Enjoy your dose of Dopamine, a ferocious 2019 Sierra Foothills red that packs a punch with 61% Tempranillo, 26% Graciano and 13% Syrah.

If you’re familiar with our wines, it’s no secret that Shake Ridge Vineyard is the source behind many of our cult-favorite releases, and for good reason. This vineyard is meticulously planted and carefully tended by one of California’s most acclaimed viticulturists, Anne Kraemer. We’re back at this gem of a vineyard again with the ever-favorite Spanish variety, Tempranillo, which represents the majority of the blend. Taking a supporting role are Graciano and Syrah, which both add an amazing depth of color and aromatics that just don’t quit. The Graciano hails from Sierra de Montserrat Vineyard just outside of Loomis, and we popped back over to our neck of the woods for the Syrah from Frediani Vineyard.

We asked our winemaking team to go for bold and bold they went. The Tempranillo and Graciano clusters were de-stemmed and spent about 20 days on the skins prior to finding their homes in neutral oak for 15 months. We employed extended maceration during fermentation  And, because we’re cool like that, we blended in a small percentage of foot-stomped and whole-cluster fermented Syrah that adds a faint whisper of smoke and bold bramble-berry characteristics.

If the trippy tiger on the label doesn’t draw you in, the wine in the glass certainly will. Stimulate your senses with smells of macerating strawberries, sun-warmed huckleberries, and fresh-cut cedar that leap from the glass like a tiger on its prey. The moment the wine touches your lips, it's down the rabbit hole you’ll go. It’s like a fruit rollup mixed with blueberry custard meets cinnamon waffles with whipped cream and maple syrup kinda vibes here. Fans of Las Californias and should take notice – just like the chemical found in your brain, Dopamine is a serious pleasure-rush.