Arista Winery - Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019

The Ferrington Vineyard, one of California’s most acclaimed Pinot Noir vineyards, sells to eight wineries and is tucked away just off Highway 128 in Booneville, a small town in the heart of the Anderson Valley. Though 25 acres of the vineyard are planted to multiple clones of Pinot Noir, we have selected a block in the vineyard that was planted to the Pommard clone because of its proven legacy in this cold climate appellation. Pommard is one of the oldest Pinot Noir clones found in California and is favored by many winemakers for its ability to produce outstanding wines without the help of other blending clones. It is respected for its reliable color, intense fruit, and fragrant spice components. The vineyard has a gentle south-facing slope, and has decomposed sandstone and clay soils with three to four feet of topsoil. This vineyard was originally planted in the late 1960s although some of the 25 acres of Pinot Noir vines were planted in 1998 and some more recently.

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.

Ferrington Vineyard rests on a gently sloping bench overlooking the town of Boonville in the heart of Anderson Valley in Mendocino County. One of the earliest sites to be planted in this historic appellation, Ferrington boasts some of the oldest Pinot Noir vines in the region. These old vines produce wines with wonderful complexity and effortless balance. The Anderson Valley in general, and Ferrington in particular, is famous for marrying depth and density with electric acidity, and the 2019 Ferrington Vineyard Pinot Noir is a perfect example of this. Tangy blue fruit, tart cherry, elderberry, cranberry, and pomegranate notes all contribute to a medley of fruit impressions that evolve slowly in the glass. Notes of black pepper, struck match, and copper penny minerality add complexity

"The 2019 Pinot Noir Ferrington is resinous with medicinal herbs, black cherry fruit, and beet root. The palate is full and rounded with forward fruit, leading into savory notes of raspberry seed, wooded spice, and red plum skin. More structured in style, allow for a year or two in bottle and drink over the following 15 or so years." - 95 points, Jeb Dunnuck

Producer: Arista Winery

Country: USA

Region: California

Varietal: Pinot Noir

Appellation: Anderson Valley

Vintage: 2019

Size: 750ml