2021 Arnot-Roberts California Red Wine, Sonoma County

The 2021 Red Wine California is a new Bordeaux-based red wine that Duncan Arnot and Nathan Roberts made initially to take the place of the 2020 Cabernets that would have been released around this time but were compromised by smoke. The Red Wine was initially intended to be a fun project, but Arnot and Roberts may have stumbled into what is really a pretty serious red with real potential. The 2021 is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot. A powerful, old-school wine, the 2021 is going to need a few years to shed some tannin. I loved it.

95+ points vinous.com

A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot, inspired by Californian wines from a previous era. It is built from amazing low-yielding sites but made in an approachable style. The base of the wine is Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Bedrock Vineyard, expertly grown in rock-strewn soils in the heart of the Sonoma Valley. The majority of the Cabernet Franc in this blend hails from Persia Vineyard, located in an isolated valley in a rocky pocket of the Chalk Hill appellation, close to the beloved Clajeux Vineyard. The final component of this wine is a small batch of Cabernet Sauvignon along with a tiny bit of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, coming from the Las Cimas Vineyard, perched in the coastal hills overlooking the Russian River Valley. These three amazing sites were harvested and fermented separately then aged in both neutral French oak barrels and a concrete tank for 10 months. The resulting wine is fresh and vibrant with bright aromatics, savoury tannins and punchy dark fruit, and remains light enough on the palate to pair gracefully with a wide variety of foods at your table.