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.

Our beautiful Pinot Noir clusters were hand harvested and immediately loaded into the press for an eighteen-hour cold soak. After gently pressing the grapes, the brightly colored juice was then fermented in 100% stainless steel to capture the freshest aromas and flavors. Resting on fine lees for several months provides creaminess and texture. This wine brings ripe raspberry, fresh orange peel and hints of summer taffy.

Warmth and sunshine are expressed in this Pinot Gris from the hillside of our Hennessy Vineyard. The south facing slope receives all day sun, enhancing the aromas and flavors of green apple, honeysuckle, and ripe melon. The round acidity lends itself to an almond finish. This Alsatian style Pinot Gris is a single vineyard designate representing time and place of this beautiful vineyard site.

Gruner Veltliner and Leelanau Peninsula are quite the match! This lively Austrian white grape is well suited for our cool climate. Our estate fruit is processed directly after harvest and is given an overnight cold soak, extracting aromatics and flavors from the skins. The cool month-long fermentation in stainless steel contributes to the enhanced aromas of green pear, grapefruit, and floral white pepper. Fine lees aging develops the mouth feel, creating a wine with great expression.

Cabernet Franc is a treasured variety of cool climate viticulture. At Shady Lane Cellars it grows in two different blocks situated on high points at our Estate vineyard. This variety is always hand-picked at the beginning of November, just as winter begins to show. Aged in French oak for thirty months, this red wine has rich undertones of blackberry, plum, dried orange peel. Integrated tannins bring length and structure balanced with acidity; a true expression of cool climate perfection.

Our Shady Lane Cellars proprietary blend is 40% Cabernet Franc, 40% Blaufränkisch and 20% Merlot. These varieties complement each other seamlessly by creating a rich, expressive red wine that has structure and acidity; a fantastic food pairing wine. The base for this blend comes from a field blend of Cabernet Franc and Blaufränkisch at our Estate vineyard. These grapes were fermented in six small lots, utilizing six different yeast strains. Franc ‘n’ Franc is aged thirty months in French oak before the final blend is made, shaping a wine that tells a story of quality and craft.

Our winemaker likens Pinot Noir to the greatest of divas. She’s a hard grape to grow, tricky to ferment, but if you treat her right, she will sing! These grapes were hand harvested on October 7th and 12th from our Hennessy and Estate vineyards. In the small lot fermentations, we used three different yeast to increase layers and complexity. Malolactic fermentation and aging took place in 40% new French oak and 60% neutral for 20 months. Our Pinot Noir delivers flavors and aromas of dark cherry, raspberry, cola, black tea and spice.