A partnership between Mike Richmond and winemaker Larry Brooks, Acacia entered the scene in 1979 and quickly developed a reputation for quality wines. From a Washington Post article in 1983 written by Robert Parker: "Perhaps the most successful of the new California wineries, Acacia specializes in high-quality, expensively priced chardonnay and pinot noir, which have been well-received by critics and consumers. The winery produces both chardonnays and pinot noirs with specific vineyard designations, usually from Napa Valley grapes."