2010 Pinot Noir Longbow Russian River Valley

Mark McWillliams told me that his family has embarked on a mission to "get Arista to the quality level where it should be" given the reputation of their neighbors (most notably Williams Selyem and Rochioli) and their prime location on Westside Road."People come here expecting super-high quality and there's a spotlight on this part of the Russian River Valley like no other," he added.To that end the McWilliams family have hired a high-profile new winemaker, Matt Courtney, who spent the last 8 years as assistant winemaker at Marcassin.Courtney took over at the very end of 2012 so his mark won't be made until the 2013s are bottled, but it's obvious that the McWilliams group are serious about "trying to break into the upper tier of the region as quickly as possible," as Matt put it.