2022 Arnot-Roberts Que Vineyard Syrah, Sonoma Coast

The 2022 Syrah Que Syrah Vineyard is fabulous and also a fine follow-up to the 2021, especially considering the challenges of the year. Inky dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol and licorice fill out the layers. The 2022 is perhaps not quite as deep or explosive as the 2021, but it is pretty close. The Que Syrah remains one of the most distinctive Syrahs in California.

Duncan Arnot and Nathan Roberts navigated the ups and downs of the year with notable success. “Two thousand twenty-two was a perfect year, until the heat arrived,” Roberts commented wryly. There are plenty of highlights in this range. The Pinots are especially fine, while the Syrahs aren’t too far behind. I was also quite taken with the Haynes Chardonnay (in its last vintage here) and the Ribolla, two whites that did especially well in a vintage where the whites are inconsistent.

97 points vinous.com

From a vineyard planted in 1994 at 2100 feet in elevation just three miles from the Pacific Ocean. Vinified with native yeasts whole cluster and then aged in neutral French oak for just about a year.

Que Syrah Vineyard is a true gem on the Sonoma Coast. The vines were planted above the town of Occidental in 1994 by Al and Virginia Rago, about three miles from the Pacific at 850’ elevation. This is the oldest planting of Syrah on the Sonoma Coast, and credit goes to both the Ragos and to Ehren Jordan for being true mavericks in cool-climate farming of this grape variety in California. With no reference point at that time for Syrah planted in such a cold area, they named the vineyard as a play on the Spanish phrase “que sera, sera” that translates to “whatever will be, will be.” Beginning in 2013, we became the lucky stewards of this site and now have complete control over the farming with the care of Greg Adams and his crew. Our first efforts from the vineyard have exceeded our high expectations, and we are raising the bar every year by replacing weak and dead vines and updating the trellis system in 2018. The vines at Que Syrah enjoy a long and cool growing season and are naturally self-regulated, finding their balance of canopy to fruit nicely on this forested coastal ridgetop. The wines we have made to date are electrifying in their spicy, aromatic personality and fill the glass with a mix of brilliant fuchsia color and vibrant briary fruit. Que Syrah has already shown strong potential in our cellar and, like the great wines of the Northern Rhone Valley, we look forward to unlocking its riches for years to come as bottles mature in the cellar.