Rancho Azul y Oro ~ Surviving the Dream

After a very hot, smokey month of August, our Petite Sirah decided it had it with this growing year and wanted to be wine more, so wine grape harvest began here on Wednesday, August 31st.  This harvest went much like August did, it was hot, it was long, and the two member crew both got stung by bees (at least it wasn't rattlesnakes), but we hope that one day, when we are sitting with a glass of the 2016 Petite Sirah, all we remember are these beautiful images: Rancho Azul y Oro's 2016 Petite Sirah Picking bin after picking bin after picking bin The last bin of the day Beautiful fruit -- our 2016 Petite Sirah The 2016 Petite Sirah, crushed and destemmed

What a month.  That's all one can say about the month from July 23rd to August 23rd.  Monterey County's problems started with the Soberanes Fire, which started back on July 23rd.  Due to prevailing winds, the smoke from Soberanes infiltrated our canyon and permeated every aspect of what we do.  While it is unlikely this fire would ever reach the rancho, its smoke certainly has.  It is now 83,000 acres, there are 2,421 fire personnel battling this fire, and it is 60% contained.  The expected containment date is September 30. Some time during the first week of August, with temperatures nearing 115 in our area, the Mineral Fire started, which was approximately 20 miles due north of us.  This fire did have the potential to reach us.  There was no big fire break between the rancho and the Mineral Fire, such as the 101, and our winds generally blow from north to south, so we were definitely on edge.  Thanks to the work of the amazing firefig...

Since July 23rd, life in Monterey County -- whether north or south -- has been dominated by the Soberanes Fire in North County.  For those in the northern part of the county who are having to evacuate, live in shelters, and who have lost their homes, there is little one can offer to console them and assure them that life will resume normalcy again some day.  For those of us in the southern part of the county, our lives have been dominated by smoke.   Due to an abnormal weather pattern, winds have been pushing the fire southward and the smoke has been funneling down the canyons toward this area, making it difficult to be outside for any period of time.  Eyes burn.  Breathing is hard.  Concern is mounting that smoke taint will ruin wine grape crops.  We are not certain if the olives will be affected. However, it is difficult to complain when we are reminded that this fire could just as easily have been down here.  There are 5,200 firefighter...

The figurative dust is settling from what has been just an incredible awards season for Azul y Oro -- 13 awards for the olive oil and three awards for the wine.  One should be pleased with results such as those.  We are.  We are also grateful for the bountiful harvest, our crews, the mill, and our family and friends who not only helped on harvest day, but help by being our biggest fans and spreading the word about our product.   We have been asked by numerous other producers how we accomplished this.   An awards season such as we have had also causes introspection and a look at the eight-page goal list that was compiled in January.   What was learned from that review?   First, that half of those goals have been accomplished, so what then?  Stop and enjoy the summer?  No, we added more goals.  W e looked at what did and didn't work and assessed how we can do things better.  Aren't we satisfied with this year's results?  Yes ...

Below is a quote from July of 2013 describing our experience with growing grapes and making wine: "Of all of our crops, the grapes are the most work intensive and, if ignored for one moment, can turn on you like a mean girl at camp.  At every step of the wine making process, there is opportunity to fail -- from a miscalculation at harvest or a blown bung during spring to a leaking barrel to bad corks to exploding wine bottles -- the list is endless.  For whatever reason, though, the wine grapes are much like the child in any family that is difficult, fussy and throws tantrums; it seems Mother always loved them the most.  Making the wine (and drinking it) is a passion, a love which cannot be explained, and we are passionate about making extraordinary wine -- although it hasn't happened yet -- and nothing beats those moments when it all comes together and we get it right.  We are inching ever closer." That was three years ago. ...

Last week, it seemed that we could barely contain all the happy, good news coming in to the Rancho, but Mother Nature has never been a lady who likes to take the back seat, so we were given a rather cruel reminder yesterday who is really in charge, and it is not the one writing this blog. With all olive trees in full blossom, warnings as to a storm began to trickle in at the beginning of the week.  We took notice, since April has not smiled down kindly upon us in the past.  All weather casts said there would be rain, but in the Bay area, they said wouldn't get this far south.  The predicted winds were checked, all below advisory level. Shouldn't worry, right? Needless to say, the weather people were again wrong again as winds over 50 mph ripped through the olive trees in full blossom and then rain pummeled our hill, just in case there were any blossoms left.  We could only stand and watch.  It was April of 2014 all over again.   There isn't anything...

It's been a busy spring at the rancho.  After the dust of harvest clears and the workers leave, the behind-the-scenes people (yours truly) get busy on getting the olive oil certified, and if that occurs, after the oil has settled a bit, the time comes to bottle, label, prep for the olive competitions and hit the ground running.  There have been improvements along the way.  Our labels have been updated and polished a bit and more standardized.  We have learned to use the new label machine -- although, if one were telling the truth, one would say it is not as user-friendly as we had hoped.  We have an updated, hopefully more user-friendly, website.  We were also thrilled to announce that, in March, our products were actually on store shelves at the Cheese Store in Silverlake, CA, just outside Hollywood.  We had a great day meeting the people who work there and their incredibly enthusiastic customers. We continue to develop new products and use our...