Arista Winery

7015 Westside Rd, Healdsburg, CA 95448

Website: https://www.aristawinery.com/

Arista is located along Westside Road in the Russian River Valley.  You can’t go wrong with the wineries along this stretch of road.  There are some big names like Gary Farrell, Williams Selyem, and Rochioli that are known for their great Pinot Noir.  Arista is no exception. This winery is sort of a newbie in the area compared to some of the other named pioneers.  The winery was founded in 2002 by Al and Janis McWilliams with a focus on small lot wines.  Their two sons took over in 2012.  They specialize in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Prior to 2017 when I visited, the tasting room was open to the public.  Arista now requires reservations and has three tasting options to choose from.  It’s a little pricier than other public tastings but reasonable considering it is a more intimate experience.  The winery is nestled in a quiet setting amongst the vineyards.  The main building that houses the tasting room has a wood frame and feel of nature.

Patio at Arista Winery

There is a walk-around porch on one side with some rocking chairs and a walkway leading to a Japanese garden.  This was the best part of our visit in my opinion.  As you might imagine, the garden is very serene.  The tasting room inside is modest and continues with the outdoorsy feel.  On one wall was some wood planks with different soil types.  I always find displays like that pretty cool.  There was a wood bench, a couple of coffee tables and chairs.  I found the space rather small with the tasting bar in a corner.  The tasting room can only accommodate a max of 8 people at a time.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing since it guarantees that the room won’t be over-crowded.

Arista Winery Tasting Room

I was expecting more from my experience because I heard other people talk highly about the winery.  During the tasting I felt like we barely got any information on the wines to peak our interest.  I thought they were good quality but nothing stood out to me.  It could have been because it was the end of the day and I was feeling a bit fatigued.  However, I was expecting something more exciting.  I will say that maybe I wasn’t the best judge for this particular winery.  Wine Spectator magazine has rated at least 14 of their Pinot Noirs a score of 90+.   I personally would recommend this winery more for its Japanese garden than the wine, but that’s just my opinion.  Obviously the group I overheard talking highly about Arista would think differently.

Japanese Garden at Arista Winery