Arrow&Branch names Jennifer Williams Winemaker
One of the rising stars of Napa Valley winemaking, Jennifer Williams, has been named Winemaker for Arrow&Branch, whose main production comes from the Napa estate vineyard formerly known as Tony Soter's "Little Creek." Williams previously was Winemaker at Spottswoode in St. Helena for the past five years.
"After years of working with and learning from superstars such as David Abreu, Rosemary Cakebread and Mary Novak, Jennifer now brings her outstanding talent and experience to Arrow&Branch," said Steven L. Contursi who purchased Little Creek from Soter in 2007.
"Jennifer takes the reigns at Arrow&Branch from winemaker extraordinaire, Helen Keplinger, who recently accepted the winemaking position at Bryant Family Vineyard. Helen was the driving force of our wine project, and after three years of her winemaking talents, Arrow&Branch is now ready to release world-class wines," Contursi stated.
Contursi's first production of Arrow&Branch wines, a 2008 Bordeaux style blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec, and a Bordeaux-style Sauvignon Blanc from the 2010 vintage, are being released soon.
"It's clear from the Contursi's commitment to quality and attention to detail in establishing Arrow&Branch that this is an incredible opportunity to create wines of the highest caliber. I'm excited to work with their team and this special estate vineyard," said Williams.
Williams has worked for Araujo Estate Wines and Trefethen Vineyards as well as Spottwoode, and interned in Spain's Rjoja Alavesa region. A native of the San Diego area, she has a degree in fruit science from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. In 2007 the San Francisco Chronicle named Williams as a "Winemaker to Watch." She and her husband, Mark, have a daughter, Kiran.
In addition to being proprietor of Arrow&Branch with his wife, Seanne, Contursi is President of Rare Coin Wholesalers in Irvine, California, one of the country's most prominent rare coin dealerships.