2008-01-25
Winemaker Profile: Arrowood Vineyards & Winery
RICHARD ARROWOOD
by Millie Howie
Always a resident of northern California, Richard Arrowood began his winemaking career as a chemist and assistant manager at Korbel Champagne Cellars in 1965 after earning his BA in organic chemistry at California State University, Sacramento and continuing his studies in enology and fermentation science at California State University, Fresno.
He furthered his career, moving on through winemaking assignments at United Vintners, Sonoma Vineyards and finally being selected, in 1974, as the first winemaker at Chateau St. Jean. In his new position, he amazed the wine world by producing seven different Chardonnays from the same vintage, eight Rieslings varying in flavor and four red wines. He honored the excellence of many of the vineyards from which he selected his grapes by including the vineyard name on the label.
One of his grower sources was Robert Young with whom he signed a contract for Chardonnay and Riesling in the early 1970s. “I had followed Robert Young’s career as an innovative farmer for some time,” he recalls, “and I was surprised and honored when the Robert Young family asked me to make the initial wine for the Robert Young Estate Winery.”
In 1986 Richard and his wife Alis were ready to take the giant step toward owning their own winery, where Richard continues his adventurous ways, experimenting with various grape varieties and new technologies. At the present time the Arrowood winery produces 24 different wines from 14 different varietals, all from Sonoma County vineyards in five appellations: Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley, Sonoma-Carneros and Sonoma Valley.
Twenty years ago, when Richard and his wife and partner Alis, started the winery, the tasting list in the hospitality room contained just Chardonnay and Cabernet. In the intervening years the portfolio has been expanded to include Gewürztraminer, Malbec, Merlot, Syrah, Viognier, White Riesling, and both a red and a white Rhone blend. With all the growth over the past decades, Richard, the winery’s Winemaster, is still a hands-on winemaker, greeting the grapes and handling the details of every crush. Dedicated to the consistency of his wines, Richard prides himself on producing wines that offer the best of two worlds – ready to drink upon release yet also improving with age for an additional eight to ten years.
With all the care, time and attention he gives to his winemaking, Richard still finds time to provide insightful information to club manager, David Dubois who writes the wine club newsletter covering a wide range of topics in a friendly no-mystique manner.
Wine tasting at the Hospitality Room, located at 14347 Sonoma Highway 12 in Glen Ellen, is conducted from 10 a.m. till 4:30 p.m. daily, for a modest fee, and tours may be arranged by appointment. For more information, call (707) 935-2600 or visit the website at www.arrowoodvineyards.com.
Arrowood Vineyards & Winery was recently purchased by Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke and is now part of the Jackson Family Farms.
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