Two Shepherds, Grenache, 2022

Cool-climate Grenache from the Russian River Valley, where almost nobody plants it. William Allen built Two Shepherds around exactly this kind of contrarian bet, chasing balance and finesse over power across a lineup of tiny lots. This bottling comes from organically farmed, tightly spaced estate vines, fermented with native yeast and aged in neutral puncheons so the fruit does the talking. The result is a lighter, brighter, food-friendly take on a grape that's usually pushed toward brawn. Named for Allen's two Australian Shepherds, who roam the vines the wine comes from.