Arnot-Roberts Sonoma Coast Syrah 2024
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The Land
The Sonoma Coast that grows Syrah this cold is not the Sonoma Coast most people picture. The sites Arnot-Roberts draws on sit in the true extremity of the AVA, wind-scoured, fog-bound benches and hillsides west of the ridge where the Pacific dictates the growing season and Syrah ripens closer to Cornas than to Paso Robles. The 2024 blend is from 40% Clary Ranch, 20% Que Syrah, 20% Baker Lane, and 20% Vine Hill (formerly known as Solas) vineyards. Clary Ranch is the coldest of them, a site Arnot-Roberts effectively put on the map for Syrah, and its share sets the tone. Que Syrah, planted on ancient seabed soils, is now owned by Nathan Roberts and his wife Jenn. Together these are the four sites that made the case that California could grow northern Rhone Syrah rather than an approximation of it.
The Wine
100% Syrah. Every vineyard was picked and fermented separately, none of it destemmed, so the whole cluster share is total. Fermentations run with native yeast and a submerged cap with pump-overs, a method borrowed openly from Gentaz and Juge in Cote-Rotie and Cornas. Aging is nine months in neutral oak; no new wood touches this wine. The result is dark but not heavy: black olive, cracked pepper, blood orange peel, smoked meat, violet, and green peppercorn over a taut, high-acid, low-alcohol frame with tannin that grips at the back rather than the front. 2024 in Sonoma was a cool spring into a warm midsummer, then mild days and cold nights straight through harvest. Growers picked without pressure and the fruit came in with higher acidity than a warm year normally delivers, which is exactly the condition whole-cluster Syrah wants.
The People
Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts have been friends since childhood and have been making wine together since 2001. Their method is deliberately low-tech: native fermentations, whole clusters in the reds, little or no new oak, early picking, modest alcohol. What made them influential was not the winemaking so much as the vineyard sleuthing, finding cold, marginal, overlooked parcels like Clary Ranch and Trout Gulch that nobody had taken seriously and proving what they could do. They own none of these vineyards but work closely with the growers, pushing toward organic farming and lower-impact viticulture. Roberts also coopers barrels himself, a craft he learned from his father.
Food Pairing
This is peppery, savory Syrah, so lean into char and herbs. Grilled lamb chops rubbed with rosemary and black pepper is the sharpest match. Also strong: a rare hanger steak with salsa verde, duck confit with braised lentils, or grilled eggplant and mushrooms with tapenade if you are skipping meat. The acidity handles fat and smoke without going flat, and the green peppercorn edge in the wine meets herb rubs and olives directly. Serve it cool, around 60 degrees, not at room temperature.
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Sonoma County, located west of Napa Valley and stretching to the Pacific Ocean, is a large and diverse wine region in California. With a history of winemaking dating back to the 19th century, Sonoma's varied terroir allows it to grow grapes in multiple places throughout the region. Bordered by the Mayacamas Mountains on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west, the county encompasses a range of climates and soils. The Russian River Valley, known for its cool climate influenced by fog, is acclaimed for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Alexander Valley, further inland and warmer, excels with Cabernet Sauvignon. The Sonoma Coast, a region directly influenced by the Pacific's cool breezes and fog, is gaining recognition for elegant, cool-climate wines, particularly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This diverse landscape provides the fruit for an array of styles.
California - Sonoma County
Syrah is a dark-skinned grape of French origin, specifically from the Northern Rhône Valley, where it produces some of the world's most powerful and complex wines. Known as Shiraz in Australia, Syrah is capable of displaying a wide range of aromas and flavors. Cool climate Syrahs tend to express floral notes like violets, along with savory elements like olives, while those grown in warmer climates like Australia are more likely to show black pepper and dark fruit notes such as plum. The grape's versatility allows it to adapt to various climates and soil types, but it maintains its unique characteristics no matter where it is planted.
