July Wine Class 2025: The New California: Arnot-Roberts

Join us Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at 6pm for our next wine class. We will be learning about California through the wines of Arnot-Roberts. We will taste the wines listed below and have a few small bites paired with the wines.

Arnot-Roberts Wines is a joint project of schoolhood friends, Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts. Since founding their winery in 2001, the duo has been one of the most progressive and revolutionary producers on the California landscape. Together with a small group of fellow trailblazers, they have led the way to help redefine the paradigm of what California wine can be and taste like.

Like all great winemakers, the cornerstone of their approach starts with a dedication to finding uber-distinctive and often extreme and unique vineyard sites spanning from Mendocino County to the north and the far reaches of the Santa Rita Hills to the south. Interestingly, before Arnot-Roberts, the majority of these vineyards had been previously completely unknown or unheralded (e.g. Clary Ranch for Syrah, Fellom Ranch for Cabernet, Luschinger for Trousseau, and Trout Gulch for Chardonnay, among many others). It has only been due to their uncanny sleuthing ability - seeing what might be "possible' - that the duo has been able to understand and unlock the potential of these amazing vineyard sites. 

Winemaking at Arnot-Roberts borrows from both the old world and new, 'Old School' and new as well. While each wine gets its own regime, the general technique includes indigenous fermentations, little or no new wood, and whole-cluster inclusion for the red wines. Chardonnay is fermented in stainless steel and then aged in neutral wood - with a nod to the masters, Dauvissat and Raveneau. Syrah is fermented 100% whole cluster with submerged cap and pumping over - a la Gentaz and Juge. And Cabernet Sauvignon, in a unique twist, is also fermented with partial whole cluster ("to tame the fruitiness"), and then aged in barrels coopered by Roberts himself! His father, in fact, was a cooper and taught him the craft.

Arnot-Roberts Wines has shown that California Wine not only can shine at the table but can also express the individuality of the sites they come from. It can age and develop in complexity from post-bottle youthfulness to the glories of a fully mature and harmonious bottle (and everything in between). These are today's measuring sticks for great and interesting wine, whether from California, France, Italy, Tasmania, or anywhere that strives to produce quality wine. 

We will taste the following wines and snacks will be provided.

2024 Rosé 

2023 Sauvignon Blanc, Randle Hill, Yorkville Highlands 

2023 Gamay Noir, El Dorado

2023 Syrah, Clary Ranch, Petaluma Gap

More Arnot-Roberts wines will be available for purchase including the

2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, Montecillo Vineyard, Moon Mtn. District, Trout Gulch Chardonnay, and the Heaven and Earth Pinot Noir.