Syrah Clary Ranch
2019
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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This is the coldest Syrah vineyard in California, and in the past it has been picked as late as November 20 at 11% alcohol (this is 12%). Lovely aromatics: subtly peppery with fine sweet raspberry and black cherry fruit. Vivid, and very much in a northern Rhône style. Very fine and pure with lovely precision.
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Ground spice and fresh red and purple flowers mix with fennel seeds, brambleberries and a hint of smoke. Medium-bodied with nuanced depth and effortless expression of dark fruit and spice. Slightly nutty, chestnut notes. Earnest and charming. Drink or hold.
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The Syrah Clary Ranch is, as it often is, one of the truly great, iconic Syrahs of California. Deep, powerful and explosive, the 2014 boasts magnificent depth and intensity accentuated by the use of 100% whole clusters. Black pepper, smoke, graphite, lavender, cloves and licorice open up in a wine with breathtaking aromatic presence, fabulous complexity and exceptional overall balance. Clary Ranch, a windy site that is often fogged in, is capable of yielding wines with real pedigree. This is what cold-climate California Syrah is supposed to be. In a word: epic.
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The 2019 Syrah Clary Ranch is a powerful, driving wine that is going to need time to be at its very best. Red-toned fruit, rose petal, spice, lavender and blood orange are some of the signatures. The Clary Ranch is among the wines in this lineup that is marked by the decision to pick 7-10 days earlier than originally planned because of approaching fires. That turned out to be a smart decision, because waiting just a few days would have resulted in a total loss.
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