Arista Winery’s McWilliams Family buys Russian River Martinelli Road Vineyard

NEWS RELEASE

April 10, 2012

The McWilliams family, owners of Arista Winery on Westside Road in the Russian River Valley have purchased of the historic 74-acre Martinelli Road Vineyard.

Planted to 5 acres of Zinfandel, 10 acres of Chardonnay and 3 acres of Pinot Noir, the vineyard site has been continuously farmed since the 1870’s. The vineyard was originally planted by the Banfield family to Zinfandel with the majority of the existing vines being planted in the 1880’s.

The property was sold by the Banfields in 1903 and has been farmed by the same family until the McWilliams’ purchase.

The McWilliams plan to begin producing estate designated Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay from the property.

They will also continue selling Zinfandel to Mike Officer of Carlisle Winery as he has crafted a vineyard designate from the property since 2009. Arista’s estate vineyard manager, Ulises Valdez, will oversee the management of the new property.

The transaction also includes 60 acres of redwood forest, the 1930’s farmhouse and numerous barns, which the McWilliams plan to restore to their original condition.

Arista Winery was founded in 2002 by Al and Janis McWilliams, who bought the 36 acre property on Westside Road.

Currently, the winery produces wines both from the family’s Westside Road estate as well as small lot bottlings from growers in Sonoma County, Mendocino Ridge, the Anderson and Willamette Valleys. For more information on the winery and its offerings please visit http://www.aristawinery.com/

For media inquiries, interviews, images please contact Kimberly Charles or Katie Hunter of Charles Communications Associates at 415|701-9463 or press@charlescomm.com.