Precision, Purity & Mountain Winemaking on Howell Mountain

Arkenstone Estate is one of Howell Mountain’s most meticulous and quietly iconic producers — crafting exceptional, small-production wines from a fully organic estate perched high above Napa Valley. The winery is a true family project: founded by Ron and Susan Krausz, who fell in love with the rugged volcanic slopes in the late 1980s and spent decades patiently shaping the land into a world-class vineyard. Their approach has always been deliberate and deeply respectful of the mountain — planting only previously cleared areas, farming organically from the start, and designing a gravity-flow winery carved directly into the hillside to preserve purity at every step. Today, their son Jake Krausz, who grew up working on the property, carries forward the family’s vision as Estate Director.

The estate sits at 1,400–1,600 feet on rocky, nutrient-poor soils that produce fruit of exceptional concentration, structure, and tension. Everything is estate-grown and micro-farmed in small vineyard blocks, allowing an extraordinary level of precision from vine to bottle. Arkenstone is best known for its Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and the flagship Estate Blanc, a striking white Bordeaux blend that has become one of Napa’s most distinctive whites.

Across the range, the style is defined by purity, freshness, and layered complexity: wines that deliver power without heaviness and elegance without austerity. Long, careful aging in French oak adds depth while preserving the estate’s natural energy and sense of place.

For customers seeking top-tier, mountain-grown Napa wines with true family stewardship behind them, Arkenstone Estate stands out as an exceptional, small-production winery where passion, precision, and patience come together in every bottle.