WOOT VIN-ACULAR: DEFINITION #403:
Berrymandering: Occurs when a wine falsifies its berry qualities
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2015 High Valley Vineyard Zinfandel, High Valley, Lake County
The raspberry and blackberry notes are lifted by spices on the midpalate leading to an integrated, yet subtle oak finish.
Located in the Coastal Ranges of northeastern Lake County, the High Valley AVA rises between 1,600 and 3,000 feet in elevation, providing our finest mountain fruit.
Vintage: The 2015 vintage was a year of highs and lows. Our Spring had weeks of 100°F weather followed by torrential rain storms. The high humidity put some disease pressure on the vines, then we were bombarded by wildfires. Lady Luck must have been on our side during both the Rocky and Valley Fires; pushing the smoke to the north east, away from our vineyards, and then a day later a rainstorm blew through to clear the air. Despite road blocks that delayed picking by a week, we really got off Scott free and 2015 fruit seems to be our best vintage yet.
Barrel Aging and Winemaking: Round Mountain and Terre Vermielle Vineyards are the source of this High Valley Zinfandel. The north facing slope allows for longer hangtime and development of rich flavors. We use 80% French and 20% American oak for the aging.
We both grew up in California's wine country: Clay in the Healdsburg area in Sonoma County, and Margarita in St. Helena in Napa County. We met when we were both working at a Napa Valley winery. From there, we went on to build a vineyard management and development company.
We’ve grown fruit for many wonderful people and we've enjoyed tasting what our grapes have contributed to their wines. Still, we wondered how our wine grapes would stand up on their own. For us, the challenge was to take our grapes from bud break all the way to the bottle. Our goal was to make really enjoyable wines that taste like perfectly ripe grapes on the day you harvest them.
In the late 1980's we began working with wine grapes from Lake County and recognized the area's potential to grow great mountain fruit. Then, in 1995, we visited a magnificent mountain property about 35 miles north of the Napa county line. At altitudes of 2,100 to 2,400 feet above sea level these steep mountain ridges are cooled by steady winds off Clear Lake and from the higher peaks just north of us. The lean, rocky volcanic soils promised to make the vines produce small berries with concentrated flavors.
There was also the stunning beauty of the ridge. To the south, you see the deep blue waters of Clear Lake sheltered by Mount Konocti. To the north, snow capped mountains loom above, and all around us brick-red rocky soils. The landscape is rugged and wild and so are our neighbors -- we're surrounded by wildlife. In addition to the ducks, geese, deer, raccoons, quail, golden eagles, wild turkey, chipmunks and bobcats that visit us regularly, we've spotted bald eagles, a mother bear and her cubs and mountain lion tracks! Everything about this land screamed out to us, and we answered with an enthusiastic “yes!”
Our first vineyard on the ridge was Terre Vermeille, which is planted to Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbera and Sauvignon Blanc. Since then, we've developed several additional vineyards and have put down our roots here. For the first three years we lived in a small cabin on the Caldwell Ranch. We've moved into a more accommodating home with magnificent views of the vineyards and mountain ridges.
We're fully committed to this adventure and we invite you to join us. Visit us at Shannon Ridge – or stay in touch through our website.
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