Shannon Ridge buys winery in California’s Lake County for growing brands

Shannon Ridge Family of Wines, the largest vintner based in Lake County, now has a winery to call its own.

Shannon Wine Co. purchased the Nice Wine Co. production facility at 4900 Bartlett Springs Road in the Clear Lake north shore community of Nice (pronounced like “niece”) on May 28. The purchase price wasn’t disclosed.

That winery was being leased from the Larson family before the sale, according to Roxanne Jackson, manager of Shannon Ridge marketing and public relations. It’s the same family that’s behind Larson Family Winery near Sonoma and runs Ultima Mobile Bottling

“We leased the property to make sure it was the right fit for us, and its not quite big enough now, but we’ve got room to grow,” she said in an email.

The winery will be dedicated to making Shannon Ridge brands for the first harvest, but the facility could offer custom crush, juicing and bottling as well as private-label services for Shannon Ranches vineyard clients in the future, according to Jackson. Joy Merrilees, director of winemaking and production, will run the winery.

Clay Shannon has been looking for a home for his wines since 2013. They have been made at various facilities in the area, including Steele, Langtry Estate and Ray’s Station.

Production of the Shannon Ridge wines now is about 180,000 cases a year, Jackson said. Brands include Buck Shack, High Valley, Old Pearl, Playtime, Shannon Reserve, Shannon Ridge High Elevation Collection and Vigilance. Suggested retail prices are $18–$38 a bottle.