2010 Old Vine White Compagni-Portis Vineyard Sonoma Valley

Arnot-Roberts is one of the most exciting young wineries in California, or anywhere for that matter. Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts have put together a compelling set of wines that highlight the personalities of some of the cooler-climate sites in Northern California. Most of the wines are made with a high percentage of whole clusters. Vinification takes place with the native yeasts and bacteria, and the wines are bottled without fining or filtration. The latest addition to the lineup is a Cabernet Sauvignon from Fellom Ranch, a vineyard on the Montebello Ridge in the Santa Cruz mountains not too far from the parcels from which Ridge crafts their iconic Montebello. Readers who want to learn more about Arnot-Roberts may want to check out my video interview on this site.

Duncan Meyers and Nathan Roberts took full advantage of the moderate 2009 growing season, which allowed the grapes from the cool to cold sites they favor "to get ripe while retaining acidity," which is the key to their house style. "We like wines that are expressive without losing freshness and focus, which can happen pretty easily even when you're working in a relatively cool region." I asked them what sort of progress they felt they'd made in recent years and both quickly said "vineyard work." According to Duncan, "our winemaking is pretty well dialed in by now, which doesn't mean that it's perfect or can't be fine-tuned, but the biggest leap has been with figuring out how to tweak the vines in each site." Added Nathan, "working with canopies and, especially, choosing the right time to pick--so really being on top of the vines and being in them all the time, that's where our focus is now." Except for the cabernets, which Roberts says "can handle and even crave some or a lot of new oak," almost every wine here is made in neutral or near-neutral casks and stainless steel.