release than the '21 version, this should need not much more than a couple of years to be in a good drinking window. and while very concentrated, it shows more nuance as well.
  
  13% AbV; blend of 57% Cab Sauv./ 22% Cab Franc/ 21% Merlot; fruit comes from three different vineyards (two of them contributing more than one varietal) in Sonoma Valley (Bedrock), Chalk Hill (Persia) and Russian River Valley (Las Cimas) AVAs; all sites were harvested, destemmed and vinified separately; after blending, half was aged in neutral oak barrels and half in concrete tanks for ten months.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2021 Arnot-Roberts Cabernet Sauvignon Fellom Ranch 93 Points

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  dark purple with an opaque core and medium-plus body. subtle notes of ash, cedar and sage waft thru the dark plum and cherry fruit aromas. very fresh and bright in mouth, the fruit has beautiful clarity and focus and is laced with lavender and crushed herb notes. very good length.
  
  smooth but firm tannins should need a handful of years to subsume; but with the impeccable balance and the clarity in its fruit this wine hints at elegance to come… not to mention long life.
  
  13.5% AbV; fully destemmed; aged for twenty-two months in French oak (10% new).

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2021 Arnot-Roberts Cabernet Sauvignon Clajeux Vineyard

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Chalk Hill

  dark purple with an opaque core and medium-plus body. very complex nose where blue iris petals and hints of smoke lace the blackberry, dark cherry and blueberry fruit notes. in mouth it is fresh, bright and at the moment, quite dense… so much so that beyond noting the concentration, high-toned acidity and polished but formidable tannins, i found it difficult to get a read on it.
  
  on the basis of the nose, its balance, and its persistence, it is clearly an excellent wine… and one that in time will reward only a few drinkers, as only two barrels were produced.
  
  13% AbV; fully destemmed; aged in neutral French oak barrels for twenty-two months.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

I found the wines, as usual, very good to excellent, and even outstanding… and after complimenting Nathan on them we got talking about the 2023 harvest… he shared that it shaped out quite nicely in spite of its late start and that they feel very positive about the wines as result.

…so, here's looking to more great AR wines to come!