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Fine-Tuning a Sonoma Standout at Arista
Fine-Tuning a Sonoma Standout at Arista
The McWilliams brothers, with winemaker Matt Courtney, have sharpened the focus at this Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and Chardonnay star Arista Winery was set up for success from the start thanks to the old real-estate rubric of “location, location, location.” The 36-acre Sonoma estate is just to the west of West Side Road, in the heart of the Russian River Valley AVA. DuMol is on one side, Williams Selyem on the other. David Ramey is also a neighbor. The site had never been farmed before the McWilliams family bought it in 2004; Ulises Valdez oversaw planting the following year. Brothers Mark and Ben McWilliams took over the...
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California’s Grand Cru Vineyards Emerge
California’s Grand Cru Vineyards Emerge
© Beckstoffer Vineyards | To Kalon vineyard is probably the most famous in California and almost always appears on labels. Vineyard designations are common in France, but they are now becoming more accepted in California, too. By Kathleen Willcox | Posted Wednesday, 09-Jun-2021 An informal Grand Cru is emerging in California, and it is at once as dead-serious and casual as the ambition and culture that defines the Golden State's mysterious and magnetic modus operandi. ... "When my brother Ben and I took over Arista from our parents in 2012, we literally wrote down a list of vineyard sites that if and...
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A National Look at How American Wineries Are Weathering the Covid-19 Pandemic
A National Look at How American Wineries Are Weathering the Covid-19 Pandemic
words: TIM MCKIRDY The Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic has brought countless American industries to a grinding halt, but life in the vineyard and in the cellar continues along its usual cycle. This is both a blessing and a burden. With crucial vineyard and bottling work on the horizon, grape growers and winemakers must juggle seasonal winery operations while also navigating “shelter in place” orders, staffing decisions, and sales disruptions throughout the supply chain. The confluence of these events could result in one of the most challenging vintages in recent memory. VinePair reached out to producers across the country to find out how the...
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Decanter: Why Slow Fermentation Pays Off featuring Arista Winery
Decanter: Why Slow Fermentation Pays Off featuring Arista Winery
Decanter's Jane Anson takes an in depth look at the act of slowing a fermentation to as long as 12 months: "‘A year ferment sounds crazy,’ Arista’s winemaker Matt Courtney tells me, ‘and there’s no doubt that you’re never going to read about this in the textbooks. What it really involves is a lot of microscope work, following the yeast population and looking out for anything unusual. And being extremely careful to control any oxygen through topping up the barrels to ensure zero headspace, and keeping the temperature low at around 18 degrees centigrade. We never kick-start the process, and...
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Sonoma’s Westside Road Wineries
Sonoma’s Westside Road Wineries
"A weekend getaway should be easy and relaxing. A trip to Sonoma County’s Westside Road is just that. It’s a 12-mile drive between Healdsburg and River Road that is filled with oaks and redwoods in addition to numerous vineyards. Recently my husband and I drove this route with its stunning vistas, interesting wines, artisanal products and friendly people."Arista Winery, set among manicured Japanese gardens, bubbling brooks, and vineyards, is in an idyllic location to taste wine. In addition to their estate wines, grapes are sourced from dedicated growers throughout the region, where you find a mix of warm weather and...
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California’s Grand Cru Chardonnays
California’s Grand Cru Chardonnays
“The greatest Chardonnay vineyards of Burgundy-Montrachet and Corton-Charlemagne, to name two—bask in near universal acclaim from the world’s wine collectors. For centuries, winemakers have coveted the fruit from these grand crus, which are concentrated within walking distance of the town of Beaune. “In California, winemakers also have identified their top sites for Chardonnay—vineyards that make wonderful, distinctive and sometimes ageworthy wines year after year. But unlike Burgundy, these prized plots are scattered along more than 300 miles, from northern Sonoma County to Santa Barbara. “Many are just two or three decades old, but a few go back to the 1960s,...
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Getting Schooled in Sonoma: At Arista
Getting Schooled in Sonoma: At Arista
PART 2: IS RUSSIAN RIVER PINOT NOIR AS CALIFORNIAN AS PINOT GETS? “On a hot August day, Ben McWilliams drove us around his 36-acre Russian River estate in a four-person golf cart. He was still dressed in a ballcap, T-shirt and jeans from working amongst the vines, and I thought, this juxtaposition was the perfect symbol of the Sonoma wine country experience: At it’s heart, it is still very much a farming community. Always has been, always will be. But the people who come here looking to drink its luxurious wines? Well, they probably expect to hitch a ride in...
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Touring Sonoma Grape by Grape
Touring Sonoma Grape by Grape
Pinot Noir"Sonoma has become a hot destination for Pinot Noir, with the county boasting many of California's leading wineries for the grape. Spread over three regions, they draw upon a range of terroirs and bottle Pinots in a variety of styles." "The area is home to Pinot stars Marcassin and Kosta Browne, standard-bearers such as Dehlinger and Rochioli, and many more standouts, including Arista, Auteur, Donum, Merry Edwards, Patz & Hall and Siduri. "Pinot thrives in Russian River Valley, Carneros and Sonoma Coast. Known for its lush redwood trees and foggy weather, Russian River generally produces plump, rich and fruit-forward...
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Going From Good to Great at Arista
Going From Good to Great at Arista
"Three years ago when I met Mark McWilliams, of the family that owns Sonoma’s Arista Winery, he introduced me to a line of impressive pinot noirs and chardonnays. This spring, I got the chance to sit down with him again, for what, he promised me, were some game-changing developments at Arista. We talked over a tasting of his latest releases. "Mark and his brother Ben sat down in 2012 and talked about where they wanted to go as their parents (who founded the winery in 2002) planned to retire. They agreed that they both wanted to continue with the family...
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Something Old, Something New
Something Old, Something New
“Reboot: Producers rarely turn on a dime, but Arista did with the 2013 vintage. This Russian River Valley winery had been making very good wines from vineyards on and around its property, but knew it could improve and in 2013 it did. Owners Mark and Ben McWilliams credit hiring winemaker Matt Courtney the year before. Courtney is a talented, attentive winemaker mentored by one of the best, Marcassin’s Helen Turley. His Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs for Arista are striking, bound to invite comparisons to Marcassin. “Each of the 2013 Arista wines displays its own personality, with the Chardonnays ranging from...
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