Bottling our 2019 Garnacha Blanca and 2017 Petite Sirah

1/1/2021

Folks ask all the time about when’s the slow part of the season. Well, when you have vineyards and a winery to keep up with, and host public tastings three days per week, the fact is - there really isn’t any down time!

We recently bottled our 2019 Garnacha Blanca and 2017 Petite Sirah. The GB was fermented on-skins, (like red grapes), which creates an interesting texture and slightly orange-amber color. The PS aged in American barrels for 3-years, then racked into tank, where it settled for several months. They both tasted beautiful while sampling on the bottling line (love working in the winery, where drinking on the job is encouraged), and will only get better in the bottle.

As we ring in a new year, we’re planning to start barreling-down all the new wines, and put them to rest. They already taste and smell amazing, and should be incredible in a few years.
Next-up, we’re planning to bottle the 2019 Cotes du Placer. And, so it continues, with no real down-time in sight.

Goodbye 2020

1/1/2021

My email box and various social media platforms have been full of -good riddance 2020 & here’s to a much better 2021 messages and posts. While 2020 was certainly a huge challenge to the way we do business, especially in the wine industry, and how we lived our daily lives, there were certainly bright moments and lessons to bring with us to this new year.

During the various stages of quarantine, shelter in place, levels of reopening, and brief periods of business as “almost” usual, I had many insightful and inspiring conversations with customers, friends, and peers in the wine and beverage industry. Everyone was trying to figure out the new normal and happy to share both their successes and challenges. During the various stages of re-opening, I was able to visit friends and industry professionals in Napa, Sonoma, Lodi, Amador, and here in Placer County. I realized early on what a small world it had become, it did not matter if I was talking to someone working for a large cooperate winery, brewery, bar, or restaurant; we were all in a similar boat. Everyone was trying to figure out each day, how to do business, and stay in business during a pandemic. Laughter, sometimes tears of frustration, and ideas were exchanged, and I realized yet again that we are truly in this together and what an amazing community we have become. So goodbye 2020 and cheers to 2021, I hope to see you all down at The Shed real soon.
Cyndie

New website and harvest 2020

12/10/2020

Welcome to our new website, and my first blog! We were very pleased with our original website, and it was fine for several years. However, with some recent professional evaluation, we learned of many details that could help enhance user friendliness, as well as how it could be improved for us to more easily maintain and keep everyone up to date. We plan to add more content in the near future, and hope you enjoy it and check-back often!

Crush 2020 – well, like everything else this year, harvest had some challenges. The white grapes came ready a bit early, but finished perfectly. Then, smoky haze from wild fires seemed to slow the ripening of the red grapes (as if it were cloudy), but besides slightly higher pH numbers, everything came-in primo. All of our reds were ready within a few day of each other, so we picked 11-tons at our property first, and picked another 3-tons a couple days later at the Orton’s vineyard! After a few days of cold-soak, the 2200 total gallons of must began to ferment, and within a couple days, the winery was a carbon dioxide monster. This year, we were fortunate to add a pneumatic press to our equipment line-up, and it is awesome! It’s programmable and automatic, can handle up to 2.5-tons of must in one load, and is easier to load and unload. Not to mention - increased yields and improved quality!

Yee-Haw Cowboy Steak With Scrappy Red wine Sauce

11/30/2020

A Bone-in Ribeye or Cowboy steak is the perfect partner to our Scrappy Red. The Scrappy Red makes a complex and tasty red wine reduction that brings the entire dish together with incredible flavor.

YIELD: Makes 4 servings
ACTIVE TIME: 20 min
TOTAL TIME: 25 min

Ingredients:

4 rib-eye steaks
2 tablespoons olive oil,
2-3 , finely chopped garlic cloves
3/4 cups of our Scrappy Red
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt & Pepper

Preparation:

Pat steaks dry, then generously season with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until it shimmers, then sauté steaks in 2 batches, turning once, about 4 minutes per batch for medium-rare. Transfer to a large plate and cover with foil.
Pour off fat from skillet, then sauté garlic in remaining tablespoon oil over medium-high heat until pale golden, about 30 seconds. Add wine and boil, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Add water and any meat juices from plate and boil until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium-low and whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time, until slightly thickened. Stir in parsley and pour sauce over steaks.

Pairs With

QUARANTINE RED NOW AVAILABLE

11/30/2020

Made to SIP (Shelter In Place)

As we experience the most challenging time of our lives, Pamela and Zane wanted to offer something special to share with friends and family. Can you guess the varietals behind the mask? Let’s just say, they’re loved for extraordinary deep colors and full-bodied flavors and aromas of blueberry, chocolate, plums, and black pepper with restrained tannins.

As we experience the most challenging time of our lives, Pamela and Zane wanted to offer something special to share with friends and family. Can you guess the varietals behind the mask? Let’s just say, they’re loved for extraordinary deep colors and full-bodied flavors and aromas of blueberry, chocolate, plums, and black pepper with restrained tannins.

We hope this limited edition label will evoke good times sustained during this uncertain period in history. Only 500 Bottles produced! 11/18

News from the Shed

Bottling our 2019 Garnacha Blanca and 2017 Petite Sirah

Goodbye 2020

New website and harvest 2020

Yee-Haw Cowboy Steak With Scrappy Red wine Sauce

Pairs With

QUARANTINE RED NOW AVAILABLE

Made to SIP (Shelter In Place)

Categories

News From the Shed

Archives

Visit

Tasting Shed Hours

Get the Latest from the Shed