Ultraviolet Wines are an homage to the California climate where winemaker Samantha Sheehan grew up - it is a pure expression of fruit ripened under the California sun. .
Her Cabernet Sauvignon is velvety and balanced, while her Sparkling rosé is refreshing and zesty. Both products were born out of Samantha’s desire to make high-quality wines accessible. She is committed to using locally-grown, organically-farmed grapes; keeping her production small; and using no additives (other than minimal amounts of sulfur). Her wines are fruit-forward, aromatic, and with nice acidity.
Samantha wanted to keep her wines at an affordable price point without sacrificing quality, so she decided to source her grapes from Ukiah, in California’s Mendocino County. “Napa is amazing for growing grapes, and so it comes with a price tag. I live in Napa and love Napa, but I want to make wines that people don’t have to feel precious about. My goal with Ultraviolet is to create wines that someone can drink casually, after work, any day of the week, with whatever food they feel like. A high-quality wine doesn’t have to be reserved only for special occasions.”
Sheehan believes that Ukiah is a special place to source grapes from - Mendocino County is home to an array of unique soils and the huge temperature variation throughout the day (which can span a 60 degree difference) make this AVA optimal for growing grapes. Samantha sources from vineyards that are in slightly cooler climates and at higher elevations, and she picks the grapes a little earlier to optimize for acidity. All of the vineyards are dry-farmed and with well-draining soils.
“The things that make Napa amazing for grape-growing are the same things that make Ukiah amazing for grape-growing. Growing grapes along a fault line makes for really interesting soil and is literally very fruitful,” says Sheehan.
Samantha has created and grown two other brands - POE Wines and Mommenpop, a line of California citrus aperitifs. She was named one of Food & Wine Magazine’s “15 Women to Watch in Wine,” and has been featured in Bloomberg, Wine & Spirits Magazine (Best New Spirits with Mommenpop), the San Francisco Chronicle, LA Times, and many other publications.