Stepping up area viniculture: Couple achieves dream with estate winery in Granite Bay

Placer County's entrance into modern, large-scale viniculture began in the early 2000s. Today, there are 23 fully functioning, commercial wineries within 30 minutes of downtown Lincoln, with more on the drawing boards. To this writer, who first started serious California wine tasting in the mid-1970s, two things are readily apparent: 1. The south Placer County wine quality continues to improve, and 2. The wine tasting experience is exceptional. Viniculture in Placer County Placer County, a major California "fruit basket," has a long history with agriculture, including grape growing. According to Joshua Huntsinger, director of Placer County's Agriculture, Parks and Natural Resources department, before Prohibition the county had 10 times more grape production than current levels. Fast forward to more recent times and it was hard to get winery approvals through the county permitting system. The terroir (soil) was known to be favorable to produce outstanding grape crops – especially for red wines – but potential new winery owners were frustrated with the lack of a specific wine ordinance and asked for administrative clarity. A new winery ordinance was adopted is 2008 with a goal to balance economic growth with increased traffic and noise. Wise Villa Winery opened in 2012 and was the largest winery to date in the county. Winery owner Dr. Grover Lee had a vision to transport an Italian experience, complete with fine dining, to Placer County, and the bar was raised for others to follow. After much discussion, Placer County passed a new, comprehensive wine ordinance in 2020 that allowed for dining on premises, more non-farm events to take place at the wineries and authorized "farm breweries," the first of which was Goat House Brewery, also on Wise Road. Wise Villa and Twin Rocks wineries are the current leaders in terms of production ... but wait, there's more! Now being developed is Lecavalier Cellars, aka Project 8, scheduled to open in 2025, with more than 50 acres of vines, a world-class tasting room and a restaurant. Lecavalier winery is expected to eventually produce 50,000 cases of wines, versus fewer than 20,000 cases for Wise Villa and Twin Rocks. Twin Rocks Estate Winery Twin Rocks Winery opened in November 2022 – after 10 years of start-up efforts (permitting, planting, tasting room construction) – and is the creation of Angela and Jim Sher. Both came from the medical field – Jim is a retired orthopedic surgeon and Angela is a retired nurse and owner of a health care and hospice business. But their dream was to design and build a world-class winery. Twin Rocks Winery – and why it's called that is evident at the entrance gate – was rolling, essentially bare, Granite Bay ranch land before Angela and Jim turned it into an estate. Coming onto the property, one sees the lake (with its fountain) that fronts the stylish building that houses the tasting room(s) and production facility. Definitely upscale! The winery is approved to bottle 20,000 cases but is now bottling 5,000 cases and will increase production to 9,000 over the next few years. They currently have eight estate-grown varietals and purchase eight additional varietals. The estate totals 80 acres, with 20 acres in current wine production and 10 acres in olive production. Sharing the property are cattle, sheep and chickens. The main building is 4,000 square feet, with the majority of the space on the main level and a basement area for production and a beautiful private room for special wine tastings and meetings. The estate has a long, and storied, history. The Allen family purchased the initial 420-acre parcel in 1855, then sold 160 acres to the Rickey family in 1920, who then sold 80 acres to the Shers in 2014. Agricultural Department director Huntsinger said, "A major benefit of this new development was that agriculture remained the focus of that land." The winery's general manager is Stefan Matulich, who has 25 years in the wine business; Chris Wall is the winemaker. In a wide-ranging discussion of the winery, Matulich emphasized the winery's approach to winemaking is a minimalist one, saying, "It's all about the balance ... we concentrate on dry-farming and yeast strains to develop final wine quality ... we want to let the fruit shine." Dry farming is an interesting approach. Essentially, you limit irrigation to stress the vines, making them dig deep into the soil to find natural water reserves. The concept is that the deeper the roots need to go, the more they can expand and absorb nutrients. In theory, the roots concentrate on reproduction (grapes) rather than leaf production. The result is less production but a higher-quality grape. Taste test My first experience at Twin Rocks was on a perfect Sunday afternoon, arriving about 2 p.m. We grabbed the last outside table, ordered a glass of wine and a cheese plate. A return visit the following week, made so we could have quality time with General Manager Matulich, ramped up the experience with a full wine tasting: sparkling rose, chardonnay, the Lone Rock red blend, and their Petite Verdot (tastings change frequently). I favor red wines and the Verdot was a winner. Matulich treated us to a range of their appetizers/small plates: estate-grown olives (five types, with a side of rustic bread), a ham and brie panini with French fries, a marvelous salad and a small pizza. The food operation is operating independently but smoothly integrated into the experience. Chef Jordan Springs lets his Napa training show. Verdict When you are looking for a delightful day of wine tasting, right in our backyard, check out Twin Rocks ... reservations recommended on the weekend. Come for the view but leave with some great wine and olive oil. Twin Rocks hosts small events and offers tours of the facility: a wine-only experience ($50) and a food and wine experience ($75). Twin Rocks Estate Winery is located at 6635 Cavitt Stallman Road in Granite Bay, CA 95746. Call 916-587-0618. Richard Pearl is a Lincoln resident who, as an extensive business traveler and wide-ranging tourist after retirement, has eaten in more than his share of restaurants worldwide. Email him at richardpearl.lnm@gmail.com with comments or ideas for other unique restaurants.