Arnot-Roberts Trousseau Noth Coast 2023

Arnot-Roberts was founded in 2001 by childhood friends Nathan Roberts and Duncan Arnot Meyers, who source from specific cool sites across Northern California and work with minimal intervention. This bottling comes from Trousseau, a thin-skinned variety from the foothills of the Jura that performs best where nights stay cold. The North Coast fruit is farmed organically and picked early, at 12.5% alcohol, to hold acidity and keep the wine light on its feet. Ageing runs to eight months in used French oak, so the barrel adds slow oxygen and texture rather than vanilla or fresh wood. Trousseau is naturally low in colour and tannin, and the gentle handling keeps the phenolics soft. The wine is pale ruby, almost rosé-bright at the rim. The nose is redcurrant, sour cherry and crushed raspberry over rose petal, black pepper and a dried-herb edge. The palate is light bodied and fresh, with fine acidity, a dusting of grippy tannin and an earthy, savoury finish. Serve it cool, around 14 to 15 degrees, in a Burgundy glass. It suits roast duck, herbed chicken and mushroom dishes.