2018 Arnot Roberts Fellom Ranch Cabernet

Arnot-Roberts was founded in Healdsburg in 2001 by childhood friends Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts. Beginning with one barrel of wine made in their basement, the winery started small and grew slowly by sourcing grapes from some of the most remarkable vineyards in California. The focus of Arnot-Roberts is to produce distinctive, site-driven wines that highlight the nature of the unique terroirs in which the grapes are grown. The Fellom Ranch Vineyard is planted on an exposed ridgetop at 2200’ elevation in the Santa Cruz Mountains above Silicon Valley. When the Fellom family purchased their ranch on Montebello Ridge in 1929, it came with an established vineyard planted to Zinfandel. Between 1980-1983 they replanted and expanded this austere site with Cabernet Sauvignon cuttings from the Charles Krug Winery in the Napa Valley. These old, cane-pruned vines struggle in the harsh environment and low-nutrient soils, generating thick skins, and naturally low yields. The soil on the top of this mountain is a complex mosaic of Franciscan Chert, Sandy Loam, Clay and Serpentine, imparting structure and flavors unique to this historic winemaking region. The cool nights and airflow from the Pacific Ocean just 16 miles away help to moderate ripening; extending the growing season and allowing these mature vines to produce balanced fruit with intense concentration and varietal purity. The resulting wines from Fellom Ranch are wildly aromatic and deeply concentrated with dark pigment and fruit, supported by the tannic structure needed for a long life in the cellar before reaching full maturity.