5/15/26 - 

Arnot-Roberts have been making some of the most exciting and expressive wines in California since they began in 2001, utilizing many of the state’s most unique and often extreme vineyard sites and coaxing an almost magical sense of purity out of these sacred vines. Childhood friends growing up in Napa, Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts manage to perfectly straddle the new-world/old-world dichotomy, showing that wines can be firmly rooted in the California tradition they grew up with while still showing a sense of elegance and finesse often associated with their European counterparts. Everything they do is with respect to the land and varied terroir that make California wine so special. Needless to say I was excited to have the chance to taste through their recent releases, and boy did they deliver! 

To start, the 2025 Rosé is outrageously good. If I were forced to choose a single wine to drink all summer this might be it. It’s pure refreshment in a bottle: vibrant citrus and bitter orange peel leap from the glass, with a stony mineral undercurrent and bright acidity that all complement the whole experience seamlessly. We also have the long-awaited return of their beautiful Trousseau, which was a huge hit last year and is showing great energy and vivacity in 2024. Of particular note is a new wine in the lineup, the 2023 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon, which is a blend of grapes from Bedrock Vineyard and Lichau Hill Vineyard and punches way above its price-point. It’s a wine you can enjoy now or save for later, with plenty of structure but fine tannins and outstanding balance. Their single-vineyard Cabs are absolutely breathtaking in the lauded 2023 vintage, with layers of dense fruit and herbal complexity that will evolve beautifully over the next decade or more. I’ve always been partial to their Fellom Ranch bottling, from a small family-run vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains just half a mile up the road from Ridge’s iconic Monte Bello Vineyard. This is classic Cali Cab at its finest: pure mountain fruit and herbal lift that are unmarred by flashy oak or stylistic influence. Another highlight from Santa Cruz is the 2024 Trout Gulch Chardonnay, from a cold and slow-ripening site (pictured above) high in the mountains that produces some of the most mineral laced and chiseled Chardonnays in California. It’s linear and taut with great acid structure and tension. The 2024 single-vineyard Pinots are showing great depth and characteristic freshness, each with its own unique personality. A highlight for me in this vintage is the Heaven and Earth Vineyard Pinot Noir, showing incredible balance and texture already but with enough substance to age another ten years easily. I’d be remiss not to mention the 2024 Randle Hill Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, which is always one of the more elegant expressions of California Sauv Blanc with delicate fruit and intense minerality. For a more detailed look at some of the vineyards that Duncan and Nathan work with, they have a handy map here that shows just how varied and special some of these sites are. While each vineyard has its own nuance and identity, there is a common thread of harmony and purity amongst these wines which is clear while tasting them side-by-side. 

-Jeff DiLorenzo

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