Chardonnay Watson Ranch
2021
$115.56*
Duncan Arnot Meyers grew up around wine. His father's best friend was Bernard Portet of Clos du Val, and much of Duncan's youth was spent in Napa Valley. He was mentored by John Kongsgaard and worked side by side with Pax Malhe, Northern California's cult syrah specialist, until June 2008. The "Roberts" in Arnot-Roberts, is Nathan Lee Roberts, second generation master cooper, whose grandmother is Margot Biever Mondavi; Nathan's mother Annie Roberts was executive chef at Robert Mondavi Winery....
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The Watson Ranch vineyard is perched on a steep hillside overlooking the San Pablo Bay in the southernmost end of the Napa Valley. The vineyard can be seen on the top of the hill just east of the Green Island Vineyard which we sourced fruit from 2007-09. Exposed and austere, the Watson Ranch is a wind whipped site planted in 1993 by the talented grower Salvador Ramos on marine deposits over limestone. This soil type is extremely rare on the North Coast and lends itself perfectly to growing world class Chardonnay. This soil coupled with organic farming techniques and cool windy conditions give this parcel great potential to produce Chardonnay of singular character.
The 2021 Chardonnay Watson Ranch is broad, creamy and super-expressive. Dried pear, apricot, chamomile, dried flowers, mint and herbs are nicely laced together in this savory, expressive Chardonnay. Give it a few years in bottle to soften.
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