Two Shepherds
Two Shepherds was founded as a one-person micro-winery in 2010 by William Allen, a Rhône enthusiast and former wine blogger. In 2015, William was joined by his partner Karen Daenen, a wine industry veteran, and together, they moved the winery from William's garage to their own production facility in Windsor, CA. Today, William focuses on day-to-day winemaking while Karen, the "Chief Shepherdess", runs foot-stomping, blending trials, marketing, accounting, design, and other elements vital to the business. Two Shepherds specializes primarily in Rhône and other uncommon California varieties sourced from cool-climate, old vine, organic vineyards, and making wines with minimal intervention. Two Shepherds leases vineyards under long-term, block (or even row) specific contracts, which allows their parcels to be farmed to their specifications for leaf pulling, fruit removal, irrigation, and more. All fruit is harvested by hand, and all vineyards are organic (save for one that is "Sonoma Sustainable"). In the cellar, the wines ferment with native yeast, and there are no additions except for minimal use of sulfur. Neutral barrels are used for fermentation and aging, and the wines are unfined and typically unfiltered, believing that this style allows for the true expression of the variety, vintage, and vineyard. These are old-world, elegant California wines focused on brightness, subtlety, and texture.
