Lone Buffalo Vineyards: Where the buffalo roam

THE FOOTHILLS HERITAGE IS STEEPED IN WINEMAKING, not just gold mining.

Vineyards were introduced in Placer County in 1848—the same year gold was discovered.

Prohibition shut down this bigger-than-Napa wine industry in 1920. But winemaking made a comeback in the ’70s.

Nowhere is the county’s recaptured heritage more visible than at Lone Buffalo Vineyards, a 3-year-old, award- winning winery outside of Auburn. In its short life, Lone Buffalo has already won a dozen medals, including a gold for its signature Rhone-style blend, “Where The Buffalo Roam,” at this year’s San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

The wine is poured at top-notch restaurants, including Manzanita at the Ritz-Carlton in Truckee. It is sold at Carpe Vino in Auburn, Florian’s in Truckee and Nugget Market in Roseville, among other places.

One regular sums it up succinctly: “Your wines are just so deelish!”

“We’ve sold out every year,” adds Phillip Maddux, owner and winemaker.

The family-owned winery produces about 1000 cases annually of Viognier, Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sau-
vignon and Sangiovese Rosé. All the wines have a spin on the Buffalo name: Noble Beast Cabernet, Bison Blanc Viognier and Tatonka Tempranillo. (Tatonka is native American for buffalo).

Lone Buffalo is the culmination of Phil’s 35-years of winemaking. Raised in Sonoma County, Phil became inter-ested in winemaking in the early ‘70s when Napa andSonoma were blossoming.

His mentors include well-known California winemakers Dick Arrowood (Chateau St. Jean, Arrowood Vineyards) and Cecil DeLoach (DeLoach Vineyards and Hook & Ladder).

Phil and his spouse, Jill, moved to the foothills more than a decade ago and planted two acres of vineyards. They also buy some premium grapes from other area growers.

The wine is handcrafted in small lots. From harvest to crush, and from bottling to labeling, the production process is shared by family and friends (known as “Friends of the Herd.”) Jill handles sales, and the Maddux’s daughter, Jocelyn, helps with marketing.

Wine tasting is offered the old-fashioned way, in the winery, among the barrels. The tasting room hours are
Fri., Sat. and Sun. from 12-5 pm. Please holler first.

To the Maddux’s, winemaking in Placer County has many parallels to the buffalo, which also neared extinction. As with the reemergence of the buffalo, Lone Buffalo is contributing to the return of winemaking in Placer County. “We are truly the Lone Buffalo,” says Jill.

Lone Buffalo Vineyard
2682 Burgard Lane, Auburn
916-663-4486
lonebuffalovineyards.com

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