Shannon Ridge is located in the rolling hills of Lake County, just south of Clear Lake. Drive a half hour to forty five minutes north from Calistoga past Middleton, where pine forests thin and long stretches of vineyards come into view. Read the back label on many of the best bottles of Sauvignon Blanc produced in Napa Valley and you’ll see that the grapes were grown in these Lake County vineyards. Many other grape varietals also do very well in the hilly soil and warm growing conditions.

The Shannon Ridge Family Of Wines tasting room, open May through October, is located in their elevated Vigilance Vineyard with excellent vineyard and Clear Lake views. You’ll see signs leading you there along Highway 29 as it bends west coming out of the village of Lower Lake. There is plenty of parking.

A Family Of Wines is an accurate description of the roughly 200,000 cases produced by Shannon Ridge annually. They include seven brands, each based on the unique source of grapes and style applied to making the wine. There are far too many individual wines to tackle in a single tasting – 31 different bottles in their current release.

Two tasting flights are offered, each contains only four wines (see photo of current tasting menu below). My favorites were the Sauvignon Blanc, Barbera and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Reserve Flight. The tasting room is cozy, friendly and unpretentious.

Stop by Shannon Ridge next you’re in Lake County, there are many other tasting rooms in the area if you’d like to make a day of it. I’ll be stopping back at Shannon Ridge to try more of their outstanding wines.

Tasting Room hours: May through October, Friday through Sunday, 11am to 5pm.

Visit Shannon Ridge – 13888 Point Lakeview Road, Lower Lake, CA 95457