Arista: A Gem in Healdsburg

Arista is a winery built from the ground up.  Prior to 2002, the property was a private residence without vines, and the McWilliams family has turned it into an outstanding producer of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  This is a family owned winery that has grown to be a contender for luscious Chardonnay and earthy, fresh Pinot Noir with thirty-six acres on property; only 10 are planted to vines.  Nine acres are Pinot Noir and one is Chardonnay.   In addition, they have several contracts with vineyards such as Ritchie and Ferrington, which put them in a great position to attain their goal of world-class wine production.

The grounds have an Asian flair and are well manicured and relaxing.  The previous property owner loved his time in Japan, so he brought that home with him.  The McWilliams chose to keep the touch, and it provides a beautiful setting for visitors to relax, picnic, and enjoy the sweeping landscape of vines and mountains. The property now is by appointment only, and visitors have many options to choose from including a 2-½ hour tasting that includes a five-course lunch prepared on site by their full time chef.

The setting includes tasting rooms along with picnic tables, as well as relaxed seating areas with Adirondack chairs.  The formal seated tasting room is situated on top of the hill with a great expansive view of the vines.   Wherever you look at Arista, you find groomed settings to enjoy and relax while tasting great wine.

There was a point in time when Arista moved from making good wine to the pursuit of great. When Mark and Ben became the owners of the winery, it was an important moment for them. In their minds, they needed focus and prioritization to improve their brand. At that time in 2012, they trimmed their portfolio to only Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and hired a winemaker who could bring their vision to fruition.  That person was Matt Courtney who had an illustrious career working with Marcassin Wine Company.  

“My family and I have held a vision for our winery to achieve the highest level of quality and site expression in our wines. As we look to our next evolutionary step, Matt’s experience and talent dovetailed perfectly as we aim to build a winery onsite as well as deepen our knowledge of the great vineyard properties we have.”  — Mark McWilliams in 2012                                                                                   

Matt’s talents have enabled the winery to bring about the focus and finesse to move Arista in the direction of world class Pinot Noir and to the forefront of Russian River wines.  The quality and depth of flavors are present in the glass and waiting for you to taste.

The impetus for me, above all else, to visit Arista was simply the wine.  The Pinot Noirs were well rated, and I wanted to taste that for myself.  It was a winery that stood out in my research and warranted a tasting.  

I had the pleasure to taste through five different wines, two Chardonnays and three Pinot Noirs.  These wines all were single vineyard expressions, and the singularity of the wines was notable with each unique expression.  The first Chardonnay was fresh and vibrant with rich flavors of apple.  The next was from the Ritchie Vineyard and was lush and fragrant with a soft mouthfeel. The aroma of this wine transported me back to my mother’s apple pie; baked apple and cinnamon wafted from the glass. It was quite a moment for me, yet that is what is so beautiful about wine – it has the ability to take you to a different time and place.  The Pinot Noirs were all fragrant with red fruit and floral notes leading to well crafted wine with structured tannins and beautiful fruit flavors.  All bode well for today’s enjoyment as well as the evolution in the bottle and pleasurable drinking tomorrow.  I look forward to enjoying these wines now and in the future.

Arista was highlighted on the October 2018 cover of Wine Spectator, which really speaks to the accomplishment of the journey that Mark and Ben McWilliams have been on.  It is their commitment to craft world class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay; the cover is an acknowledgement of that path. Mark calls being on the cover of Wine Spectator their version of being “on the cover of the Rolling Stone.” This winery is worth your visit.  Here is the link to their website and access to making your own appointment.

Enjoy!