Sommeliers Choice Awards 2024 Winners
Sky Ranch Estate
Category: Winery
Country: United States
Date:13/11/2019
Sky Ranch is the dream of Lee Perry, who still owns and operates these 80 acres of vineyard and olive orchards high on a ridge in the northern most reach of the San Fransisco Bay Area. Lee was born and raised in the Bay Area, and that deep connection with the land he came from was only heightened when he first traveled to Italy and marveled at the old world techniques still used to nurture winemaking into an art form. Lee was inspired to carry those ideas home with him, and in 1990 he was able to bring his dream to life on the sloping fields of Sky Ranch. With every row of vine he planted and sapling he secured, Lee saw the future: complex European-style wines and flavorful olive oil from Tuscan olives, grown right here in California.
Working with the unique soil composition, warm climate, and an amazing team, Lee was able to see his wine, his orchard, and his dreams all come to fruition. The bright Frantoio olives yielded a smooth, aromatic oil, and whether Syrah, Nero d’Avola, Touriga Nacional, or Malbec, the vines of Sky Ranch thrived, pulling vitality up through the rich soil, their grapes plumping in the warm California sun until being harvested at just the right time by proud California pickers.