First off I have to admit I always enjoy going to Shadow Ranch, great wine tasting, and when they have food, its great and paired with some of the wines well.. The staff are super friendly and know there wines, and there own product very well.. I tend to always enjoy there Sherriff blend. Ambiance is very relaxing, inside they have a nice setting, with wood, and just relaxing.,.. The outside is not 100% covered how ever, more but allows the sun to somewhat come through, but somewhat shady as well. The patio area is Dog friendly, and they will bring out water for your pooch , no wine for the dogs tho.... lol read more

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We had a great visit at Shadow Ranch for pizza on the patio. We had reservations for 1:30 and when we got there it wasn't too busy, but pretty soon it was packed up. We tried three different pizzas between us, the pepperoni, the gorgonzola with fig and the daily special, which was hawaiian, though we sub'd pepperoni for ham. We did a gluten free crust for two of them and it was, by far, the best gluten free crust I've had. It was still crispy on the bottom, just like a regular wood-fired pizza. Flavor-wise, the gorgonzola fig was everyone's favorite, by far. The fig, cheese and spicy arugula was just perfect. We held the walnuts. Tracy took care of us and we loved our tasting. Our designated driver was treated to an Arnold Palmer, much better than just his usual bottle of water. I thought their wines were pretty reasonably priced, even for non-members. You need to buy at least $60 worth of wine to waive the $15 tasting price - I appreciate that they put that right at the top of the menu so there's no guessing. The tasting was really generous with good pours so even if we hadn't bought wine I would have felt it was worth it. Tracy took great care of us, answering all our questions and keeping our water and wine glasses filled. It was a wonderful, relaxing day on the beautiful property. read more

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We took a little ride to our favorite winery. They had some excellent food pairings today that were out of this world!! We had a vegetarian chili bean dip that paired nicely with the Tempranillo. Then we had a delicious steak and blue cheese crostini with caramelized onion and blueberry jam that was paired with a Cabernet Sauvignon. Tracy and Rika were excellent hosts that took care of us.Sitting outside in the sunshine with a breeze was perfect !! Thanks for all you guys do for us!! read more

Shadow Ranch - Vegetarian chili bean dip and Tempranillo - Wineries Near Me - Somerset, California

I had a day to spend touring wine country and almost drove past Shadow Ranch, but they had a sign that said "grilled cheese". Now, if you are familiar with the area, you'll know that food options are limited in this area, and what is better than spending some time tasting at a winery, and eating some delicious cheese while doing so. I put my order in and decided on the sampler for the wine, which consisted of some tasty offerings, and then my grilled cheese came out. These were the equivalent of sliders, but grilled cheese instead. There was a pesto one, one with some prosciutto, and a third one that had some roasted tomato in it. All three were perfect for filling my appetite, and the wines were enjoyable as well. Service was on point, food was delicious, and wine was lovely. read more

Shadow Ranch - Tasting menu - Wineries Near Me - Somerset, California

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Shadow Ranch is a great winery!! Their wines are so rich and full of robust flavors. I enjoyed it so much I became a wine club member!! I think it is seasonal but on Sundays they do fire oven pizzas and man are they delicious!! Check them out!! Our glasses never went dry as their service is very attentive!! They have an indoor area for tasting as well as a large covered patio with plenty of tables!! We enjoyed the patio even though it was very warm! read more

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Beautiful scenery, attentive staff, average wines. We did the wine tasting and nothing super crazy. We spent almost $150 and somehow didn't become members. You have to buy the $25 wine bottles 2x and we bought one for $22 (eye roll) so if we bought a $25 one on top of that still not members. It's a lovely winery, but not sure yet if we will be back or not. Also the food was kind of expensive.. $25 a pizza and we got two.. and $30 for a charcuterie board.. read more

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I had the most wonderful Mother's Day tasting experience at Shadow Ranch. We made an appointment for an 11:00 tasting. We had our choice for seating, so we opted to sit inside at the bar. Our winery host was Rika, and she was very welcoming. We selected the estate tasting flight ($15), which included a Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache, Barbera, Tempranillo, Syrah, Petite Syrah, and a red blend called "The Sheriff". I enjoyed all the wines, my favorite being the Grenache. After the tasting, we took a horse-drawn carriage ride tour of the vineyard. Very nice touch for Mother's Day. read more

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Shadow Ranch is our favorite winery, we travel 3 hour to get the best service and wine pairing Stacy and Rika are the best , we love hanging out , thank you for a great place to come on a Saturday to pick up wine, love it here, such a great atmosphere read more

Delicious pizza, generously portioned charcuterie board, nice views of the surrounding area, great service from Carrie, and very tasty, well-crafted wines. Definitely worth a visit! read more

Shadow Ranch Vineyard, FairPlay, CA - Mother's Day, May 14, 2023. We were greeted by our winery host Rika, a very friendly, knowledgeable, and bright young woman who majored in horticulture at UCD. She started us off with a Sauvignon Blanc and began telling us a little about the winery and the vertical wine making process the winery uses, which includes managing the vineyard, harvesting the grapes at just the right time, and making a wine with the final product in mind from the start. Sam, the wine maker, manages every aspect. They have made a very nice upgrade to the tasting room and added a beautiful covered outdoor patio with pizza oven. There is a lot more room in the tasting room now to accommodate for a lot more people and outdoor events. There are two tasting flights - the express tasting ($5 flight, 4 wines) and estate tasting ($15 flight, 7 wines). We opted for the estate flight which included a Sauv Blanc, Grenache, Barbera, Tempranillo, Syrah, Petite Syrah, and red blend. Wines ranged in price from $20/btl to $38/btl. If you're a wine club member, you get 25 percent off. The wine tasting fee is waive for the estate tasting with a purchase of $60. The express tasting fee is waive with a one bottle purchase. My wife's tasting fee was waived because it was Mother's Day. All the wines we tried were good. We especially like the Grenache, Tempranillo, and Syrah. The Petite Syrah is also very good and would be a great complement to a juicy steak. After wine tasting, we were lucky enough to go for a carriage ride around the vineyard. Our coach drivers were Steve and Sherry, who have two beautiful Dutch draft horses to pull the carriage. We had a wonderful time talking with them as they led us around. read more

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The grilled cheese Sundays was awesome! Delicious! The wine was hit and miss. We really liked the Tempranillo. The Sheriff was good too. The rest were ok! Great view. read more

First time visit, large party of 10. Great accommodations on the outside patio. Beautiful weather topped with good wines and a light snack. read more

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What a gem! Majority of the wines are all brown right here on site! Out of all the wineries we belonged to, this one is the only one that we enjoyed like 90% of their wines! It was crazy. And their wood fired pizza on Sundays, bomb! Food pairings once a month is awesome! They did lasagna yesterday. And their wine club is two bottles every other month, no more than $50! Coming to yoga next Sat for yoga, wine and brunch, just $25 read more

Stopped here with a last minute reservation. We have clubs with two wineries on this road. Servers appeared uninterested in our experience. Wines where okay did not knock my socks off. Can buy same wines at local grocery store cheaper then the winery. Bought a bottle to support local. Would I drink this wine on a regular basis.... Not likely. Everything is just average. Probably will not go back. read more

LOCATION: "Makes you wanna take a back road... put a little gravel in your travel, unwind, unravel all night long.." You're driving through a little town, out in the middle of nowhere....... feeling lost and afraid...... But you really have GPS so you're just being dramatic and obviously watched too many thriller movies. But then... well, nothing. You come to your welcoming destination. STYLE: You're in a romantic movie scene so don't forget to put on your lipstick or Elizabeth Taylor glaring face (whichever is available). Now don't get your feet dusty. Put your shoes back on! You haven't even started wine tasting yet, you wild thing! SERVICE: "Pour it again Mitch." On the weekends Mitch will be pouring your tastings. He's very friendly and hospitable and even told us to pick a couple clusters of grapes to enjoy and so we could experience the grape varietal that produced their lovely white wine. We did. ENVIRONMENT/STORYTELLING: We went on a vineyard hike in fact. (I didn't know that was a thing, but I will argue it is). We got sticky and dusty and had sticker weeds in our shoes. It was great. I pretended I was the character in the movie A Walk in the Clouds, but when people saw me crushing grapes in the dirt they didn't seem to be as enchanted as I felt. Gobbling those luscious white grapes was a moment to embrace. It made for some great pictures too. PRICES: Wine tasting is $7 per person and there are several wines to taste. But that tasting price per person is waived if you buy a bottle per person. And then you don't have to feel so bad for being a cheapskate. Great prices for the wines anyway! For example: $20(?) for Sauvignon Blanc and $12(?) for Vermentino. WINES: They have several, both red and white. We liked the white grapes so much that we bought their fermented juice... No actually we liked the fermented juice on its own account. I don't remember which of their white wines came from those grapes, but we bought both of them. The 2016 Sauvignon Blanc and the 2015 Vermentino. The Sauvignon Blanc is a summery blend of bing cherries and tart white peach, with a hint of fresh scraped vanilla bean. The Vermentino is a whimsical stay in a vineyard chateau in Provence or a quaint stay in a cobble-street town in Italy (you can choose which one and turn the page for your fate). PAIRING: For a near-midnight snack the Sauvignon Blanc is an interesting sidekick with San Luis Obispo garlic sourdough toast with butter, and also Midnight Moon goat Gouda cheese (try Dedrick's cheese shop on Main St in Placerville). The Vermentino would be excellent with sweet crepes and strawberries. I have yet to try that pairing. NONSENSE: "How would I know anything about wine pairing?", I asked myself. "Well you don't, but your taste buds do, so shut up and enjoy the ride.", I said back, with a sarcastic tone. PRETENDING I KNOW OTHER LANGUAGES: Buon vino! Bon appétit! read more

Shadow Ranch - 2015 Vermentino and 2016 Sauvignon Blanc - Wineries Near Me - Somerset, California

From the label to the views, this place is how you do booze. The grounds are charming & breathtaking at the same time. You feel like you are on an old homestead that time has fought to keep preserved in its natural beauty. The staff is amazing. It feels like you are with family..a happy family! I walked away with a Sauvignon Blanc (I will be back for a bottle of the 2012) and a bottle of the Sheriff, which is a very affordable & delicious table wine. Their reserve Zinfandel leans more towards the savory vs the sweet side. It carries subtle hints of berries & finishes with oak & spice. Shadow Ranch is a favorite stop on the El Dorado Wine Passport tour. We will be back soon! read more

Worth the drive and off the beaten path, but a gem! Great experience and awesome wine, beautiful summer patio & we joined the wine club and look forward to picking up our wines in person! The owner / winemaker (Sam) is a UC Davis wine guy so you know he knows the chemistry and you can taste his passion and expertise! My fav is the Zin! read more

Love Mitch at Shadow Ranch! He will entertain your like craze. Love the beautiful grounds and the amazing oak tree. My favore wine was the 2016 Barbers from the Sierra Foothills. One of my favorite tasting rooms. You most be sure to follow them so you can come visit have amazing entrainment and great food as well. You can bring a picnic and set and enjoy the views. read more

Love their wines! When you taste the first and it's perfect for that varietal and then the next and the next.... we hit the jackpot in our experience. Mitch was the host and excited about representing these wines, rightfully so, with his adjectives and style when delivering the wines was amazing! A pure asset to the owners of Shadow Ranch wines for sure! Love friendly people who love what they do when dealing with the public. However, no matter how welcoming and educating he was, if the wines didn't live up to the descriptions he delivered we'd be dumping! I didn't dump once... The delight was the Pinot Noir because I'm a fan, but the winemaker has a consistency that is delicious and wonderful across the board with all his wines. They were the first taste and the last today, after them no need to try another we are hooked! Thanks Mitch! read more

Excellent staff, service, and wine! They were kind enough to allow us into the back room with our small party and dog. The tasting pours were very generous. The highlight of our tasting was the Sauvignon Blanc. We will surely return. read more

I love this winery! I'm a member of their wine club, which is very reasonable. We get 2 bottles once a quarter. They have events going on throughout the year and they always are warm and welcoming. The wines are fantastic too. The Sheriff is a fantastic, and you can't beat that price tag! They make a fantastic port and it's in a 750 ml bottle rather than the smaller bottles most wineries sell them in. I love coming to Shadow Ranch! read more

Oh Shadow Ranch, why is it that my favorite wine here was exclusive to your wine club members? Maybe someday when I can only choose one winery to love, I will sign up for membership. Until then, I will have my wine club member friends buy me your 2007 Grenache. A very beautiful and comfortable setting to sit and have a picnic and listen to music. The day we went, they had a blue grass band playing that made it that much more nice and relaxing to hang out and sip away. The owners were very friendly and relaxed. read more

Forget the divine wine and beautiful serenity of this vineyard. Go there to get the "Mitch" experience! He was such a wonderful host and gave us our best wine experience. read more

The view was spectacular and the wines were amazing. The Petite Syrah had to be my favorite. Now about Mitch. I don't even know what to say about Mitch. Mitch has this energy and enthusiasm about what he does and about teaching people, that makes you not want to leave this winery. He has a wonderful sense of humor and makes you feel so welcome. What an experience. Thank you so much Mitch for the wonderful time. My friends, husband and I truly loved visiting this winery and will definitely recommend this place to the people we know. read more

We came to Shadow Ranch Winery as part of El Dorado Passport "The Great Out There" wine weekend in April 2021, and had a great tasting. Things were a little different from previous Passport Weekends but the wine was a great deal and very drinkable. The hospitality was great, very friendly and fun. Thank you shadow Ranch for a fun visit! read more

Took an accidental right turn into Shadow Ranch. Best decision of our day! Walking in the tasting room and was immediately captivated by Mitch. Stellar knowledge of wine and the area. He is as funny as he is educated in wine. He made our trip fun and memorable. Walked away with two bottles of wine and smiles to last the day. Mitch is the best host and everyone needs a little Mitch in their life. -Devin, Amanda, and Kay. read more

Delicious, well-rounded wines. You can tell there is experience, care and intent put into the winemaking. This is one of those places where you will enjoy most, if not all, of the wines from the first sniff to the first taste. Winemaker knows what he's doing and it shows. My personal faves were the 2015 cab, Chardonnay (balanced and not too buttery), and Tempranillo (easy drinking and supple but with some complexity). This is a great starting point if you're not sure where to begin! read more

YUM! The wine is amazing and I look forward to getting their Wine Club deliveries every quarter. They really save the good stuff for their members too! Their website makes it really easy to buy my favorites and I love the people who own this place. They really take pride in what they do and are some of the nicest people too! The grounds are beautiful and perfect for a picnic and relaxing. I only wish this place were a bit closer so that I could attend all the events that they put on throughout the year! read more

Had my first experience of drinking wines from Shadow Ranch, during a visit to Sonora's Diamond Back Restaurant with meet the winemaker. I love the wines from the Sierra Foothills and I'm now a big fan of Shadow Ranch Vineyard & Winery read more

Yep... 5 stars all the way. We're wine club members but don't get to the winery very often. We were pleasantly surpirsed to find out that we had several bottles of wine to pick up on our visit yesterday. Our hostess/server, Penny, really knew her stuff and was very helpful when we chose an additional mixed case of wine. No pressure here, only good wines in a great location. The view alone is worth the visit, but ya gotta luv their wines... especially the zin! read more

This is as good as it gets! The wine's are amazing and the tasting room and winery are gorgeous! read more

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Nice people, and really good wine. The wine club is very reasonably priced, and quarterly, so it gives you a reason to visit. the wine maker/owner is very nice, and is often pouring at the tasting room. read more

Place is nice and unassuming. Been meaning to stop in for years. Laree is a sweetheart and Mitch will make you laugh your butt off. Their wine is good too read more

Really pleasant experience with the whole family. Tasty wines, lovely people, beautiful setting, affordable wines.

Grounds are beautiful, wine is amazing, the people working we're very pleasant and great to talk to. Our pours were very very small. I mean, they barely filled the bottom dip of the wine glass. barely could taste the wine.. read more

All wines very friendly. Limited selection reduces confusion and provides clarity of selection.

My husband won a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon....Love it. I just need to find out where to get it in my area - Redding CA. Full bodied, with just a touch of tart...I have told several friends and when I have more, will share. Thank you for this new intoduction to this full bodied red! read more

Visited Shadow Ranch last weekend for the first time! Fabulous wines and Mitch made it the best experience I've had at a winery. His knowledge and passion for wine was great!!! Love Mitch's personality, his humor, and again his knowledge. Can't say enough! He made the experience worth going back on a regular basis! And, again, their wines were wonderful! Put this on your list as a regular stop!! Beautiful grounds too! read more

The grounds are country esque, the staff is pleasant enough. The wine is ok. Wife and I joined as club members because we wanted a place to go and spend a nice day, but we seem to never be able to attend any club events because they fill up. So we've decided cancelled our membership. We are club members of two other wineries in the area and never had an issue attending club events. We may still get a Sheriff bottle once in a while, but won't be making any plans to specifically visit this winery anymore. read more

Sadow Ranch Winery Fairplay Ca The wrought iron arch that stretches above the long and winding driveway is sort of the symbolic setting for this winery. As you approach the first tasting room, the new temporary construction building as the second structure is just above this one. A member of the staff greeted us with a Texas wide smile. All through our visit to Shadow Ranch Winery I must admit the level of service is second to none. Great service, friendly, and helpful people at every counter. That said, the wine made here is farmed organically and gown locally between two locations. So you are truly experiencing the local flavors of the region. There are a few wines here that are well worth your time to taste. The Reserve Zinfandel is lush, slightly supple, and just a hint of the local minerals on the finish. The Sheriff is sure to be a crowd pleaser at BBQ's.This blend offers soft structure, fruit packed, and light tannins..The Cabernet is lighter then some of the others in the area, however is a really sound wine overall. The cost on this wine is very reasonable so consider a half case or more. Happy Trails.. The winery does posses a promising future for the Old West brand of Shadow Ranch. Salute Stephen P. read more