Founded in 2002, Arista quickly turned the heads of the sommelier and collector communities with their spectacular Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Their focus on small lot single vineyard expressions from Sonoma has remained steadfast with the richly talented Matt Courtney (formerly Marcassin, Ferren) at the helm. The ‘UV’ of this vineyard name is an homage to its longtime vineyard manager Ulises Valdez who worked his way up to being one of the most lauded viticulturists in the country after emigrating from Mexico at the age of 16. His resume includes managing vineyards for Aubert, Pahlmeyer, and Paul Hobbs. The property, perched at 1000 feet elevation atop the Stoetz Ridge, separating Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley, is a cooler site for the area, which brings an elegant freshness to the wine. With an entry of bramble fruit, anise, and tarragon, there is a brooding nature to this wine that leads to the delightful and unexpected lift on its finish. Stunning tension makes this wine delicious now, but also eligible to gain complexity in the next few years.