Shannon Ridge Buck Shack Red 2014 | Turns Comfort Food into a Wine Experience
Shannon Ridge Buck Shack Red 2014 is a blend of Syrah, Tempranillo, Cabernet, Barbera and Petite Sirah from Lake County, CA. The wine creates a powerful combination of spice, complexity, and structure.” – Winemaker Joy Merrilees.
For the third drought year in a row, Shannon Ridge Buck Shack Red 2014 was early, mostly due to lack of water. Once ripening began, the hot, dry summer threatened to turn our precious grapes into raisins. It was a race to get them off the vines and into fermenters. It was a smaller crop than average, but intense concentration.
Nested deep in our vineyards stood a dilapidated 100-year-old skinning shed called the “Ye Old Buck Shack”. We loved the beauty and history of this old building. We restored it and converted it into a whiskey bar on our property called “Sheep Camp”. The shack looks and feels like an old Western movie. It serves as a special place for us to gather and use bad judgment
About Shannon Ridge:
Shannon Ridge is dedicated to crafting luscious, fruit-driven wines that express the distinct characteristics of fruit grown in the high valley region of Lake County, CA. Family-owned and operated, Shannon Ridge was founded in 2001.
The Lake County, CA vineyards hug the mountain rims along the south-east edge of High Valley AVA. Surrounded by dramatic landscapes and pristine wilderness, the story of High Valley is clearly visible from our property. At 2,200 feet, on top of the Terre Vermeille vineyard look to your south, you’ll see the deep blue waters of Clear Lake. The lake provides cooling winds throughout our long summer days. Turn to the west, and you can distinguish where the lava flows give way to the alluvial fan of the ancient lake bed on the valley floor. And from the north, and you can feel the cold night winds from Snow Mountain and the peaks of the Mendocino National Forest.
Winemaker Joy Merrilees
Joy Merrilees has been making wine in Lake County, California and abroad since 2002. Her drive to produce top quality wines and excitement for discovery is evident in every bottle.
While finishing her Plant Science and Landscape Design degree at Humboldt State University she skipped across the globe and spent a year abroad at Lincoln University in New Zealand, falling into the wine industry 8,000 miles from home. To enhance her experience, Joy is continually educating herself at UC Davis and Sonoma State University.