2020 Arista Chardonnay

2020 Arista Chardonnay

2020 Arista Chardonnay The Russian River Valley Chardonnay is a blend of three Russian River Valley Chardonnay vineyards: El Diablo Vineyard on Eastside Road, Banfield Vineyard on Martinelli Road, and Ritchie Vineyard on Eastside Road. This wine is made with modest amount of new oak to allow the fruit to take center stage and has a great richness and silkiness, yet still possessing firm structure. Notes of brioche, yellow peach, panna cotta, and white flowers greet the nose, while flavors of tangy limeade, pear nectar, lemon zest are buoyed by a savory and mouth-watering mix of acid and minerals on the finish.

The wine world was all buzzing about this wine. In 2012 Winemaker Matt Courtney jumped ship leaving Marcassin to become winemaker for Arista a Sonoma based, family owned Winery that specializes in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and the hunt was on. Marcassin is the quintessential California Chardonnay. It is the benchmark for California and extremely expensive and impossible to get, maybe a bottle here and a bottle there. I have been trying to get my hands on the Arista Chardonnays ever since. Matt Courtney is a rock star winemaker also making wines at Martinelli with Helen Turley and Robert Biale in Napa. Just yesterday I Tasted Arista’s Chardonnays and they are too die for. They again have become impossible to get. These are some of the finest Chardonnay being made in California. The Wine Spectators comments that Arista’s wines should be at the top of your wine wish list. The wines are made using the same traditional Burgundian methods he learned at Marcassin, without fining or filtration. These wines have a depth and length like great Grand Cru Burgundy but are richer and rounder typical of California.

I have tasted all the great Cali Chardonnays and these wines are at the Pinnacle. I have three wines to offer the 2020 Arista Chardonnay Russian River, 95pts Parker and then two Single Vineyards that are literally impossible to get, liquid Chard gold. The 2020 Arista Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard, 97pts Parker and the 2020 Arista Chardonnay Banfield Vineyard, 97pts JD. These wines have received huge press, see below. This is as good as Chardonnay gets from California. Very hard to get and tiny amounts available.