"Our
harvest this year looks great. We are very excited about the
current quality that we are seeing in the tanks. The color in
the reds is incredible, the flavors are wonderful, the tanins
are perfect. Yields are down from the previous two years, which
were both large. Our 1000 sheep are very happy."
- Clay Shannon
Clay & Margarita Shannon
We
visited Lake County's Shannon Ridge Winery
at the end of September, at the near completion of the grape
harvest. The prediction is that this year will be a stellar
harvest. Lake County vineyard owners started their harvests
as much as 10 days earlier than last year due to dry, warm conditions,
as well as the grapes' early ripening.. A very warm spring and
an early-onset summer prompted decisions to start picking earlier
than usual. The quality of the grapes this year will be similar
to that of 2013; however, the drought will undoubtedly affect
the quantity.
There
are 300 beautiful, scenic acres in the lower-altitude Red Hills
AVA ("American Viticulture Area"), overlooking Clear
Lake. The soil you see is volcanic soil. It appears redder than
other soil, and characteristically does not hold water, which
causes the vines to be more deeply rooted.
|
Click on image
to Enlarge |
There
are 1,800 acres on the other side at High Valley AVA (at altitudes
of 1,200-1,400 feet), which, surprisingly enough, was once a
lake! The climate is cooler, dry and warm but with breezes and
cooler nights. The deeper roots bear good fruit and don't require
a lot of water."
The
winery has 2,000 acres of land, and yields 160,000 cases per
year. The La Sierra Picnic Grounds offers lunches and picnic
spaces. Surrounding the higher-altitude lands are three dormant
volcanoes: Mt. St. Helena, Cobb, and Mt. Konocti.
According
to owner Clay Shannon of Shannon Ridge Vineyards & Winery,
"Our harvest this year looks great. We are very excited
about the current quality that we are seeing in the tanks. The
color in the reds is incredible, the flavors are wonderful,
the tannins are perfect. Yields are down from the previous two
years, which were both large. Our 1000 sheep are very happy.
In
other parts of Lake County, the drought demanded that more water
be moved through irrigation methods, and that the dry grass
be mowed in order to reduce moisture demands.
However,
at Shannon Ridge Winery, where everything is sustainably harvested,
grass between the vines was removed by way of the "Ovis"
Cycle.Ovis is Latin for "sheep" and is a patented
name and process for "Farming Cycle System," a symbiotic
relationship between sheep and grape farming, bringing sheep
into the vineyard and then working them through the vines.
"Sustainability
is the key to the heart of our company," explains Tasting
Room Manager and our tour guide, Marni[Johnson. "The sheep
reduce the carbon footprint. They fertilize the grapes naturally-100
sheep in 10 rows will space out equally and work from shade
area to shade area as the sun moves. Grape leaves provide 23
percent of the protein which is healthy for sheep." The
wool is sold, and the lamb meat is carefully butchered and sold
to discerning clientele (fine restaurants, chefs, etc.). This
winery is the largest in the nation working with sheep.
According
to Marni, "fifty lucky bucks" sire 1,000 to 2,000
lambs each year around Christmastime, which are raised on mothers'
milk and grass, with no hormones or antibiotics (except in the
case of individual sheep with illnesses, which are isolated
from the rest of the flock and individually cared for).
OVIS
CYCLE CHART / Click on image to Enlarge
The
winery has been here since the 1980s The "Vigilance"
title was given in honor of the sheep dogs, which guard and
protect the sheep. Hawks also dwell on the property in hawk
houses, and they help to control rodent infestation on the sustainably
run property.
"Shannon
Ridge's Vigilance Vineyards borders the Anderson Marsh Preserve,
the longest freshwater marsh in California, and the oldest on
the North American Continent (two million years old), which
plays host to a rich diversity of wildlife. Snakes are regular
visitors to the property where owners take pride in making efforts
toward sustainable development."
The
La Sierra Picnic Grounds offers lunches and picnic spaces.
Surrounding the higher-altitude lands are three dormant volcanoes:
Mt. St. Helena, Cobb, and Mt. Konocti.
"Natural
grapes" as those which are allowed to grow naturally, and
which are hand-harvested. Grapes which are deliberately trained
to grow upward in certain ways, on the other hand, are machine-harvested.
The deep purple "Barbera" grapes, which are very sweet,
are an example of "natural grapes."
MARNI HOLDING GRAPES READY TO BE HARVESTED
"The
way you tell that grapes are ready to harvest is to put one
in your mouth, chew it two or three times, and see if you taste
any 'green' in the skin," Marni explains. "If there
is any 'green' taste in the skin, the grape is not yet ready
for harvest."
The
area is a vast national forest area. "You can go all the
way to Oregon from here without getting on a freeway,"
Marni states. The area is also a very nature-friendly national
animal habitat.
As
of this date (9/24), harvest should be completed within one
and a half to two weeks. It appears to be a good harvest, with
average yield(or possibly slightly less than average this year,
due to severe drought). "Crush" activity is going
on in Kelseyville, a location away from the vineyard.
"Lake
County is third in the nation for the cleanest air," Marni
declares. "The air is so clean that County residents are
not required by law to have their cars 'smogged'."
The
Tasting Room is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in the
main offices, and is a "tasting paradise." Some of
the wines produced include Chardonnay, Cabernets, Petit Shiraz,
Zinfandel and Zinfandel blends, and Barbera. The Tasting Room
is located in the Lower Lake Red Hills AVA, and the Home Ranch
is located in Clear Lake Oaks in the High Valley AVA.
The
winery's average bottle price is +/- $20, with the higher-end
wines going for up to $60. "We want a high-quality product
that you want to drink and share," Marni says.
When
Prohibition was enacted and the production of alcoholic beverages
was prohibited in the United States, walnuts and pears were
then raised on the property. The walnut trees still exist, and
indeed the now nearly ripe English walnuts are placed in buckets
in the Tasting Room. Wine bags are put out so that wine-tasting
guests can also take some walnuts home with them. The winery
also produces 500 cases of olive oil, which is sold in the Tasting
Room.
Working
for Shannon Ridge in a job she loves has been an ongoing educational
experience for Marni. "You can never know everything about
wine," she states. "You're always learning. Every
day I learn something new."
Napa
Valley wines can be 40% Napa grapes and the remainder other
grapes. "Most Napa Valley wines are a big chunk of Napa
grapes."
By Mike Walsh,
Ellen Walsh, Verah Bugbee
Valley
AVA Shannon Ridge Vineyards