2020 Arista Chardonnay Banfield Vineyard

2020 Arista Chardonnay Banfield Vineyard

2020 Arista Chardonnay Banfield Vineyard The 2020 Chardonnay Banfield Vineyard is lifted and vibrant aromatically, with fresh herbs, lime zest, fennel, and fresh flowers. On the palate. this medium-bodied white is juicy and rounded with wonderful purity and fresh acidity without harshness. Ripe honeydew melon fills the palate, with a refreshing, soft stone texture and a touch of salinity. It’s a beautiful wine from this site in the Green Valley of the Russian River.

The 2020 Banfield Vineyard Chardonnay is open and delicious directly out of the bottle. Classic Banfield notes of candied citrus and caramelized sugar are present in abundance. As the wine opens up, more exotic elements of kiwi and grilled pineapple become apparent. A citrus-inflected minerality gives the finish a tangy lift and keeps things lively and balanced.

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.