Call it
serendipity. In 2016 Margie and I
purchased the Sisney property adjacent to the winery to the North. It has a beautiful home and ten acres of
grapes. Margie and I had little interest
in the home because we had just rebuilt the old farmhouse/converted barn next
to the winery into our dream home. I
wasn’t interested in the vineyard and the grapes either. So just why did we purchase the property? I will be perfectly honest. Neither Margie nor I wanted a competitor on
our right-flank. Sure enough, when we
signed the escrow papers the title officer mentioned that three ‘back up
offers’ were all from wineries that desired frontage on Shenandoah Road,
Amador’s highway 29.
Chuck Sisney, the
former owner of the vineyard, had offered fruit to us on numerous occasions,
but we already had sources for Zinfandel and Gamay and Petite Sirah, so I declined. So, when Margie and I obtained the vineyard,
I had no track record with the fruit. We
started small, just two tons of each and the wines we produced were
terrific. Both the Zinfandel and
Grenache have become wine club selections to the delight of an ever growing
cadre of fans. Never did I consider a
defensive business move would yield such great wine. Serendipity.
