Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts, along with a small group of fellow trailblazers, have led the way in helping redefine what California wine can be and taste like. Their wines have a deep sense of terroir, refined and elegant structure and are deliciously complex. In 2001, when they began this endeavor, finding local wines with these qualities was tough. But along with their aforementioned colleagues, they started a small revolution and these days you can walk into many a wine shop and find an example of what's been coined, “The New California Wine”.

But, perhaps a better sobriquet for Duncan and Nathan's wines might be The New California Classic. Their wines are a nod to the great California wines made in the decades before Parkerization. They have shown that California is capable of producing wines that shine in their youth and will gracefully age to glorious full maturity.

Arnot Roberts has become synonymous with New California wine in a lot of ways. Since their founding in 2001, they've spent a lot of time scouring the state for some of the best previously unknown vineyard sites, doing so with a respect for the environment that is nothing short of remarkable. They work with all their growers to encourage organic farming and minimize their environmental impact: these are wines that are not only delicious, but that you can feel good about drinking.

Like all great winemakers, the cornerstone of Duncan and Nathan’s approach starts in the vineyard. They are dedicated to finding super distinct and unique sites from Mendocino in the North to the Santa Cruz Mountains South of the Bay Area. Their enormous respect for California’s terroir have led them to some of the state’s most celebrated vineyards. But they aren’t just about the famous sites; they know the state is full of amazing and still unheralded regions and they’ve done an incredible job of hunting out great vines in very special spots.

Professional Reviews

What importer Polaner Selections has to say about this wine...

Vineyard
The Peter Martin Ray vineyard is part of the original planting of Pinot Noir on Mt. Eden above the town of Saratoga in the Eastern Santa Cruz Mountains. Dating to the late 1800’s this site is of historical significance as many of today’s modern Pinot plantings have been made with genetic material that originated on this hill. The vineyard is 3 acres of old stake trained vines that are dry-farmed at 1,600’ in Franciscan Shale soils. The vineyard is still owned and farmed by Peter Martin Ray the son of legendary California vintner Martin “Rusty” Ray. The site is exposed and the soils here are notoriously poor in nutrients which lead the the vines to struggle for survival. The resulting wine is true to its mountain grown roots and is a nod to the rich history of this site. We are honored to work with the Ray family and look forward to many more years of harvesting beautiful fruit from this plot.
Orientation
1600' elevation
Soil
Franciscan shale
Viticulture
35 year old dry farmed, organic vines
Vinification
100% whole cluster. Native yeasts for both primary and secondary fermentations. Basket pressed to neutral, French oak barrels
Aging
11 months in neutral French oak