Pinot Noir. Anyone that knows me understands my love for this deliciously thin-skinned and finicky grape. No other grape wears its terroir and life journey on its sleeve quite like Pinot Noir. Whether there be slight variations in climate, soil, aspect, or clonal selection, in the hands of a truly great wine maker, Pinot Noir can make a wine so elegant and interesting that it might make you wonder why you haven’t moved to Burgundy to immerse yourself in all of its glory. Or, maybe you would choose to relish in one of the many New World offerings from the United States that have gained critical acclaim in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Sonoma Coast, Russian River Valley, or the Central Coast of California. Either way you slice it, New World or Old, a well-made Pinot Noir is hard to beat.
Last week I was able to sit down and chat with one of my favorite New World Pinot Noir producers, Mark McWilliams of Arista Winery. Mark, born and raised in Texarkana and a self-professed Riesling fanatic, was in Dallas promoting their 2010 releases and had brought along quite a few wines to taste while we chatted about their property. In addition to Mark, James Jordan of the Dallas Wine Company, was on hand at The Wine Therapist with an array of the 2009 vintages. It set the stage for a nice tasting and discussion on not only the variations between the site specific Pinot’s, but just how the 2009 and 2010 vintages are shaping up.
First a little on Arista - Arista, founded in 2002, currently has 14 unique Pinot Noir bottlings from sourced fruit on responsibly farmed vineyard blocks throughout the Sonoma Coast, Russian River Valley, Mendocino Ridge, and the Anderson Valley. Since purchasing their Russian River Valley estate in 2004, the shift to growing and releasing estate grown Pinot Noir has come into focus. The Arista team hired the well-known Vineyard Manager Ulises Valdez (whom the Wine Advocate has called “one of the finest viticultural managers in northern California…and unquestionably at the top of his field) to bring that focus into a reality. They planted their first two Pinot Noir plots in 2007 – Harper’s Rest (2.2 Acres) and Two Birds (3 Acres). Whether the fruit is sourced or estate grown, Leslie Sisneros heads up the winemaking along with Mark McWilliams and they do their best to let each of the wines shine through their associated terroir. And shine they do!
Additionally, Mark was very excited to share information on their recent property acquisition of the Martinelli Road Vineyard in the Green Valley area of the Russian River Valley. The property boasts gnarly 100+ year old Zinfandel vines that were planted in the late 1800’s along with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. This purchase brings their overall estate to 60+ acres. This new property is expected to be online and producing its first Arista bottled wines this year.
Now on to the Wines!
Pinot Noir:
- 2010 Harper’s Rest Estate Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
- 2010 Two Birds Estate Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
- 2010 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
- 2010 Longbow Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
- 2010 Toboni Vineyard Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
- 2010 Perli Vineyard Pinot Noir, Mendocino Ridge
- 2009 Longbow Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
- 2009 Toboni Vineyard Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
- 2009 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
- 2009 La Cruz Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
- 2009 Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley
Other Wines Tasted -
- 2010 Ferrington Vineyard Gewurztraminer, Anderson Valley
- 2010 Smokey Ridge Vineyard Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley
In comparing the 2009 and 2010 vintage overall, it’s hard not to look past the firm yet elegant structure of the 2009 vintage. In my opinion, the acidity and balance along with dense fruit concentration give the 2009 a slight edge to the 2010. However, one thing that is hard to look past is the aromatic appeal of the 2010’s in general. The 2010’s were very open and aromatic when compared to the closed and still-quite-tight 2009’s. Both should evolve nicely in the bottle, but the 2009’s promise to be long lived and quite a treat.
Each wine is 100% Pinot Noir and made consistently by Arista’s winemaking team, but, as expected, there were still stark differences in each wine style produced. For me, that is the unparalleled beauty of Pinot Noir. The Sonoma Coast offerings were bright with good acidity and silky qualities while the Russian River offerings tended to show more character with balanced acidity and more complex flavors. The standout to me, (although it was extremely hard to pick just one!) was the 2009 Ferrington Vinyard Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley. It was very complex with balanced acidity along with youthful spice and blackberry fruit flavors.
Not to be overlooked, the two estate grown bottlings were diverse as well. The Harper’s Rest was a little more subdued than the Two Birds, but both showed great fruit and balanced acidity. Each were showing their youth, but the future seems very bright for their estate offerings!
These Pinot Noirs are quite the catch in my book. All of these wines were produced in very small quantities, so look hard before they are all taken. I know that James has various in-stock at the Wine Therapist – I would get there quickly before this delicious is juice is long gone!
More info on Arista can be found here: http://www.aristawinery.com/
Thursday, September 20, 2012 at 10:47AM 
