Wine of the Week: Arista 2014 Mononi Vineyard Pinot Noir

Pinot noir can be incredibly profound.

That’s how Matt Courtney sees the finicky grape.

The winemaker of Healdsburg’s Arista Winery said, “Pinot noir is infamously difficult to grow and make at a very high level, but fans of the variety know that when it is great, it is unbelievably profound.”

Courtney is behind our wine-of-the-week winner - the Arista, 2014 Mononi Vineyard, Russian River Valley Pinot Noir at $75. This pinot noir is drop dead gorgeous, with deep cherry flavors and notes of cola and smoke. It’s generous, packed with fruit, a touch earthy and has great intensity.

“Mononi is a special vineyard in the heart of the Russian River Valley appellation,” Courtney said. “In our line-up, it always stands out as a wine with amazing floral aromatics, accompanied by a lightness on the palate, and classic Russian River Valley earthiness and wild cherry notes. Pinot is incredibly interesting because of its capacity to be complex and layered, yet energetic and ethereal at the same time,” he said.

Co-owner Mark McWilliams said Arista broke ground on a new winery facility near its current tasting room. The 15,000 square feet of production space will be ready for the 2017 harvest, replacing the current Cloverdale facility. The goal, McWilliams said, is to focus on signature Russian River pinot noir that’s sublime.

“We have an exceptional winemaking team, and we want to push forward,” he said.

Courtney, 45, is well known in wine industry circles for working at Marcassin with cult winemaker Helen Turley and her husband, John Wetlaufer. Courtney began working at Marcassin right after he graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Viticulture and Enology, and he was the assistant winemaker from 2005 through 2012. Courtney said he farms to promote flavor and aroma development in the grape skins. He also picks at peak ripeness and only ferments using the unique mix of native yeasts that are resident in these vineyards.

“I strive to make serious wines that are balanced and pleasurable to drink, but also intellectual, complex and age-worthy,” he said.

He added that he is fondest of producing and consuming pinot noir and chardonnay.

“They are very similar in many ways,” Courtney said. “There are many wines that can be incredibly thought-provoking and complex, and many that can be elegant and ethereal on the palate. Pinot noir and chardonnay are two of the few varieties that can somehow be both simultaneously.”

Staff Writer Peg Melnik can be reached at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik @pressdemocrat.com.