2018 Arista Pinot Noir Harper's Rest
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Medium ruby-purple, the 2018 Pinot Noir Harper's Rest Estate begins with some matchstick-like reduction, segueing with time to cranberries, blueberries, iron and savory spices. The palate is bright and lifted with grainy tannins and a long, spicy finish. Allow this another 3-5 years in bottle.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Lastly, the 2018 Pinot Noir Harper's Rest Estate Vineyard from the Russian River Valley is one of the richer, more opulent wines in the lineup. Deep ruby/plum-colored, it has a great nose of wild strawberries, blackberries, leafy herbs, underbrush, and forest floor to go with a medium to full-bodied style on the palate. Possessing more moderate acidity, building yet ripe, velvety tannins, and a great finish, it already has some up-front appeal, yet like the majority of the 2018s from Arista, it needs another year or two of bottle age and should evolve gracefully going forward.
The 2018 Pinot Noir Harper's Rest has quite a bit of energy and vibrancy, if not quite the depth of the Two Birds, the other black label selection in this range. It will be interesting to see if the 2018 fleshes out a bit more with time in bottle. Sweet dark cherry, cedar, tobacco and mocha open nicely.