Shadow Ranch

I had a day to spend touring wine country and almost drove past Shadow Ranch, but they had a sign that said "grilled cheese". Now, if you are familiar with the area, you'll know that food options are limited in this area, and what is better than spending some time tasting at a winery, and eating some delicious cheese while doing so. I put my order in and decided on the sampler for the wine, which consisted of some tasty offerings, and then my grilled cheese came out. These were the equivalent of sliders, but grilled cheese instead. There was a pesto one, one with some prosciutto, and a third one that had some roasted tomato in it. All three were perfect for filling my appetite, and the wines were enjoyable as well. Service was on point, food was delicious, and wine was lovely.

Shadow Ranch is a great winery!! Their wines are so rich and full of robust flavors. I enjoyed it so much I became a wine club member!! I think it is seasonal but on Sundays they do fire oven pizzas and man are they delicious!! Check them out!! Our glasses never went dry as their service is very attentive!! They have an indoor area for tasting as well as a large covered patio with plenty of tables!! We enjoyed the patio even though it was very warm!

I had the most wonderful Mother's Day tasting experience at Shadow Ranch. We made an appointment for an 11:00 tasting. We had our choice for seating, so we opted to sit inside at the bar. Our winery host was Rika, and she was very welcoming. We selected the estate tasting flight ($15), which included a Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache, Barbera, Tempranillo, Syrah, Petite Syrah, and a red blend called "The Sheriff". I enjoyed all the wines, my favorite being the Grenache.After the tasting, we took a horse-drawn carriage ride tour of the vineyard. Very nice touch for Mother's Day.

Shadow Ranch Vineyard, FairPlay, CA - Mother's Day, May 14, 2023.We were greeted by our winery host Rika, a very friendly, knowledgeable, and bright young woman who majored in horticulture at UCD. She started us off with a Sauvignon Blanc and began telling us a little about the winery and the vertical wine making process the winery uses, which includes managing the vineyard, harvesting the grapes at just the right time, and making a wine with the final product in mind from the start. Sam, the wine maker, manages every aspect. They have made a very nice upgrade to the tasting room and added a beautiful covered outdoor patio with pizza oven. There is a lot more room in the tasting room now to accommodate for a lot more people and outdoor events.There are two tasting flights - the express tasting ($5 flight, 4 wines) and estate tasting ($15 flight, 7 wines). We opted for the estate flight which included a Sauv Blanc, Grenache, Barbera, Tempranillo, Syrah, Petite Syrah, and red blend. Wines ranged in price from $20/btl to $38/btl. If you're a wine club member, you get 25 percent off. The wine tasting fee is waive for the estate tasting with a purchase of $60. The express tasting fee is waive with a one bottle purchase. My wife's tasting fee was waived because it was Mother's Day. All the wines we tried were good. We especially like the Grenache, Tempranillo, and Syrah. The Petite Syrah is also very good and would be a great complement to a juicy steak.After wine tasting, we were lucky enough to go for a carriage ride around the vineyard. Our coach drivers were Steve and Sherry, who have two beautiful Dutch draft horses to pull the carriage. We had a wonderful time talking with them as they led us around.

First time visit, large party of 10. Great accommodations on the outside patio. Beautiful weather topped with good wines and a light snack.

What a gem! Majority of the wines are all brown right here on site! Out of all the wineries we belonged to, this one is the only one that we enjoyed like 90% of their wines! It was crazy. And their wood fired pizza on Sundays, bomb! Food pairings once a month is awesome! They did lasagna yesterday. And their wine club is two bottles every other month, no more than $50! Coming to yoga next Sat for yoga, wine and brunch, just $25

Stopped here with a last minute reservation. We have clubs with two wineries on this road. Servers appeared uninterested in our experience. Wines where okay did not knock my socks off. Can buy same wines at local grocery store cheaper then the winery. Bought a bottle to support local. Would I drink this wine on a regular basis.... Not likely. Everything is just average. Probably will not go back.

LOCATION: "Makes you wanna take a back road... put a little gravel in your travel, unwind, unravel all night long.." You're driving through a little town, out in the middle of nowhere....... feeling lost and afraid...... But you really have GPS so you're just being dramatic and obviously watched too many thriller movies. But then... well, nothing. You come to your welcoming destination.STYLE: You're in a romantic movie scene so don't forget to put on your lipstick or Elizabeth Taylor glaring face (whichever is available). Now don't get your feet dusty. Put your shoes back on! You haven't even started wine tasting yet, you wild thing!SERVICE: "Pour it again Mitch." On the weekends Mitch will be pouring your tastings. He's very friendly and hospitable and even told us to pick a couple clusters of grapes to enjoy and so we could experience the grape varietal that produced their lovely white wine. We did.ENVIRONMENT/STORYTELLING: We went on a vineyard hike in fact. (I didn't know that was a thing, but I will argue it is). We got sticky and dusty and had sticker weeds in our shoes. It was great. I pretended I was the character in the movie A Walk in the Clouds, but when people saw me crushing grapes in the dirt they didn't seem to be as enchanted as I felt. Gobbling those luscious white grapes was a moment to embrace. It made for some great pictures too.PRICES: Wine tasting is $7 per person and there are several wines to taste. But that tasting price per person is waived if you buy a bottle per person. And then you don't have to feel so bad for being a cheapskate. Great prices for the wines anyway! For example: $20(?) for Sauvignon Blanc and $12(?) for Vermentino.WINES: They have several, both red and white. We liked the white grapes so much that we bought their fermented juice... No actually we liked the fermented juice on its own account. I don't remember which of their white wines came from those grapes, but we bought both of them. The 2016 Sauvignon Blanc and the 2015 Vermentino. The Sauvignon Blanc is a summery blend of bing cherries and tart white peach, with a hint of fresh scraped vanilla bean. The Vermentino is a whimsical stay in a vineyard chateau in Provence or a quaint stay in a cobble-street town in Italy (you can choose which one and turn the page for your fate).PAIRING: For a near-midnight snack the Sauvignon Blanc is an interesting sidekick with San Luis Obispo garlic sourdough toast with butter, and also Midnight Moon goat Gouda cheese (try Dedrick's cheese shop on Main St in Placerville). The Vermentino would be excellent with sweet crepes and strawberries. I have yet to try that pairing.NONSENSE: "How would I know anything about wine pairing?", I asked myself. "Well you don't, but your taste buds do, so shut up and enjoy the ride.", I said back, with a sarcastic tone.PRETENDING I KNOW OTHER LANGUAGES: Buon vino! Bon appétit!

Worth the drive and off the beaten path, but a gem! Great experience and awesome wine, beautiful summer patio & we joined the wine club and look forward to picking up our wines in person! The owner / winemaker (Sam) is a UC Davis wine guy so you know he knows the chemistry and you can taste his passion and expertise! My fav is the Zin!

Delicious, well-rounded wines. You can tell there is experience, care and intent put into the winemaking. This is one of those places where you will enjoy most, if not all, of the wines from the first sniff to the first taste. Winemaker knows what he's doing and it shows. My personal faves were the 2015 cab, Chardonnay (balanced and not too buttery), and Tempranillo (easy drinking and supple but with some complexity). This is a great starting point if you're not sure where to begin!