Hello friends of RTW,

Spring is a very exciting time at the winery.  In fact, it is one of my favorite times of the year because we have a lot of projects going on like blending and bottling.  In addition, Bud Break at the vineyard is another exciting reminder that the year is in full swing.

Speaking of spring projects, one that we have been preparing for has been the addition of our patio at the winery.  Since we have a lot of space behind the crush pad we decide to 'doll it up' and make it available for our RT Vino Members to enjoy.  We invite you to take a break while you visit and enjoy the patio. It is almost ready for summer.  This is just another way for us to continue to make our winery more accommodating.  For those that come to the winery and say we don't have an area to relax -jokes on them! J

In El Vinedo de Love

Bud break is in full swing and we are getting back into the vineyard this month.  Once we finished our pruning season, we let the vineyard finish its dormant phase.   Bud break usually starts around the first week of April.  We did get a little bit of freeze damage in the Grenache and in some other low laying areas in the vineyard.    When the weather is below freezing, this kills the new growth that the vineyard produces.  The good news is there was minimal damage and production will not be significantly impaired.

We are also looking forward to bringing in some Counoise and Grenache Blanc at the vineyard this year.  We planted these two Rhone varietals last year, and we will get to enjoy a small harvest from these varietals this season.  The Counoise will be used for blends in our Rhone projects. The Grenache Blanc will be made into a single vineyard varietal project and with some blending in our other wine blends.

 
Special thanks to El Capataz of Love Ranch, Salvador, for helping me out a couple of days out of the week. With his help, we were able to get the vineyard in shape and we can continue to insure that we deliver the very best grapes to our winery.

Winery/Production

In the winery, we have been busy planning all the wine projects that we will be processing this year.  We also have been upgrading the winery equipment.  Last year we had difficulty with not having enough fermentation vessels.  This year we are buying more tanks and other processing equipment to make for a smoother season this year.  It is nice to upgrade our wine equipment.  We're starting to feel like a sophisticated facility!

We are excited that we have blended all our 2012 whites and 2011 reds.  We have some interesting projects that we will be releasing in the upcoming months.  We have new wine blends from Love Ranch Vineyard just-in-time for summer.   If you are interested in helping us bottle, please email or call Isabel at the winery. There is limited space, so, please call to make reservations.  We plan on having a few of our winery friend's help, and we will treat you to lunch and a few bottles of wine!

Oscar Ramos

Owner/Winemaker

May

Cost: $25 per person, $40 for 2, $30 day of the event

The Grenache section where these grapes were sourced is call the "Top Section". In this area of the vineyard, we find a low yield and early ripening. Grenache, by tradition, is light in color and light bodied. This vintage year is no exception. There is minerality in the nose, with some hints of pepper and orange zest. There are also hints of floral and dry rose pedal aromas. This wine is delicate in structure. Which, shows off its soft tannins and finishes smoothly. The result is an excellent blend from Love Ranch. This wine will pair nicely with lamb or white meat.

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