Arnot-Roberts Heaven and Earth Pinot Noir 2023

Arnot-Roberts, founded by childhood friends Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts, is one of California's more compelling small producers, and Heaven and Earth is a Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast. This is one of California's coolest growing areas, close to the Pacific and blanketed by fog, and that maritime climate is what allows Pinot Noir to keep its perfume, freshness and moderate 13.5% alcohol rather than turning heavy. The estate farms organically, letting the site show through. The wine is raised for 18 months in French oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange softens the tannin and integrates a restrained spice frame, leaving the fruit and the terroir at the centre. The colour is bright, medium ruby. The nose is wild berries and red cherry, with a floral, almost lavender lift, black pepper and a savoury, earthy undertone. The palate is elegant and fresh, with red currant fruit, fine silky tannin, bright acidity and a long, savoury finish. Serve it at 14 to 16C, lightly cool, in a Burgundy glass. It suits duck, roast poultry and mushroom dishes, and takes well to baked salmon.