Meet the out-of-the-ordinary Amador County wines
from our extraordinary winemaking team,
Jessica Tarpy Shaheen and Andy Erickson.
Rosé & White
Réserve Rosé
Our inaugural release of our 2019 Réserve Rosé is a nod to the classic rosés of Southern France, where Rolle, otherwise known as Vermentino, is frequently amongst the cast of characters, along with Grenache. We decided to try our hand at this technique, with the stunning Vermentino block at our fingertips on the ranch. The result is the epitome of purity, full stop.
Flicka (100% Greco Varietal)
Originally hailing from Campania, we need to turn back the clock to fully appreciate this varietal. This ancient white wine varietal is thought have been in tow when the Greeks came to Southern Italy. A different kind of gold in the hills! Gently whole cluster pressed, this wine is fermented in stainless steel barrels, with minimal lees stirring and bottled shortly after harvest to capture its inherent freshness. Striking in the glass, its brilliant citrine hue exposes a twinkle of malachite at the meniscus. Crisp, clean and delicious!
Vermentino
Rich and Joan fell for Vermentino in the old Roman walled city of Orvieto (we know… nowhere near Sardinia). This Sierra Nevada Vermentino is a whole different kettle of fish, vigorous and bountiful, soft yet crisp. Our ice-cold nights and sun-soaked days bring out its brightness. It drinks best after a year in the bottle, when it releases its pretty aromatics and flavorful notes of mangosteen, lemon meringue, and grapefruit pith.
Grenache Blanc
The first time Rich and Joan tasted Grenache Blanc, in the Santa Ynez Valley, they were informed that it “goes great with rattlesnake.” Well, that settled it: We had to plant it here. It makes a juicy, tannic, trenchant white with a mouthfeel like butter and a long finish spiced with cinnamon. It’s more about minerality than fruit, and more gold than clear, which feels right to us since it’s grown over an old gold mine. It is magnificent in its richness.
Late Harvest Vermentino
In a flight of fancy, conditions proved just right to produce our first and quite possibly only late harvest Vermentino. Employing a classic “dried on the vine” technique, in which alternate canes were cut to allow for drying directly in the canopy, and interspersed with naturally raisined clusters, this small section of the block was harvested well into November, at over 31°B. Pairs well with your favorite cheese or selection of poetry!
Red
Mourvèdre
Unlike those ornery ink pots from Bandol, our Mourvèdre is earthy and straightforward, calling to mind the elusive wild Sierra currant and the rugged granite that forms those mountain peaks. It’s the sort of beverage you’d want to take to the pond just over the ridge. While you’re skewering a raw chicken liver on your hook and dropping your line into the water for catfish, dunk that bottle of Mourvèdre in the water, too, and let it chill. There is really nothing better than this.
Grenache Noir
Our Estate vineyard produces a Grenache Noir with depth and singular typicity. The warm California sunshine allows this wine to achieve ideal ripeness while the significant diurnal shifts, temperature differential from day to night, endow the grapes with a distinct freshness and lively fruit flavors. Fermented on the skins for twenty-one days, our Grenache Noir is aged in 30% new French oak, with the balance in neutral French oak, for 10 months to capture the freshness and spirit of the vineyard.
Tempranillo
Rich and Joan drank a life-altering Tempranillo in Barcelona, at the Zona d’Ombra, and decided that they had to plant it here. It’s our best-behaved vine variety. It ripens beautifully. We break with Spain and put it in French (not American) oak in an effort to refine it. All the same, its cowboy qualities cannot be stifled. We like to imagine Hollis and Sam Shaw, sitting by a campfire and clinking glasses of this red, saying, “¡Salud!”
Simone
The Simone is a succulent, spicy, seductive blend of Grenache Noir and Mourvèdre. Like its namesake, it’s elegant yet tough, and brims with joie de vivre. It’s a wine for feasting, both opulent and earthy, best enjoyed while wearing dungarees and boots. Or, alternately, diamonds, furs, and pearls. Simone would serve it alongside her famous Belgian Stew. Simone was a force of nature and we believe she would have been very, very proud of this wine. (But just between you and us, Marcel feels that his wine is superior.)
Marcel
Here in the craggy foothills of the Sierra Nevada range, our Teroldego could be the rugged yokel cousin of the fruit grown by the relentless Elisabetta Foradori on the lush lower slopes of the Italian Dolomites. It’s pitch-black (it stains our hands when we work with it), with a juicy black-cherry simplicity that’s balanced by a thorny intensity. Added to our Tempranillo, it makes a wine that’s like the man himself: It’s tough as nails, but will melt your heart.
Zinfandel
