Arrowood Sonoma California Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah Chadronnay

Everything about Arrowood Winery, Sonoma Coast California, wine producer profile, wine tasting notes, wine and food pairing tips, best vintages, history of the property, information on their wine making techniques, terroir and soil. You can also read about the Grapes used for California wine and learn about the extensive History of Napa Valley, California Wines

Arrowood Winery History, Overview

The Arrowood Winery was founded in 1986 by Richard Arrowood and Alis Arrowood. By this time Richard Arrowood was already quite experienced in the wine industry. Dick Arrowood had learned about the wine business with stints at Korbel and Chateau St.Jean in Sonoma before creating his own, self named winery. The Arrowood winery first came to prominence for their single vineyard Chardonnays. While wine production was already quite popular in Napa, especially with Cabernet Sauvignon, that was not the case in Sonoma. Arrowood winery changed that, once they began producing top flight Cabernet Sauvignon wines in Sonoma, especially with their popular Reserve wine. Arrowood was also one of the early pioneers in Sonoma making vineyard designated Chardonnay. The estate made its debut with the 1987 vintage. In 2000, Arrowood Winery was bought by the Mondavi family.

Following the purchase of the estate, the wines seemed to have lost some of their quality and interest from consumers. Arrowood was later purchased by Jess Jackson. The estate is currently managed by its namesake, Richard Arrowood.

Over the years, they have continually expanded their vineyard holdings. Today, the estates owns vines in several appellations Russian River, Dry Creek, Alexander Valley, Knights Valley and Carneros. Combined, they produce more than 20,000 cases per vintage.

Arrowood Vineyards, Wines, Winemaking

From their terroirs, Arrowood produces a plethora of wines from a diverse array of grapes are produced included Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Malbec, Riesling and of course Chardonnay. They were one of the first wineries to produce a wine dominated by Malbec in California. During the mid 1990’s perhaps the best Syrah in California was produced by Arrowood. At close to 20 years of age, their Saralee Vineyard Syrah remains a sublime wine.

Serving and Decanting Arrowood with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Arrowood is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. Young vintages can be decanted for 1-3 hours, depending on the character of the vintage. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Arrowood is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, ribs, hamburgers, barbecue, roasted, braised, grilled dishes and stews. Arrowood is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, salmon, mushrooms and pasta.

The white wine of Arrowood is best served with all types of seafood and shellfish, sushi, sashimi, chicken, veal, pork and cheese.

www.arrowoodwinery.com