2014 Arnot-Roberts, Trousseau, North Coast.
The Arnot-Roberts wines, in case you’ve not had a chance to try them, are some of the most interesting and wine geeky wines out there and their new release of Trousseau is another beautiful and delicate example. Trousseau is native to the Jura region of France, it is a light/pale red wine that is light to medium bodied, but wonderfully complex and compelling as a single varietal or in a blend with Gamay, Poulsard and or Pinot Noir, it is also in some Crement du Jura sparkling wines. In California it has recently been discovered in old vine field blends and may have found it’s way to California back in the late 1,800’s, about the time Zinfandel (Tribidrag) came west, and looks to have been planted together along with many other grapes, but in much smaller amounts. Duncan (Arnot) Meyers and Nathan Roberts of Arnot-Roberts have become champions of Trousseau and their 2014 is a really lovely effort with a soft ruby hue and bright flavors that show subtle ripeness and layers of wild strawberry, cherry and huckleberry along with a mix of herbs and spices plus faint earthy tones and mineral notes. This is a red wine that whispers gently in your ear and has a seductive sirens call, it is a pleasing and an old world charmer with silken tannins and lifting acids, it finishes with lingering and surprising length with cranberry, dusty lavender and rosewater. While slightly darker than it’s French cousins, the Arnot-Roberts Trousseau is a fine homage to it’s roots and a wonderfully detailed wine, drink from 2015 to 2020.
($35 Est.) 92+ Points, grapelive
