Arnot-Roberts "Heaven and Earth Vineyard" Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, California 2023

FROM ARNOT-ROBERTS:

THE WINE: The Heaven and Earth vineyard is a stunningly beautiful hillside planting, tucked into a secluded coastal valley just east of the tiny town of Occidental in western Sonoma County. This incredible site is organically farmed with meticulous attention to detail by viticultural guru Greg Adams, who also tends our Que Syrah vineyard a bit further west. The small valley that is home to this impeccable vineyard is protected by a forested ridge to the west that shields the vines from the direct impacts of incoming weather from the nearby Pacific Ocean, 8 miles away. The unique position of this site coupled with its inherently short diurnal shift allows the Pinot Noir to ripen slowly throughout the day and night, resulting in small berries and dense structure in the wine. Deep, and effusively aromatic, the resulting wine benefits from fermentation without destemming, to elevate the detailed texture, soaring aromatics and fine grained tannin that are hallmarks of this amazing vineyard. We are very fortunate to have access to a small parcel of fruit from Heaven and Earth and we look forward to many more years of unlocking the secrets that this singular vineyard has to share.

THE PRODUCER: Arnot-Roberts was founded in Healdsburg in 2001 by childhood friends Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts. Beginning with one barrel of wine made in their basement, the winery started small and grew slowly by sourcing grapes from some of the most remarkable vineyards in California. Duncan and Nathan grew up together in the Napa Valley and from an early age were immersed in the rhythm of agrarian life surrounded by the vineyards and winemaking of the early 1980’s. Both of their families, while not directly involved in winemaking, were deeply rooted in the community as chefs, coopers, teachers and attorneys in what, at the time, was a small up and coming wine region. After college, the duo followed their passion into the wine industry with Nathan joining his father as a cooper of oak wine barrels and Duncan pursuing winemaking in several renowned wineries in Napa and Sonoma counties.

The focus of Arnot-Roberts is to produce distinctive, site-driven wines that highlight the nature of the unique terroirs in which the grapes are grown. The journey to this end has led Duncan and Nathan to seek out vineyards throughout Northern California and now includes incredible sites in Napa Valley, Sonoma Coast, Santa Cruz Mountains, Santa Rita Hills, Clearlake and Sierra Foothills. Single-vineyard wines are the core of the production as well as a few appellation bottlings that clearly speak of their individual upbringings. Some of the vineyards are old and dry-farmed, some are newer plantings but all are farmed and cared for by passionate and conscientious growers, which is paramount to the fundamental goal of Arnot-Roberts: producing the most honest and expressive wines possible.