The tasting room at Colwell Thundering Herd Ranch. Image © Gold Dog Interactive
Located on the grounds of the historic Butler Mansion near downtown Penryn, the Colwell Thundering Herd Ranch tasting room features a wide variety of unique local products made locally at the ranch and the surrounding area. While the ranch is known for its award winning specialty olive oils and balsamic vinegars, you’ll find jams and jellies, honey, mandarin scented soaps and candles, candy barks, mandarin BBQ sauces, mandarin and cabernet dark chocolate sauces, and of course, fresh fruit.
Mandarins are king here. Placer County is one of the best mandarin growing regions in the world, and Colwell Ranch’s ample orchards produce especially sweet fruit. You’ll also find fresh meyer lemons, and the Hachiya persimmons are grown on 70 year old trees. The ranch has added Fuyu persimmons recently too.
Be sure to take some time to sample the wide variety of olive oils and balsamic vinegars. Colwell partners with Corning Olive Oil, (Corning is the Olive Capital, located just south of Red Bluff, CA), and mixes the Mission olive oil with their ranch-grown mandarins and meyer lemons to make their signature products. They import their aged balsamic vinegar from Modena, Italy, and infuse it with figs, pomegranates, blackberries and more to create a sweet and savory vinegar perfect for dipping and glazing.
The friendly staff will guide you through all of the samples and are happy to provide in-depth information on all of the products. You might bump into owner Rich Colwell, who’s always happy to meet visitors and share the interesting history of his family’s property and the surrounding area. You can find Colwell Ranch products in local stores, fruit stands and wineries, and the tasting room is open seven days a week September through December. Call ahead before going to check hours. Many of their products are available for sale and can be shipped from their website.
