Clay Shannon is CEO, Proprietor, and Owner of Shannon Family of Wines and Shannon Ranch located in Lake County, California. He is an industry leader in sustainability, organic, and regenerative farming and winemaking, with an earth-first mindset. For almost forty years “forging a better way” has been Clay’s approach to business.
Shannon Family of Wines produces over 300,000 cases of wine and is 100% committed to regenerative practices. All operations are 100% Certified Sustainable and the “Home Ranch” is 100% Organic Certified CCOF – one of the largest Certified Organic Mountain Vineyards in the United States. Clay’s vision is simple: “We want to grow the best fruit possible, but to do it in a way that we were one with the land and sustainable, the way we live our lives.” Clay’s unwavering commitment is to preserve the land and the environment for future generations. and create the highest quality, most environmentally responsible wines in the industry.
Media Inquiries: joy@shannonridge.com | https://shannonfamilyofwines.com/
What’s the ONE THING most unique, authentic, & memorable about your brand?
We are a farming first family. I grew up in Sonoma County and learned the ropes of vineyard management quickly. I dove headfirst into the wine industry in 1994 when I purchased my first vineyard, learning the hard way how to hold down a growing business, a family and eventually making my own wine brand in 2002. Most people get into this business coming from some other industry or family wealth. I started at the bottom and have worked hard with a “get ‘er done” attitude to get to where Shannon Family of Wines is today. We have always farmed sheep, even before Organic and Regenerative farming was popular. We did it because it was a good use of land, beneficial fertilizer and increased organic matter naturally.
I want my grandchildren to carry on this legacy I’ve built and I want the land to last for their lifetimes too. We are farmers first.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained.
We would be completely vertically integrated and farming educators. We would build a winery large enough to house all of our production, we would build an education center to teach people about how we form and how easy it is to integrate all of our waste into compost systems, worm farms and use it as beneficial inputs in the vineyard. We would single handedly turn the wine industry around by educating people on the benefits of wine in all aspects of their lives and supporting farmers like us benefits the planet.
What is the One Wine most emblematic of your brand and/or winemaking style? Tell us its story.
Clay Shannon “The Barkley” Cabernet Sauvignon. It has not been easy to build our company to the size it is now. There has been a lot of “I’ll do it myself!” mantras over the years when we have gone against the status quo. For one we farm on very steep volcanic slopes, all of our tractors have tracks, rubber tires don’t cut it. Two, we farm in Lake County which is a magical place, but isolated by the volcanic mountain ranges that surround us. And three, there have been many people in my lifetime who have inspired, encouraged, and toughened my skin to give me the skills to run the company we have today. My father Barkley was the one who instilled a hard work ethic and to this day I wouldn’t be where I am without it. Read the Barkley Cab wine review here.