USA, California: Richard Arrowood 50th Anniversary Retrospective Tasting August 28, 2015 Richard Arrowood, who I have known for close to 30 years, certainly has one of the most impressive resumés of any winemaker in California. He was born in Santa Rosa, California, and by age 20 was already working in a laboratory at Korbel Winery. After completing his college and post-graduate education in Fermentation Science at California State University in Fresno, he joined United Vintners, then in 1970 became Assistant Winemaker at Rodney Strong. From there he went on to his first fame and hopefully fortune, working at the brand new Chateau St. Jean winery in 1973. He stayed there until 1990, when he started his own Arrowood Winery in Glen Ellen. This lasted for a decade, when he sold Arrowood to the Robert Mondavi family, who subsequently sold the winery in 2006 to the Jackson family (Kendall-Jackson). In 2000, Arrowood started Amapola Creek Winery on a 100-acre site and began planting Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Petite Verdot. The winery is relatively limited in production, producing 3,000 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, a handful of Chardonnays, and Zinfandel from their neighbor, the historic Monte Rosso Vineyard. In 2015, Dick Arrowood celebrated his 50th anniversary in the wine business, and it has been an impressive run, as indicated by the following tasting notes. This tasting took place at the end of April, 2015. It was remarkable in its scope, diversity, overall quality, and particularly the ability of so many of the wines to age beautifully. Since I have only been writing about wine for 37 years, it was a true honor and privilege to be invited to this 50th anniversary retrospective tasting. The following are my notes in the order in which the wines were actually presented. In summary, kudos to a career and life well lived by Richard and Alis Arrowood. Their impressive achievements over a 50-year span are largely unmatched in California today, but hopefully there will be more and more members joining that club as some of my peers who started around the same time I established the Wine Advocate also approach 50 years of winemaking. This was a great event, and it was a real honor for me to participate. —Robert Parker This is a complete list of the wines tasted and Mr. Parker’s rating. 1 2 Year Wine Name Rating Maturity Price 2010 Amapola Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 95 Young Amapola Estate Vineyard 2009 Amapola Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 92 Early Amapola Estate Vineyard 2008 Amapola Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 92 Early Amapola Estate Vineyard 2007 Amapola Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 96 Early Amapola Estate Vineyard 2006 Amapola Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 90+ Young Amapola Estate Vineyard 2005 Amapola Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 95 Early Amapola Estate Vineyard 2012 Amapola Creek Cuvee Alis Estate 87 Mature 2011 Amapola Creek Cuvee Alis Estate 85 Mature 2010 Amapola Creek Cuvee Alis Estate 93 Mature 2009 Amapola Creek Cuvee Alis Estate 90 Mature 2010 Amapola Creek Petite Sirah Monte Rosso 94 Early Vineyard 2010 Amapola Creek Zinfandel Monte Rosso 90 Early Vineyard 2009 Amapola Creek Zinfandel Monte Rosso 93 Early Vineyard 2008 Amapola Creek Zinfandel Monte Rosso 90 Early Vineyard 2007 Amapola Creek Zinfandel Monte Rosso 93 Early Vineyard 2006 Amapola Creek Zinfandel Monte Rosso 89 Early Vineyard 2005 Amapola Creek Zinfandel Monte Rosso 92 Early Vineyard 1991 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Cabernet 87 Mature Sauvignon 1990 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Cabernet 85 Mature Sauvignon 2007 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Cabernet 95 Early Sauvignon Monte Rosso Vineyards 2005 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Cabernet 95 Early 70 Sauvignon Monte Rosso Vineyards 2004 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Cabernet 96 Early 65 Sauvignon Monte Rosso Vineyards 2007 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Cabernet 95+ Early 75 Sauvignon Reserve Speciale 1997 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Cabernet 93 Early 100 Sauvignon Reserve Speciale 1994 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Cabernet 96 Early 109 Sauvignon Reserve Speciale 1993 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Cabernet 92 Mature Sauvignon Reserve Speciale 1987 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Cabernet 92 Early Sauvignon Reserve Speciale 2008 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Chardonnay 94 Mature Alary Vineyard 2005 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Chardonnay 93 Early Alary Vineyard 2005 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Chardonnay 95 Mature Reserve Speciale 2004 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Malbec 87 Mature 2007 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Pinot Blanc 87 Mature Saralee's Vineyard 2006 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Syrah 91 Mature Saralee's Vineyard 2002 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Syrah 93 Mature Saralee's Vineyard 1997 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Syrah 93 Mature 45 Saralee's Vineyard 1995 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Syrah 88 Mature 85-90 Saralee's Vineyard 1994 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Syrah 90 Early Saralee's Vineyard 2009 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery Viognier 89 Mature Saralee's Vineyard 2005 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery White 95 Early Riesling Special Select Late Harvest Hoot Owl Creek Vineyards 2004 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery White 92 Early Riesling Special Select Late Harvest Hoot Owl Creek Vineyards 2009 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery White 92 Early Riesling Special Select Late Harvest Saralee’s Vineyard 2008 Arrowood Vineyards & Winery White 90 Early Riesling Special Select Late Harvest Saralee’s Vineyard 1975 Chateau Saint Jean Cabernet Sauvignon 89 Mature 1978 Chateau Saint Jean Cabernet Sauvignon 90 Mature Glen Ellen Vineyard 1977 Chateau Saint Jean Cabernet Sauvignon 88 Mature Glen Ellen Vineyard 1976 Chateau Saint Jean Cabernet Sauvignon 90 Mature Glen Ellen Vineyard 1975 Chateau Saint Jean Cabernet Sauvignon 92 Early Glen Ellen Vineyard 1977 Chateau Saint Jean Cabernet Sauvignon 86 Mature Jack London Vineyards 1977 Chateau Saint Jean Cabernet Sauvignon 90 Mature Laurel Glen Vineyards 1976 Chateau Saint Jean Cabernet Sauvignon 92 Mature Laurel Glen Vineyards 1 2 1 2 Year Wine Name Rating Maturity Price 1975 Chateau Saint Jean Cabernet Sauvignon 90 Mature Laurel Glen Vineyards 1974 Chateau Saint Jean Cabernet Sauvignon 89 Mature Sonoma 1979 Chateau Saint Jean Cabernet Sauvignon 89 Mature Wildwood Vineyard 1976 Chateau Saint Jean Cabernet Sauvignon 89 Mature Wildwood Vineyard 1975 Chateau Saint Jean Cabernet Sauvignon 89 Mature Wildwood Vineyard 1975 Chateau Saint Jean Gewurztraminer Late 96 Mature Harvest Belle Terre Vineyard 1975 Chateau Saint Jean Johannisburg Riesling 92 Mature Individual Bunch Special Select Late Harvest Belle Terre Vineyards 1975 Chateau Saint Jean Johannisburg Riesling 96 Mature Individual Bunch Special Select Late Harvest Robert Young Vineyards 1983 Chateau Saint Jean Johannisburg Riesling 96 Mature Special Select Late Harvest Robert Young Vineyards 1977 Chateau Saint Jean Zinfandel Glen Ellen 88 Mature Vineyards 1975 Chateau Saint Jean Zinfandel Glen Ellen 88 Mature Vineyards 1977 Chateau Saint Jean Zinfandel Wildwood 85 Mature Vineyards 1976 Chateau Saint Jean Zinfandel Wildwood 90 Mature Vineyards Below is the detail on the Amapola Creek Cabernet Sauvignon’s that were tasted. 2010 Amapola Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Amapola Estate Vineyard Add to Print List RATING: 95 points The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Amapola Estate PRODUCER: Amapola Creek Vineyard was showing fabulously well. Dense purple, still quite youthful and vibrant, with a FROM: USA Sonoma, good 20 years of upside to it, the wine has North Coast, beautiful blueberry and blackberry fruit, some California, USA licorice, incense and a touch of toast in the VARIETY: Cabernet Sauvignon background. Full-bodied, ripe, but very much in DRINK: 2016 - 2032 Dick Arrowood’s balanced yet powerful style, ESTIMATED $0 this wine is a beauty. COST: SOURCE: eRobertParker.com, This flight concentrated on the current winery of #220 Dick Arrowood and his wife Alis – Amapola Aug 2015 Creek. This entire vineyard, which is all part of the Moon Mountain AVA in Sonoma, was planted by Phil Coturri and is farmed organically. Dick Arrowood’s Zinfandels all emerge from the Monte Rosso Vineyards, and he did an impressive vertical of six separate Monte Rosso Zinfandels, going from 2010 to 2005. Monte Rosso Vineyard has been a fabulous source for many different varietals, but certainly among the best has always been the Zinfandel farmed at this high-elevation Sonoma site. - 2009 Amapola Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Amapola Estate Vineyard Add to Print List RATING: 92 points The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Amapola Estate PRODUCER: Amapola Creek Vineyard is also outstanding, but perhaps not quite as potentially complex and majestic as its FROM: USA Sonoma, 2010 counterpart. The wine displays a dense North Coast, ruby/purple color, a deep, full-bodied mouthfeel, California, USA a touch of spicy oak, new saddle leather, VARIETY: Cabernet Sauvignon blackcurrants and loamy soil notes. His élevage DRINK: 2015 - 2030 for these wines is similar to what he used for his ESTIMATED $0 Reserve Speciale wines under the Arrowood COST: label – 80% French oak and 20% American oak, most of it new. SOURCE: eRobertParker.com, #220 This flight concentrated on the current winery of Aug 2015 Dick Arrowood and his wife Alis – Amapola Creek. This entire vineyard, which is all part of the Moon Mountain AVA in Sonoma, was planted by Phil Coturri and is farmed organically. Dick Arrowood’s Zinfandels all emerge from the Monte Rosso Vineyards, and he did an impressive vertical of six separate Monte Rosso Zinfandels, going from 2010 to 2005. Monte Rosso Vineyard has been a fabulous source for many different varietals, but certainly among the best has always been the Zinfandel farmed at this high-elevation Sonoma site. - 2008 Amapola Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Amapola Estate Vineyard Add to Print List RATING: 92 points The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Amapola Estate PRODUCER: Amapola Creek Vineyard is full-bodied, slightly monolithic, but chunky, rich, dense, and just in need of more FROM: USA Sonoma, bottle time, I think. There is plenty of depth and North Coast, richness, but the wine doesn’t sing and show the California, USA nuances that the 2010 does. VARIETY: Cabernet Sauvignon DRINK: 2015 - 2025 This flight concentrated on the current winery of ESTIMATED $0 Dick Arrowood and his wife Alis – Amapola COST: Creek.