Arista Winery

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  November 2009

  Arista Winery Pinot Noir Longbow 2007

  Snoothrank:

  My favorite from among several good but pricey non-single-vineyard Pinot Noirs from Arista. (The single vineyards appear to be available only through the mailing list, with a multi-year wait.) Attractive cherry-laced Pinot fruit with a touch of earthiness and spice; ripe-feeling and... Read moreMy favorite from among several good but pricey non-single-vineyard Pinot Noirs from Arista. (The single vineyards appear to be available only through the mailing list, with a multi-year wait.) Attractive cherry-laced Pinot fruit with a touch of earthiness and spice; ripe-feeling and satisfying texture. Very good Pinot, but at least at this young age didn't strike me as having the purity, depth, and complexity to justify a nearly $50 price tag.    (hide)

  Wine review by Winebork

  
  

• July 2009

  @dmcker ... Flowers is another true 'Sonoma Coast' winery. I can't believe I forgot about them as I buy from them yearly. Marcassian can definitely be considered 'Sonoma Coast' but I almost think it is a legend. I have yet to see a bottle available for purchase let alone taste... Read more@dmcker ... Flowers is another true 'Sonoma Coast' winery. I can't believe I forgot about them as I buy from them yearly. Marcassian can definitely be considered 'Sonoma Coast' but I almost think it is a legend. I have yet to see a bottle available for purchase let alone taste one. I think it would be safe to say that Marcassian is the California DRC. Highly collectible, highly sought after and very rarely sold for retail price. Williams Selyem, like Loring and Arista and a couple others source grapes from all over Cali to make a number of distinctive Pinot Noirs. I've tasted all of the above and depending on the appellation range from good to outstanding. Out of the three just mentioned only Arista has a tasting room open to the public. They do have a cool (but small) Japanese Zen garden ... which admittedly is a bit out of place. Out of the Napa guys, they were trying to jump on the Pinot hype. Although, Peter Michael has been doing it for a while and the wines are good but very expensive compared to the Sonoma producers. Caymus ... never tried. Pahlmeyer (and their second label Jayson) are very good but they are charging Napa prices for wines from Sonoma.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Going to Sonoma by HondaJohn

  
  

• April 2009

  @dmcker ... I'll do my best to answer your questions. 1) Who are the top dozen or so winemakers there, and what are they making and how are they making it? Subjectivity is just fine! Hmmm ... tough one. Many people source grapes from the area but do production in other areas.... Read more@dmcker ... I'll do my best to answer your questions. 1) Who are the top dozen or so winemakers there, and what are they making and how are they making it? Subjectivity is just fine! Hmmm ... tough one. Many people source grapes from the area but do production in other areas. Ones that I like in the region are: - Rochioli - Williams Selyem - Brogan Cellars - Lynmar - Arista - Hartford Family Winery - Kistler In general, they all use traditional methods of production. Many are picking a bit earlier in the past to maintain acidity. However, they rich in fruit flavors and get great balance. French oak is almost exclusively used and %s of new will vary. 2) What is the difference between the pinots made by people in RRV (e.g. Rochioli) and those made in Sideways country, aka Santa Barbara (e.g. Au Bon Climat)? My experience suggest that Santa Barbara County Pinots are more similar to Carneros Pinots. They are lighter in texture and colour but do take on more of an earthiness characters. I would put them 'inbetween' the perfumed RRV Pinots and Oregon. Does that make sense? 3) Why are the RRV people making chardonnays that lack staying power, to rephrase your description above? Depends on the producer but I think / speculate they focus their energies on Pinot Noir because there is still a pretty strong sterotype of what California Chardonnay 'is'. The amount of effort to defeat that is stereotype is so high that it is much easier to chase the Pinot consumer. There is still a California Chardonnay backlash. 4) How's the sparkling wine in RRV? Decent to very good. Not as many wineries are doing them but two good ones are Iron Horse and J Vineyards. 5) And what's the best RRV wine to drink on hot, lazy summer days when innertubing down the Russian River? ;-) Hmmm ... I'd have to say the J Vineyards Sparkling Brut http://www.snooth.com/wine/j-vineyards-and-winery-vintage-brut-2002/. Properly chilled of course!    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Russian River Valley by HondaJohn

  
  
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  March 2009

  Arista Winery Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2006

  Snoothrank:

  A bright flavorful wine, spicy and fruity in one taste. Great!

  Wine review by ebarman

  
  

• March 2009

  Hey Kristy ... Okay ... it is barrel tasting weekend in Russian River. It may be a bit busy but you'll get access to a lot of wines. Not all the wineries are participating. You can get more info here: http://www.wineroad.com/annualevents/3. Here are my recommendations:... Read moreHey Kristy ... Okay ... it is barrel tasting weekend in Russian River. It may be a bit busy but you'll get access to a lot of wines. Not all the wineries are participating. You can get more info here: http://www.wineroad.com/annualevents/3. Here are my recommendations: Wineries: Hartford Family Winery - a little pricey but good pinots and chardonnays and decent zins Arista - great value pinot producer Rochioli - cult pinot producer Dutton/Goldfield - pinot Lynmar - pinot, syrah Loxton Cellars - where I work ... syrahs and zins Saxon Brown Parmelee-Hill Vineyards - if you can get in Imagery - I like them but they can get busy There are also some very good wineries in Dry Creek (which you will be close too) but they tend to focus on bigger reds. Let me know if you want recommendations there too. Restaurants: Mosaic - Forrestville http://www.mosaiceats.com/index.htm Rosso - Santa Rosa http://www.rossopizzeria.com/ Fig Cafe - Glen Ellen http://thegirlandthefig.com/html-figcafe/index.html Eldorado Kitchen - Sonoma http://www.eldoradosonoma.com/el_dorado_kitchen.html Zin - Healdsburg http://www.zinrestaurant.com/ If you haven't visited here yet: http://www.sonoma.winecountry.com/ it is a great place to get some high level maps and info.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Sonoma - things to do, places... by HondaJohn

  
  

• February 2009

  As it turns outs the busiest time for a wine consumer like me is not around the ... • Scarecrow Wine • Arista Winery • Paul Hobbs Winery • Pahlmeyer • Flowers Vineyards & Winery Most of these are smaller producers.  Some of these are considered cult wine... Read moreAs it turns outs the busiest time for a wine consumer like me is not around the ... • Scarecrow Wine • Arista Winery • Paul Hobbs Winery • Pahlmeyer • Flowers Vineyards & Winery Most of these are smaller producers.  Some of these are considered cult wine producers.  This means there production is limited, the allocation offer is time encapsulated and the prices, well the prices are usually higher.  With some of the wineries, where allocations are small and my future allocations will depend on what I buy now.  Throw in that allocations are not guaranteed as mentioned above and my stress level rises.  There are so many good wines but not enough money for me to make purchases. With a tight economy and sales of high end wine suffering it would seem that now would be a great time for bargains.  However, with these wineries that does not seem to be the case.  These high-end, smaller production wineries have waiting lists for their wines that are often 4 to 5 times the size of the list that actually gets allocation.  Usually, this means waiting multiple years before you get onto the main list.  It also means that to get on the main list one of two things must happen: 1.    A production increase or 2.    Someone drops off the list. Only then can someone move up the list.  The economic conditions may not have created the deals I was expecting but has caused more people to be drop out of these winery mailing lists.  This is what has happened to me.  I had not expected to get allocations from some of these wineries but now I do.  I’ve been bumped into the mainstream list and I have tough decisions to make.  Where do I spend my money and how much?  It is definitely great to have so much great wine available to me.  I just wish I had the money to take advantage of it. John Andrews is a software product manager during the week and is a professional Tasting Room staffer at Loxton Cellars in Glen Ellen, CA on the weekends.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Busiest time of the year for... by HondaJohn

  
  
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  January 2009

  Arista Winery Gewurztraminer 2004

  Snoothrank:

  No written review

  Wine review by pinotista

  
  
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  January 2009

  Arista Winery Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2006

  Snoothrank:

  No written review

  Wine review by pinotista

  
  
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  December 2008

  Arista Winery Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2006

  Snoothrank:

  No written review

  Wine review by jdpavpro

  
  
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  December 2008

  Arista Winery Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2006

  Snoothrank:

  Nice full-bodied pinot with a burgundy color and strong legs. Fruity (blackberry and stonefruit) aroma, very well balanced and bright. Peppery taste with a light pucker that lingers on the tongue - very nice complement to pasta with butter and myzithra cheese.

  Wine review by hillsborosnobs

  
  

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