The Arrow&Branch portfolio of wine can easily be compared to the friend you admire and cherish the most….
…Generous and consistent, they always show up. They are honest, pure, cheerful and stylish, and you can’t help but smile when you are with them!
Crafted by one of Napa Valley’s shining stars, Jennifer Williams took the lead as Winemaker for Arrow&Branch in April 2011, working with proprietors Steve and Seanne Contursi to produce top-quality Bordeaux blend wines from esteemed vineyards in the valley, one of which includes the Coombsville property they purchased from Tony Soter. They were lucky enough to also acquire the 20-year-old Cabernet Franc and Malbec vines which adorned the estate. After years of working with and learning from legendary winemakers such as Rosemary Cakebread and Francoise Peschon, Jennifer now brings her outstanding talents and experience to Arrow&Branch.
In 2002, Williams joined both Araujo and Spottswoode as a harvest intern, splitting her time between these two great winemaking estates. At Spottswoode, Jennifer was drawn to the philosophy of organic and sustainable farming, which Tony Soter had introduced in 1985. Following harvest, she joined their team full time, working under guru David Abreu in the fields and Rosemary Cakebread in the winery. In 2004, with a deeper understanding of the estate vineyard, she took over as Vineyard Manager and was Spottswoode’s Winemaker from 2006 to 2011. The San Francisco Chronicle named Jennifer a “Winemaker to Watch” in 2007. As you can see, Jennifer has been mentored and coached by the Who’s Who of Napa Valley…..who wouldn’t want to collect her wines?!
This bottling is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon using fruit sourced from three cherished sites: Lewelling Vineyard in St. Helena, Criscione Vineyard (a west-facing slope on the eastern side of St. Helena which was planted by Tony Soter in the early 2000s) and topped off with one barrel of Dr. Crane Vineyard juice. Aged for 22 months in French oak barrels, this lovely wine is textured and silky, rich, yet bright. Freshly picked blackberries and dark cherry intermingle with intriguing notes of tobacco, spice and incense aromas. This wine is complex, full-bodied, elegant, and does everything right. Its sweet oak and spice profile is notable and masculine, suggestive of herbal lavender, clove, and dark rum. 250 cases produced. This wine is BRILLIANT!!!
