2006 Arnot-Roberts Hudson Vineyard North Block Syrah

Arnot-Roberts was founded in Healdsburg in 2001 when Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts decided to make single vineyard wines in very small quantities. The men are childhood friends who grew up in Napa Valley. Before teaming up to make their own wine, Meyers worked as a winemaker and Roberts was a cooper. Arnot-Roberts sources grapes from Sonoma County, the Santa Cruz Mountains, the Sonoma Coast, Napa Valley and Clear Lake. They make Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and white blends. They are also known for having experimented with Trousseau, a red-wine grape that is native to the Jura region of France but rarely planted or used for winemaking in the U.S. Arnot-Roberts wines are in high demand but mainly available through their mailing list. Robert M. Parker Jr. has called Arnot-Roberts wines “impressively endowed (and) well-made…”

Carneros AVA, also known as Los Carneros, is at the southern end of the Napa and Sonoma Valleys at the top of the San Francisco Bay. The 8,000 vineyard acres are mostly planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, both of which thrive in the district’s cool, marine climate. Carneros became an AVA in 1983 and it has attracted foreign wine companies along with local producers. It has been especially appealing to European producers of sparkling wines including the giant Spanish cava producers Codorniu and Frexinet, and the French Champagne house Taittinger. Codorniu in Carneros is called Artesa, and Frexinet’s Carneros brand is Gloria Ferrer. Taittinger calls its Carneros winery Domaine Carneros. The European producers also make still wines in Carneros.

This grape is grown in milder climates and produces a medium-to full-bodied wine. It is also known as Shiraz, but should not be confused with Petit Sirah, which was developed by crossing Syrah with Peloursin.