Surprising Wines
  • Wine
  • Wine Chat and Terms
  • Interviews
  • About

Arnot Roberts North Coast Rose 2016, Mostly From Portuguese Grape, Touriga Nacional

5/5/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Patrick Ogle

Arnot-Roberts North Coast Rose 2016 is a California rose made from grapes you may not associate with the state. To be sure they grow lots of different grapes in Cali but North Coast roses usually aren't made from touriga nacional, tempranillo and grenache.


The nose gave me a bit of the herbal but there is citrus too but not orange, lemon or lime. It is more like a ripe tangerine. Now when I say ripe? This isn't an indication this flavor is overly obvious. It floats around subtly teasing you;"I'm here!..." "No...Im over here!" There are even red fruits here, an almost dark cherry taste. It is, to use one of my fave and oft repeated words, a zippy wine. It is lively and has an acidity I would call fresh. You drink a bit and don't think; "this needs food." You drink a bit and think; "I am going to take another drink."

There is some flowery tastes lurking too and a hint of spiciness that finishes with a little bitterness. This wine has some weight. It is not a Provence rose. When I say the fruit isn't obvious I am not saying it isn't there. Fruit, herbal notes, fragrant flowers all subtly combine here.  It is a subtle and complicated wine but it is also fun. I am not going to make a guess at what flower taste is here. I do not wish to eat any flowers. As this wine warms? It still drinks well. If you want to know if a rose or a white wine is really good? Try some at room temperature. Cold can hide flaws (it can also hide good stuff). There don't appear to be any flaws in this wine. Try and find a flaw (you won't).

Touriga nacional is a Portuguese grape that is used in some of the country's most highly regarded red wines. It is also used in the production of port. It is often a tannic and dark wine. It is also a wine that produces only small amounts of fruit (even though the vines themselves can be prolific apparently). Less fruit is good for winemaking but too much foliage isn't. You also find the wine used in Portuguese blends, particularly with touriga francesa, tempranillo and others. As a varietal touriga nacional makes big wines that you can age. Fans of California cabs and Italian nebbiolos might want to take note. This wine, of course, is a different creature being a rose. It would be interesting to see if a red touriga nacional from these Napa vineyards is available.

Arnot-Roberts are a winery well worth knowing. They are a sixteen year old company started by Napa natives Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts. You may have seen their high-end cabernets, sizzling, almost French-styled chardonnays as well as powerful Syrahs. If you looked for too long they probably disappeared as this isn't a gigantic producer. The wine's I've had by them are a perfect example of winemaking being an art form. Roberts first became a cooper and Meyers studied winemaking in the area.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    WINE!

    There are thousands of wine grapes and many places that grow great wines. Why not find out about some surprising wines from surprising places?

    NOTE-Until recently I did not capitalize the names of varietal grapes (as a matter of style) but for a variety of reasons as of February, 2018 we will capitalize but I am not going back and altering the previous style!!!


    Archives

    August 2022
    July 2022
    September 2021
    May 2021
    August 2020
    July 2020
    April 2020
    November 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015

    Categories

    All
    Albana
    Albanello
    Albarino
    Alicante Bouschet
    Aligote
    Arneis
    Auxerrois
    Baga
    Barbera
    Bekari
    Blaufrankisch
    Blend
    Brachetto
    Cabernet Franc
    Cabernet Sauvignon
    Caladoc
    Carignan
    Catawba
    Centesimino
    Chambourcin
    Chardonel
    Chardonnay
    Chasselas
    Chenin Blanc
    Chinuri
    Cinsault
    Clairette Blanche
    Counoise
    Debina
    Dolcetto
    Frappato
    Fruit Wine
    Furmint
    Gamay
    Gamay Teinturier
    Garrut
    Gewurztraminer
    Glera
    Godello
    Grechetto
    Grenache
    Grenache Blanc
    Grenache Gris
    Grignolino
    Grolleau
    Gros Manseng
    Gruner Veltliner
    Italy
    Jacquère
    Kerner
    Lambrusco
    Limniona
    Listan
    Malbec
    Malvasia
    Malvasia Bianca
    Malvasia De Sitges
    Marsanne
    Marsellan
    Mataossu
    Mavrud
    Melon De Bourgogne
    Mission Grape
    Mourvedre/Monastrell
    Müller-Thurgau
    Muscadelle
    Muscadine
    Muscat
    Muscat Of Alexandria
    Muscat Of Hamburg
    Nascetta
    Nerello Mascalese
    Orangetraube
    Orange Wine
    Pais
    Parellada
    Pedro Ximenez
    Petit Courbu
    Petit Manseng
    Pet Nat
    Pineau D' Aunis
    Pinot Blanc
    Pinot Grigio
    Pinot Gris
    Pinot Meunier
    Pinot Noir
    Plavak
    Prosecco
    Red
    Ribolla Gialla
    Riesling
    Robola
    Romorantin
    Rose
    Rosé
    Roussanne
    Savagnin
    Sciaccarellu
    Semillon
    Skin Contact
    Sparkling
    St. Laurent
    Sumoll
    Sylvaner
    Symphony
    Syrah
    T. Amarela
    Tannat
    Tricadeira Preta
    Trollinger
    Trousseau Gris
    Trousseau Noir
    Valdiguié
    Valdiguié
    Verdeca
    Verdejo
    Verdelho
    Video
    Viognier
    Viura/Macabeo
    Vlahiko
    White
    Xarel Lo
    Xarel-Lo
    Xarel-lo Vermell
    Xinomavro
    Xynisteri
    Zinfandel
    Zweigelt

    RSS Feed

      We'd love to hear from you...(probably)...

    Submit