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 and it serves as a special place for us to gather and use bad judgment.

The spring of 2016 was a steady sine wave of hot and cool days, starting harvest off on August 20th. Red varieties started to trickle in during early September. The season went smoothly, until October 20th brought a deluge of rain with a fair amount of fruit left hanging. The varieties left to weather the storm were hearty, open clusters that handled it just fine. We finished up harvest on October 24th, one of our longest, but most intense quality on record.

We, the winemakers, take pride in producing excellent quality Petite Sirah from the high elevations of Lake County. We also take pride in bringing our ‘bad judgement’ ideas to life. We aged this intense Petite Sirah in Bourbon barrels for 5 months and the result is oh, so delicious.

“The dark, playful notes of fresh blueberry and dried plum flow seamlessly into the complex flavor of bourbon barrel aged American oak. This wine is a decadent treat for all the senses.” - Joy Merrilees, Director of Winemaking