Join us on a ranch walk through the seasons

Winter is a profound time to reflect and find beauty in the stillness of the ranch. Each day brings new insights, and as I immerse myself, I see

more connections between my past and current journey. Transitioning from a career in the building industry to a new venture as a vintner has been a significant transformation, much like the natural cycles of the vineyard.

A pivotal lesson I learned during my thesis critique was if you can’t say something simply, you don’t truly understand it. I strive to carry this forward, distilling the essence of an issue into a few statements, best captured in a simple drawing. My die-hard drawing to communicate the importance of involving building owners and operators early in the planning process was this Building Lifecycle sketch.

Architects may only be involved during the first 5% of a building’s lifecycle, but the decisions made impact the next 50+ years. Building owners and operators are present for 75% of the building’s lifecycle but rarely engage at the outset where design decisions are made that impact the building’s performance, beauty, comfort, and flexibility.

Rest, Renewal & Growth

Now, I find myself likening that to the cycles of vines and wine. Simply put, the established vines go from a period of dormancy to renewal with bud break and new shoots, to fruit set, berry development and veraison, to harvest, and then back to dormancy. Along this cycle, our vineyard team is active, assisting the vines and giving them what they need for their best performance.

We are now well into the dormancy period when the vines lose their leaves and go into senescence after harvest. Vineyard activities include planting cover crop, applying compost, and pruning at the end of senescence. We completed pruning at the ranch during our sunny January. Justin Leigon, our Viticulturist with Piña Vineyard Management says it best: “Pruning is one of my favorite times of year. It’s when we set the stage for the growing season, making decisions that balance the vines. It’s a perfect blend of art and science, showcasing the skill and dedication of our vineyard crews.”

Those pruning the vineyards are deciding the future vine structure, how air and daylight will flow through it, and how much fruit it will produce. The pruner’s decisions, like the architect’s, will impact the performance of that vine for its full lifecycle. 

In the cellar, the wine is also in kind of a dormancy period. It is barrel aging, developing complexity, enhancing flavors and softening tannins before it is bottled and brought to the table.