Arrowood Vineyards & Winery

Inside Arrowood

History

Arrowood Winery was founded in 1986 by Richard Arrowood, and his partner Alis Arrowood. They crushed their first grapes during the harvest of 1987, and released their first wines in 1988. Before founding his own winery, Richard Arrowood gained an iconic winemaking reputation, as the first winemaker of Chateau St. Jean, producing some of the first single vineyard wines from California. In April 1990, Richard decided to devote himself full time to Arrowood, producing wines without compromise. Richard's philosophy was simple: produce classic varietal wines with grapes grown exclusively in Sonoma County's diverse climates, with as little intervention as possible.

Arrowood's Winemaker Heidi von der Mehden continues this winemaking approach. Joining the winery in 2007 as the Associate Winemaker, Heidi worked under Richard's mentorship for three years, before being named head Winemaker in June of 2010.