The Family-Owned, Organically Farmed Howell Mountain Estate Winery Reflects on a Milestone Anniversary
October 13, 2025 (Napa Valley, CA) — Arkenstone, the high-elevation Napa Valley estate winery that specializes in crafting Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah from its meticulously farmed Howell Mountain vineyards, is proud to celebrate its 20th anniversary harvest season, a major milestone for the family-owned and operated estate.
Owners Ron and Susan Krausz purchased the Howell Mountain property in 1988, irretrievably drawn to this stunning land, replete with volcanic rock-laden soils, historic dry-stack walls made of ancient local stone, and the myriad wild animals that roamed the property. Only a recently established Napa Valley AVA at the time, the young Krausz couple recognized the potential brimming within the terroir and dedicated their first twenty years to thoughtfully planting and organically farming what eventually became their 42-acre Arkenstone estate, with 12.25 acres under vine.
The Krausz family released their debut 2006 vintage in 2008. Arkenstone remains a family-owned and operated estate, with Ron and Susan at its foundation. Since purchasing the property in 1988, they have developed the vineyards and built both the winery and its underground caves, creating the estate’s distinctive home on Howell Mountain. Today, their son Jake serves as Estate Director—a natural progression from his first job as a teenager planting vines and pulling rocks on the steep slopes. Since officially joining the team in 2010, Jake has guided the growth of the label, shaping its direction and carrying forward his family’s vision for Arkenstone.
The second generation Krausz is proud of his family’s legacy. “It is amazing to celebrate this incredible milestone,” said Jake. “Our 20th anniversary harvest is a true testament not only to our loyal collectors and the relationships we’ve cultivated, but also to the unwavering commitment of our team, so many of whom have been with us since the beginning.”
Now a superstar winemaker in his own right, Arkenstone winemaker Sam Kaplan has overseen the estate’s day-to-day farming and winemaking since its very first 2006 vintage, bringing his commitment to quality and attention to detail in everything he does. His signature style embodies the Arkenstone winemaking philosophy, led by consistency, elegance, and site specificity. In 2008, Roberto Alfaro joined as assistant winemaker and, together with Kaplan, has helped ensure Arkenstone’s signature style is always, first and foremost, expressive of its inimitable terroir.
“It’s incredible to think that Roberto and I have been here since those early days” said winemaker Sam Kaplan, who picked the estate’s first 2025 Sauvignon Blanc grapes in early September. “What an honor to have been here since that first 2006 vintage, and 20 harvests later, I remain in awe of this estate and this remarkable team. So much has changed, and the wines keep getting better and better – and yet, every time we do a library tasting, I’m struck by how consistent the quality and the terroir expression has always been.”
In addition to its flagship Estate Red and Syrah bottlings, Arkenstone’s Estate Blanc has long been celebrated as a benchmark Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc among sommeliers and collectors. Impressed by the additional dimension and complexity it develops over time, the team recently started holding back select estate blocks to make a separate Reserve Sauvignon Blanc bottling. Intentionally aged five years before its release, this innovative approach is meant to demonstrate to the world that Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc can compete with the top varietal bottlings from the Loire Valley and Bordeaux.
Organic farming at Arkenstone has been non-negotiable since the beginning. Using regenerative organic practices by the estate’s long-tenured, full-time vineyard crew, the team’s emphasis on quality works hand in hand with sustaining the property’s precious resources. As new techniques and technologies have emerged – Arkenstone was one of the first Napa Valley wineries to adopt the fully electric Monarch Tractor – the team is constantly experimenting with any innovation that further promotes their commitment to ethical winegrowing. With the addition of the newly installed solar array, Arkenstone is now a net producer of energy as part of their commitment to sustainability in both farming and winemaking.
While Arkenstone wines are and have primarily been sold direct-to-consumer, the brand’s presence has grown steadily in recent years. Strong critical scores have bolstered the strong on-premise demand from the label’s national and international sommelier advocates and loyal trade partners, catering to a groundswell of collectors now in Europe and Asia.
As the height of the 2025 harvest draws near, Arkenstone expects another superlative vintage after a near perfect growing season. “Reflecting on the last 20 harvests, Ron and I feel so fortunate that we recognized the magic of this special site all those years ago,” said Susan Krausz. “The culmination of our work reflects the love of family and friends, our deep respect for the land, and a lifelong enjoyment of these wines, which continue to exceed our wildest expectations.”
For more information, visit https://arkenstone.com/
About Arkenstone
Arkenstone is a family-owned Howell Mountain estate winery that specializes in crafting Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah from its meticulously farmed vineyard overlooking Napa Valley. Owners Susan and Ron Krausz purchased the Howell Mountain property that would become Arkenstone in 1988. They spent the ensuing decades, with great thought and care, planning what is now their 42-acre Arkenstone Estate Winery. With the completion of the vineyards, underground winery caves and tasting salon looking out over the vineyards, the Krausz family released their first vintage (2006) in 2008.
Superstar Sam Kaplan joined Arkenstone as its founding winemaker in 2006 and helped to shepherd what would be the very first vintage to be released from that year. Since coming on board, Sam has overseen Arkenstone’s day to day farming and winemaking at the Howell Mountain Estate, bringing his commitment to quality and attention to detail in everything he does. His signature style embodies the Arkenstone winemaking philosophy, which is based on consistency and elegance.
The Arkenstone Estate vineyard is organically farmed in-house by its long-tenured, full-time crew. With a commitment to quality as well as to sustaining the property’s precious resources, the team takes advantage of carefully chosen new techniques/technology that become available. From pruning to leaf thinning, to pre-dawn harvests, working with the Estate’s own vineyard team makes this meticulous farming possible.
Tastings are available by appointment only Monday – Saturday. Each tasting features a tour of the winery and vineyard along with a tasting of Arkenstone’s Estate Blanc, Estate Red, NVD Cabernet Sauvignon and perhaps a special Single Vineyard selection or two. Tasting appointments can be made by either calling 707.965.1020 or visiting www.Arkenstone.com/.
