1988 Arrowood "Reserve Speciale" Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon (6L)

1988 Arrowood "Reserve Speciale" Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon (6L)

Arrowood lands squarely in that classic late-80s Sonoma moment when serious Cabernet was finally stretching beyond Napa and finding its own voice. Founded in 1986 by Richard Arrowood after a long run at Chateau St. Jean, the winery was essentially a side project at first, with early vintages released in 1988 while he was still juggling both roles. That timing matters. The 1980s were peak transition years, Sonoma shaking off its quiet-neighbor status and proving it could deliver structured, ageworthy reds. Those first wines leaned Cabernet, often labeled Sonoma County but quietly pulling from Alexander Valley, Knights Valley, and hillside sites that gave more muscle than polish. Reserve bottlings were firmly built, unfiltered, and very much in the era’s style, ripe fruit wrapped in tannin and oak, meant to age rather than charm early. The throughline is Arrowood himself. A vineyard-first pragmatist, he carried over the site-specific mindset he helped pioneer in the 70s and applied it to Sonoma Cabernet.