Arnot-Roberts

Arnot-Roberts is a small Californian wine producer, specializing in small-lot single-vineyard wines. The main focus is on Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, though wines are made from several other less-common grape varieties like Trousseau and Ribolla.

The business was founded in 2001 by winemaker Duncan Arnot Meyers and cooper Nathan Lee Roberts, childhood friends and Napa Valley natives. The first commercial vintage – a couple of barrels' worth – was 2002.

Fruit comes from around 20 different and well-dispersed vineyard sources from the Santa Cruz Mountains, Napa, Clear Lake and other AVAs. Most of the supply comes from partnerships with growers, with smaller amounts from leased or managed vineyard plots. In 2013 Arnot-Roberts took over management of the postage stamp-sized Que Syrah vineyard in the Sonoma Coast AVA; an unusual, cooler climate site for this variety only two miles from the Pacific Ocean.

Winemaking aims to focus on acidity and tannin rather than fruit characters. Grapes are often picked at lower ripeness levels than the norm, achieving fresh acidity but resulting in wines that can struggle to reach 12 percent abv. Natural yeasts are used, sulphur dioxide additions are kept to a minimum, and wines are often bottled without fining or filtration. Roberts makes all their barrels from oak sourced directly from Alliers in France.

Only around three to five barrels are made of each wine, and production totals about 5000 cases across around 17 different wines. Many of these are on allocation via the estate mailing list.