WINERY: The core principle of the winemaking philosophy at Arista is to capture and express the true character and potential of each vineyard. They work with a very carefully chosen handful of grand-cru level Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards, and are uncompromising in their efforts to maximize the full potential of the wines crafted from these special sites.

WINE: The Lucky Well vineyard is home to some of the most highly acclaimed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards in the Russian River Valley due in large part to the perfect confluence of soil, climate, and elevation.

11 months in French oak barrels; 20-30% whole cluster used during fermentation. Unfined and unfiltered.

The 2021 vintage was marked by ideal weather conditions, resulting in exceptional fruit from our vineyard partners throughout Northern California and from our estate. The winter was relatively dry in California, leading to an early bud break and small yields. Beautiful warm weather during the summer and the absence of extreme heat spikes in the latter half of the season allowed for excellent fruit maturation. As the season progressed, the theme of “early” continued, leading to a prompt harvest in advance of fall rains. The wines from 2021 represent a new high-water mark for wine quality at Arista. They’re true reflections of a wonderful season at Arista and across California.

Cold grapes arrive at the winery early in the morning after having been picked at night. The clusters are sorted by hand and the majority are destemmed into small, open-top fermenters. In the 2019 vintage, 10-20% whole cluster is used during fermentation. The juice is allowed to warm gradually and naturally in the fermenter. Given that all of the wines are made with native yeasts and are not inoculated, this cold-soak period can vary between 5-8 days depending on how long it takes these native populations to build up and begin fermentation. Pinot Noir fermentations are kept below 85 degrees. The wines always go through malolactic fermentation. The wines then spend the next 11 months in barrel, and the wine is racked clean just prior to bottling.

Yeast: Native

The 2021 Lucky Well Vineyard Pinot Noir is back with a vengeance at its traditional place at the top of the Arista lineup. This is easily the best Lucky Well we’ve ever made, which is saying a lot for a wine that was selected as one of the Top 100 wines in the world by Wine Spectator last year. But the 2021 vintage is just that special. This wine has it all: a shockingly vibrant ruby color, incredible aromatics, density, intensity, a seamless texture, and perfect weight and balance. A strong contender for the best wine ever made at Arista, full stop. This is Pinot perfection.