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Bud break on the table grapes
When last the ranchers drove off into the sunset, the native grasses were still  gray in color and dormancy still dominated the landscape.  A mere two weeks  later and the temperatures have soared into the 80s, and upon arising yesterday, the occupants were greeted with bud break on the table grapes and on the olive trees.   While it gladdens one's heart to see such demonstrations of the resiliency of Springtime, it also recalls to mind last year, when bud break occurred on the table grapes and olives at the end of March, and on April 8th and 9th, snow and hail decimated the newly budded plants and the crop for the year.  The joyous weather and hopeful optimism of Spring could cause one to skip happily down the sidewalk, but history reminds one that happily skipping must be tempered with caution, since Mother Nature appears to be the world's great mischief maker.

Be that as it may, after all the skipping down the sidewalk was completed, these ranchers got down to business to complete as much of Winter's To Do List as possible, since Spring has its own daunting list.   First on the list was to test all the wines to see how they were progressing.  One of the lessons learned from past years is that benchmarks must be set and tests run somewhat frequently so that it would be possible to adjust the result appropriately and keep detailed records.  It is with pleasure that this author reports that not only were the results received, but the winemaker actually understood the numbers well enough to know something was wrong with the numbers.  A quick phone call confirmed that the mistake was not, indeed, the vintners' (as it usually is), but that it was a lab error.  Now, to the average Joe (or Jane), this may not seem like a major milestone requiring celebration, but if Joe or Jane were aware of the math skill set with which this vintner was working, Joe or Jane might feel compelled to petition the Nobel Committee for a special award for said vintner.  

The  numbers  confirmed  what was suspected, that malolactic fermentation was completed on the Zinfandel and that it was time for the sloppy task of racking all the wines, adding a bit of protection against bacteria, and doing any required adjustments.  More math.   After some stressful moments, some tutoring from the math wizard in this operation, consultation with a winemaking app, some highly spirited debate as to why our answer was wrong, the conclusion was that not even the math wizard had the decimal placed correctly.  It appeared that the lab results came in g/100 ml and the winemaking app was using percentages.  Always something.  It might be a worthwhile time to point out that it was the mathematically challenged part of the team that came up with the solution, but one must be honest, it was not by doing the math correctly.  The correct answer was achieved by working backward from the answer.  Nonetheless, one must take one's victories when one can. 

The plan was to rack and make SO2 adjustments to the 2011 Zinfandel, the 2011 Petite Sirah, and the 2010 Cab, with an additional adjustment on the Petite Sirah.  Racking could take, what, a couple hours?  With the new pump, yes, it was speedy.  What tripped the team up was the cellar rat chores of washing, scrubbing, and sanitizing all those barrels, carboys, bungs, and hoses  -- and yes, the hoses are actually scrubbed by inserting a tiny little brush all the way through the hose.  While we had planned to be sipping highly chilled martinis in town by 6:00 p.m., again reality did not match perceptions.  It was after 8:00 p.m. that the last light in the barn was extinguished and the purple-stained, sticky ranchers returned to the house, too tired to eat.

A frequently asked question is, "Why do you put yourselves through all this, especially when it's been six years and you don't have one bottle of wine to show for your efforts?"  So frequently is this asked that placing it as the first question on the FAQ page is being considered.  Here's the reason:  Nothing can match the exhilaration when the vineyard team gets it right, the "A-ha" moments, the small victories, with that elusive prize always at the end of the rainbow, that there will one day be a wine the rancho is proud enough to serve.  While our past efforts have received critical acclaim, none can be more critical than the assessment of the producers.

Last year, when the ranchers headed to the State Fair in Sacramento to receive an honor for the ranch's wine and vinegar label, they were accompanied by two of the youngest ranchers.  Upon returning to their seats after receiving the medals, the youngins' eagerly greeted them, took possession of the medals, and commented, "Now let's see you win it for the wine next year."  Nothing levels one's success more than a youthful challenge to do better. 

So it is with pleasure that we can report that as of this moment, the 2011 vintage is actually a wine we hope to bottle and serve.  Will it beat out Saxum at the S.F. International Wine Competition?  Maybe not this year.  However, we remain focused on improving step by step, correcting past mistakes, not repeating them, improving vineyard practices, eradicating gophers once and for all (yes, I know, we reach for the stars), continuing to learn more every day, and one day getting it right -- and not just right, very right.  Perhaps vintners always believe next year's wine will be the best.  Perhaps it requires boundless optimism to be a vintner, but when it all pulls together, there is no better feeling.

Cheers!

The Jolly Ranchers













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The nonstop crop
The casual oberserver may be thinking to themselves, "Seriously, you cannot still be picking lavender."  Sadly, the answer is yes, the rancho is currently picking lavender.  In fact, a lavender grower recently visited the ranch and said it was the darnedest thing ever seen.  It never stops growing.

Fortunately, though, for these ranchers, other things have stopped growing and given them the much needed year-end break, and they've  caught their breath, gotten a little rest (which has made a small dent in the crabbiness factor), and reached a previously sought-after equillibrium, in which the work at the ranch is being accomplished more quickly and proficiently, leaving the ranchers time to actually get out and enjoy some of the things their guests rave about, but which the ranchers never have time to experience, because they've always been entertaining and racing to get the ranch work done once the guests have departed.

Consequently, all vines have now been pruned and retied -- and this time, with agri-lock, so that the vine ties will not break midseason, requiring more tying.  All wines have been tested by our chemist extraordinaire.  The Petite Sirah has completed MLF.  The Zin is nearly done.  We'll give it until March.  The Cab probably won't get busy until it warms up in spring.  It's MLF didn't have a chance to begin before the serious cold set in.   This tasting, the Zin's star is shining.  It was petulant and difficult all through fermentation, so it was a pleasant surprise that it didn't rise up to smack one in the face while tasting.  The Petite Sirah continues to be good, but there is a suspicion that improvement could be achieved with a bit of adjustment.  The Cab, flat out, needs MLF and an adjustment and aging.  A refinement of the number at which the grapes will be picked next year has also been accomplished.  

All olives have been rebrined; and incredibly, the herbs that have been hanging to dry have now been destemmed and chopped, and finally, the little herb jars which have been sitting on top of the dryer for months have now been moved and fresh herbs have been placed in them.    All weeds have been sprayed.  The garage is being cleaned out, and slowly, but surely, items are being given to the thrift shop or taken to the trash.  The tots' toys have again been sanitized and organized.  Plans for an additional equipment shed are in the offing, so all tools and equipment from the garage will be placed there.  The bikes and golf clubs will eventually be hung on walls.  The window company has been out to diagnose the problem with the fairly new picture window in the kitchen.  The news is as expected, it has failed and needs to be replaced, but thankfully, it will be covered under warranty. 

All this has been accomplished, and yet, two rounds of golf were squeezed in by one of the ranchers and two 13-mile bike rides were squeezed in by the other, as well as an afternoon of championship-level loping, and some great glasses of wine by the fire.  The lesson that is emerging is that this is what had been envisioned all along, a place to which one could escape to get off the merry-go-round, work with the vines, the olives, the land, but yet, have some time to rest, engage in favorite recreational activities, and return home with batteries charged. 

And so it is with renewed energy that all calendars have been reviewed and business trips placed on the calendar, all vacations and traditional yearly get-togethers have been placed on the calendar, all ranch work that is time sensitive has been placed on the calendar, harvest season has been blocked off, and essentially, our 2012 is planned up to and including January 1, 2013, and we are adamant that we will not overschedule, because we enjoy having the time to catch our breath and enjoy life a little, just like everyone else. 

So it is with a renewed sense of optimism that we sign off with the words of T. S. Eliot:
"For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning."


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