Vigilance Winery & Vineyards

Overlooking Anderson Marsh State Historic Park in Lake County’s Red Hills appellation, Vigilance Winery & Vineyards is firmly taking root. The 305-acre vineyard property has been managed for many years by Clay Shannon, owner of Shannon Ridge Vineyards & Winery. When the property came up for sale, Clay leapt at the chance to make the land his own.

The Red Hills appellation hugs the southeastern shores of Clear Lake, sitting at the foot of Mt. Konocti. More than 90 percent of its soils are volcanic and strikingly red in color. The terrain is rolling—a dramatic contrast to the steep slopes of Clay’s High Valley Vineyard, where he lives and grows grapes for Shannon Ridge. There’s a gentle aspect of the Red Hills land that needs to be maintained and fostered through sustainable farming practices. Clay chose the name “Vigilance” for the vineyard after watching his alert sheepdogs carefully guard his flock of sheep, protecting them from harm. It’s with the same vigilance that he works as a farmer to preserve the land for future generations.

Even before the Vigilance tasting room opened in late October 2010, the wines received national recognition. In a blind taste test, Wilfred Wong, cellar master for Beverages & More, awarded 92 points to the 2008 Vigilance Cabernet Sauvignon and 92 points to the 2008 Vigilance Cimarron—an intriguing blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Barbera, Mourvèdre, and Grenache.

Wine lovers anxious to try Vigilance wines can find them at BevMo outlets and on the winery’s website. But a visit to the winery and its new tasting room, located in a renovated ranch house overlooking Clear Lake and Anderson Marsh, should certainly be part of one’s next visit to Lake County. To become part of the rich, rolling land where the wine is born—if even for just a few hours—enhances one’s understanding of Vigilance Winery & Vineyards and what inspired Clay to turn it into a destination for all to enjoy.