"Vision gives you the impulse to make the picture your own." ~ Robert Collier ~

 

We began planning our vineyard in 2006, starting with layout, researching types of vine rootstock, clones, getting soils tests, ordering vines, ripping the soil, making hundreds of gopher cages, installing stakes and trellising, installing irrigation, making trips to Wasco to pick up vines, and planting them.  We have tied them more times than we can count.  We have nurtured them.  We have tested them.  We dropped the fruit for the first three years.  We have suffered numerous setbacks and challenges.  While we waited for the vines to mature the necessary five years (and while we weren't planting olive trees and lavender and harvesting said crops), we thought this might be the opportune time to work on a label that represents the ranch and the family.  I could see in my mind what the label would look like, and I spent hours on the computer attempting to achieve this, but couldn't seem to get there.  It was at this time, as a gift for my 50th birthday, Brian & Michelle so very generously searched for and found a graphic artist who could consult with us and assist us in making our vision a reality.  Graphic artist, Lindy Groenig, was the one who pulled together our vision and refined and polished this vision.  It took 2.5 years and probably hundreds of emails and countless renditions, but we can say it truly embodies Rancho Azul y Oro. 

There is actually meaning to each element on the label.  The gold frame is from one of the vintage frames from our paintings, the font is an art nouveau font from that same time period, the sunlit view is a stylized view from our hill at sunset, the oak is the large live oak that we see coming up the driveway (but I moved it to the top of the hill), and the poppies adorn our hills every spring.  Of course, blue (azul) and (y) gold (oro) are the state colors and the colors of the UC schools, which two generations of the family have now attended.   

We were recently notified that our label has received two gold medals (Landscape and Representation) and the Best of Show Award from the California State Fair.  As if this was not enough, our vinegar label won a silver medal.  We were completely surprised and extremely honored that the label was considered for an award, let alone these. 

Since the youngest ranchers in the family will be visiting with us the week of the California State Fair, we have decided to take a road trip with them, head to Sacramento, enjoy the State Fair for a few days, and actually take a breather before harvest to attend the awards ceremony and savor this success, because we know that the greatest challenge lies ahead, growing the best grapes and olives in the world and making the best wine and olive oil we can possibly produce.  One can only hope that, one day, we'll be headed to Sacramento and it will be because of our wine and olive oil, but until then, the Rancho is celebrating.

Cheers!

The Ranch Manager