Shady Lane Cellars

The bright aromas and flavors contest to the popularity of this wine that has prevailed for over 20 years as a house favorite. The fruit is hand harvested during the beginning of October with respect to balance and acidity. The primary fermentation is focused on capturing expressive aromatics and flavors that Riesling brings so well. The second fermentation is done Charmat method, respecting the fruit while carrying toasty brioche notes on creamy bubbles.

Blaufränkisch is one of our most celebrated wines. This Austrian grape is perfectly suited to our cool climate region, and we have been crafting Blaufränkisch since 2007. This grape provides long, lacy tannins, round volume, and the expected pop of acidity on the finish. The fermentation took place in eight different small lot, open-top fermenters. The initial cold soak encourages color and tannin to fix into the wine while allowing a natural fermentation to begin. After this period the use of different yeast strains add nuance and complexity ensuring that the wine will finish as a true expression of the fruit. The wine was aged for 20 months in French and Eastern European oak. The enhanced notes of spice from the Eastern European barrels elevate the rustic bramble fruits while the French oak adds to structure, respecting notes of blackberry, mulberry, and cocoa.

In the cold of December, weeks after the last red grapes are harvested, we turn to the honey-colored Riesling hanging lonely on the vines. The clusters are fragile from the first freeze and snow of winter and must be hand harvested with extra care. The concentration of sugars is a gift from nature and there is no added sweetness to compromise the purity of the fruit. The yeast provided a slow, month-long fermentation in stainless steal, revealing the authentic nature of the winter kissed Riesling. Concentrated aromas and flavors of poached pear and candied ginger make this wine a rich and beautiful expression of Riesling.

Directly after harvest, our Gewurztraminer is loaded into the press and rests in a cloud of dry ice as we keep oxygen at bay during a 20-hour cold soak. The cold soak captures the greener, geekier side of this spicy, pink grape. The process is a dance where expressiveness and elegance are met. Enjoy the exotic aromas and flavors of starfruit, lychee, and citrus blossom from this limited production.

Our careful hands-on farming, along with gravel and sandy loam soils bring expression to a higher level in our Estate Riesling. Multiple fermentation lots create layers of character while cool and slow fermentations capture the highest expression of aroma and flavor. After aging on fine lees for eight months we begin to blend and bottle, creating a wine with notes of orchard blossom, red grapefruit, and ginger.

This skin fermented Riesling represents our flagship variety in a unique and different style, accentuating dried fruits, earthy spice and rich tannin. This wine was fermented on the skins in open top stainless-steel tanks for three weeks; extracting tannin and terpenes. Shifting the style with exposure to oxygen we have crafted a true “orange” wine. Its expression is tea-like and earthy, yet unmistakably Riesling.