Rangeland March 2019 News

Rangeland Field Day, Saturday, April 27, 12pm  to 3pm--Tickets on Sale Now!

Experience Paso Robles springtime in our pasture. The tasting room will be closed on April 27 and we will be enjoying the afternoon in the adjacent field at 6996 Peachy Canyon Rd. Your Rangeland Field Day ticket covers wine tasting, including the newly bottled Flora Rose', as well as a BBQ lunch featuring our beef and lamb, local sausage and other treats. There will live music and livestock displays, including cows, calves, sheep, lambs and horses. You'll get a chance to hike or take a hayride to the top of the property, which has stirring views of the surrounding countryside. Your spring wine or lamb club shipment will be available for pick up that day as well. Attendance is limited. $50 per person, and club discounts apply. For this event, no dogs allowed. Purchase tickets here.

Spring Wine Club Details

Our spring Wine Club selection is full of new releases and will be ready for pickup starting April 26 and will ship the week of April 29. Here are the wines we are planning to include:

• 2018 Flora Rosé - new release! (or 2014 Limestone Reserve Cabernet for reds only members)
• 2016 Syrah/Mourvedre - new!
• 2016 Ultramafic (100% Merlot) - new!
• 2016 Zinfandel - new!
• 2015 Cabernet Sauvingnon- new!
• 2014 Watershed

Intro Club (4 Bottle) Selection:

• 2018 Flora Rosé - new release! (or 2014 Limestone Reserve Cabernet for reds only members)
• 2016 Syrah/Mourvedre - new!
• 2016 Ultramafic (100% Merlot) - new!
• 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon - new!

Please update your credit card and shipping information, if necessary, at www.RangelandWines.com. You can use your email address to retrieve your password to login. Also please let us know by email if you'd like to customize your spring shipment. All the available wines are listed here.

Spring Lamb on the Way

We're readying the spring Lamb Club for shipping in April, in time for Easter. Lamb Club members should be on the lookout for an email about their shipment in the next few weeks. Wine club members can also order the 20 pound box, which sells for $300 before your club discount. The Lamb Share box includes a rack of ribs, loin chops, 2 small leg roasts, shoulder chops, riblets, stew meat and/or shanks, and 1 or 2 pounds of ground lamb. We'll also have 10 lb. boxes of ground lamb available again. Order lamb here. 

Private Winemaker Tastings

Private tastings are available by appointment with our winemaker Paul Hinschberger. He will guide you through a selection of wines (current, library, or not-yet-released), sharing his knowledge about grape varieties, vintages, source location and the wine making process.  We hope you'll come away with a new appreciation of winemaking styles and the unique properties of our vineyard and Paso's westside. By appointment only, the price is $50/person before club discounts, and each pair of guests leaves with a bottle of wine. Minimum party of 4, and allow at least 1 hour for the tasting. Request a tasting by filling out our appointment form. 

Boom Boom Superbloom

Like all of California, we've had abundant rainfall this winter, already totalling 40 inches, or about 120% of average for our ranch. The rain was generally steady, without damaging gully-washers. We did, however, have some booming thunderstorms and microbursts--intense downdrafts from towering cumulus clouds. These stormlets featured screaming surface winds and hail that rattled windows ferociously and took out many trees. So the chain saws have been busy keeping roads clear and fences whole.

Bud break (emergence of green leaves) in both the grapes and oaks has been deferred versus recent years by the cool, wet weather. Kind of feels like old times, as the metronome of climate change ticks cooler under the influence of a mild El Nino. This wet winter sets the stage for a colorful spring wildflower bloom. It also foretells an abundant year of livestock forage and likely a good wine grape crop--assuming we have good weather at bloom time (May) which allows the grapes to "set" properly. We'll keep you posted as the vintage develops. 

Mar 23, 2019 at 8:38 AM Permalink

Rangeland January 2019 News and Specials

Contents: Winemaker Tastings, New Wine Clubs, Wine Specials, Beef Specials, Events

Landed on Vineyard Dr.

Our new tasting room opened January 3 at 6996 Peachy Canyon Road (at the corner of Vineyard Drive) and we have been busy! We so appreciate club members, friends and neighbors stopping in to check out the new digs. We're also meeting new guests who've come in to enjoy our scenic 50 acre farm. It is very pleasing for us to watch our visitors fall into the "country trance" as they gaze out over the pond, pastures, historic barn, orchard and heritage oaks. It reminds us of the "ranch fugue state" experienced by visitors to our home. We like to think we are offering the peace and pleasure of being connected to the natural world. That's a hard thing to find in our modern, tech-driven existence. You are welcome to bring a picnic or snacks to the tasting room. You can dine outside on the patio or by the pond, or inside by our fireplace. We look forward to seeing you! Hours are Thursday - Monday, 11am - 5 pm. 

Introducing: Private Winemaker Tastings

We're excited to announce private tastings with our winemaker Paul Hinschberger. He will guide you through a selection of wines (current, library, or not-yet-released), sharing his knowledge about grape varieties, vintages, source location and the wine making process.  We hope you'll come away with a new appreciation of winemaking styles and the unique properties of our vineyard and Paso's westside. By appointment only, the price is $50/person before club discounts, and each pair of guests leaves with a bottle of wine. Minimum party of 4, and allow at least 1 hour for the tasting. Request a tasting by filling out our appointment form. 

New Wine Clubs

We're introducing two new club formats to encourage loyal customers. If you or anybody you know is on the fence, now's the time to jump off and join!

• Rangeland Intro Club--15% Discount
  Our first ever 4-bottle club, the Intro Club ships 4 bottles twice a year, in fall and spring. Club boxes run approximately $125 before tax and shipping. Intro Club members receive 15% off all wine, merchandise, and beef/lamb; complimentary tastings for 2.  Sign up here.

• Case Club--Now 25% Off
  We're increasing the Case Club discount to 25%. If you're already in the Case Club, you'll notice that deeper discount when you purchase your next bottles. And if you've been in the 6-bottle Estate Club, consider upgrading to enjoy more wine at better prices. As always, the discount applies to all Rangeland products (meats, events, merchandise like cool hats and corkscrews), and allows free tastings for up to six people, any time you visit us. Sign up here.

 Limestone Reserve Wine Special

We treated all of our January visitors to a taste of our 2014 Limestone Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine we ordinarily reserve for club shipments. It's been pouring very nicely: fruit foward but with that elegant, mineral edge and supple mouthfeel. We're offering a 2 bottle special of 2013 and 2014 Limestone Reserve Cab for just $80--before club discounts. Place your order here.

Grass-fed Beef Specials: Price Increase Coming

We have some beef club boxes remaining from our 2018 harvest, frozen fresh in vacuum packaging. Our 2019 beef club box will increase to $300 before club discount in June, so take advantage of the current pricing and stock your freezer now:

• Beef Club boxes (25 lbs. including steaks, roasts, ground and more) $250 before club discount. Order here
• Two for $200 each ($400 total), before club discounts. Killer price. Order here. 
• Ground Beef boxes: 
  • 10 lbs. for $90 before club discount. Order here
  • 20 lbs. for $160 before club discount. Order here. 

Upcoming Events

Vintage Paso Zinfandel Weekend, March 15-17, 11am to 5 pm
Taste traditional Paso varieties like Zinfandel and Petite Sirah, as well as other Rangeland selections. We'll feature a Zin vertical special for purchase. We'll be grilling our grass-fed beef sliders on Saturday only, for purchase, from 12-4. You're welcome to picnic on the grounds.

Rangeland Field Day, Saturday, April 27, 12pm to 3pm--Save the Date!
The tasting room will be closed, as we will all be enjoying the afternoon in the pasture of our new tasting room property. Field Day includes a BBQ lunch (featuring our beef and lamb), live music, live animals (cows and calves, ewes and lambs, maybe our horses!) You'll get a chance to hike or ride to the top of the property, which has stirring views of the surrounding countryside. Your spring club shipment will be available for pick up that day as well. Save the date; more info to come!

Paso Robles Wine Festival, May 16-19, 11am to 5pm
Special wine tastings including our new 2018 Flora Rosé. We'll be grilling our grass-fed beef sliders on Saturday only, for purchase, from 12pm to 4pm. You're welcome to picnic on the grounds.

Jan 30, 2019 at 6:02 PM Permalink

Rangeland Wines is on the move, again!

Holiday Reminder

There is just a little time left for holiday orders. West coast wine orders received by Wednesday, December 19 will likely reach the recipient by Christmas. Our holiday specials are still available:

• $1 shipping on all December orders. Use coupon code $1ship on RangelandWines.com or send us the order info by reply email.
• Mistletoe Special, 2 bottles for $50 before club discounts. We sold out of the 2015 Mistletoe but we are extending the offer with the dark, luscious and fruity 2016 Mistletoe, a blend of Cab, Syrah and Petite Sirah. Order now! 
• Bordeaux Special. $110 for three bottles. One each of the 2014 Limestone Reserve Cabernet, 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2014 Watershed. Order now!
   

Follow the Bouncing Rangeland Ball to...Vineyard Drive!

Starting January 3, 2019, we are opening a new tasting room on Vineyard Drive, at the corner of Peachy Canyon. The new Rangeland Wines tasting room address is 6996 Peachy Canyon Road in Paso Robles. Our expanded tasting room hours will be Thursday to Monday, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. We are closing our Templeton tasting room permanently on December 30 at 3:00 pm, our last day there.

After years of limited public access to Rangeland Wines at the ranch and more recently at our small tasting room in Templeton, we are pleased to own an already permitted tasting room and small winery on the "main drag" of Paso Robles westside wine country. This property has grand heritage oaks, an old barn and walnut orchard. So after years of seeking, we will finally be making and selling our wine in one scenic, accessible location, just a couple of miles from our Adelaida Springs Ranch. We are excited about this new chapter. It is the capstone to a long quest. It's also a big commitment for Lisa and me, but we are striving to make our ranch and winery financially as well as environmentally sustainable, so we can conserve its natural beauty permanently. When you support Rangeland wines and meats, you get authentic local, natural quality and you are helping conserve a 1,500 acre swath of pristine California oak woodland, with all the thriving wildlife and natural beauty largely intact. We so appreciate and need your help!

We will be sharing the new tasting room with another small winery. More on that when they are ready to occupy after the New Year. We also hope to offer ranch tours and food from our new location, but it will take some time to pull those offerings together. Watch our newsletters for updates. 

Warm thanks to Melanie Blankenship and Teresa Rojo-Branch and the rest of the crew at Nature's Touch in Templeton. They have been our landlord and food preparation partners for the last 14 months. It was great to be in the heart of the small Templeton community. We enjoyed sharing our grass-fed meats and estate wines with our customers there. We'll miss our "regulars." We encourage our customers to continue to patronize Nature's Touch for their good natural food and organic produce--including grass-fed beef sliders and nachos!

Dec 17, 2018 at 5:46 PM Permalink

Lamb Club is ready!

Hello Lamb Club Members,

We finally got our lambs harvested and boxed just this last week and we are ready to bill and ship your 20 lb. lamb share ($200). We plan to process your orders this Friday. Pickup orders will be available starting Monday, December 3 and we will also be shiping next week. 

• Please let us know right away by reply email if you want to skip this shipment or cancel your lamb club membership.
• If you have changes to your credit card or address, please update your information at www.RangelandWines.com.  Use your email address to retrieve your password. Or you can reply email me or call (805-674-9232) with the information.
• If you would prefer to ship on a different date (other than next week), or switch from pick-up to ship, or vice versa, please also let us know by reply email.

We really value your support of our efforts here on the ranch. The sheep play an important role in our management of vineyard vegetation and the ranch in general. Aside from being beautiful and lively animals, they are good mowers and they condition the soil with their hooves and manure. In fire-torn California, we think our woodlands and pastures are well prepared (grazed!) for the worst, thanks to our active and thoughtfully managed livestock. They also provide vividly flavorful and nutrient rich meat, so we are fortunate to have them to offer to you. 

Nov 28, 2018 at 3:36 PM Permalink

Specials and Events, September 2018

Mixed Case Special Through September

We've had a number of inquiries about whether our mixed case special is still on and yes it is, until Setember 30! You get 10% off (in addition to your club discount), for any 12 bottle case of wine--your selection. And we'll ship it to you for just $1. For example, if you are an Estate Wine Club member and you purchase a case, you get 30% off and save $34 on the shipping too. To order cases, please email me, because we have to manually enter the discount to achieve this special price. This deal cannot be combined with other specials. For a full list of our current and library wines, go to www.Rangelandwines.com/wines.

Rosé Special Still Available

We made a little more Rosé this year so, unlike last year at this time, it is still available and our special ($100 for six bottles, before club discount) is also available through month end. Don't forget that our Rosé pairs beautifully with holiday turkey and makes a great, affordable gift. Order here. 

Harvest Wine Weekend Brunches: Vertical Tastings 

Join us for a sit-down, small plates brunch, tent-casual, on Harvest Wine Weekend, Saturday October 20 or Sunday the 21st, 10am to noon.  Winemaker Paul Hinschberger will guide you through a vertical tasting of Rangeland Wines, including a barrel sample. Each tasting will include at least five wines and be casually paired (let's not overthink this!) with farm fresh foods, including grass-fed meat, local charcuterie, eggs, chesse and, of course, something fresh baked and sweet from the oven. Limited seating, so reserve your space early. $50 per person. Club discounts apply. 

• Cabernet Sauvignon and more: Saturday, October 20, 10:00am to noon
  Purchase tickets here or email your reservation
• Rhone blends (GSM, Syrah Mouvedre): Sunday, October 21, 10:00am to noon
  Purchase tickets here or email your reservation

Harvest Wine Weekend Tasting Room Hours

We will of course be open for tasting and serving sliders and nachos ($10 per plate) for Harvest wine weekend:

• Thursday, October 18: 11am-6pm, food from 3-6pm
• Friday, October 19, 11am-5pm, food from 11am-4pm
• Saturday, October 20, 11am-5pm, food from 11am-4pm
• Sunday October 21, 11 to 3pm, no food service

Pickup Party Sunday, November 11

Our pickup has been rescheduled to Sunday, November 11, 12 noon to 2:00 pm. Free to all club members, we will feature estate meats and wine, as usual. More details about this party and fall wine club and lamb club shipments will follow in our next newsletter. 

Harvest Ho!

After a cool spring and some brutal heat this summer, the weather has leveled out nicely. The vines are looking good for harvest with a generous, healthy leaf canopy and normal crop level--all turning dark right on schedule. That means at least 160,000 pounds (80+ tons from our 40 acres) of grapes are waiting to be picked by hand. A vineyard is really a miracle of fecundity. Our 2018 Sauvignon Blanc is already in the tank and fermenting. Our little team picked some fruit for the new Rosé just this morning. See photos. Wish us luck and anticipate the results with relish. We are getting better at this every year and it really shows in Paul's beautiful wines. 

Sep 12, 2018 at 8:10 AM Permalink

August 2018 News and Specials

Mixed Case Special: 10% Off + $1 Shipping

If you are low on your favorite Rangeland Wines, now is a good time to restock. We are offering 10% off (in addition to your club discount), for any 12 bottle case of wine--your selection. And we'll ship it to you for just $1. For example, if you are an Estate Wine Club member and you purchase a case, you get 30% off and save $34 on the shipping too. To order cases, please email me, because we have to manually enter the discount to achieve this special price. This deal cannot be combined with other specials. This deal is valid until September 30, 2018. For a full list of our current and library wines, go to www.Rangelandwines.com/wines.

Chilled Wines for HOT Weather

Record heat recently has us reaching for a chilled glass of our beautiful 2017 Flora Rosé or our newly released 2017 Sauvignon Blanc. We still have a special on the Rosé (6 bottles for $100) but our stock is down to the last pallet, so order now. 

The 2017 Sauvignon Blanc ($30), our first ever, has become an instant favorite. This crisp white combines floral aromas and subtle, exotic fruit flavors in a refreshingly delicate package--just 12.9% alcohol. Put a few bottles in your mixed case or order separately. 

Beef Boxes in Stock

We have some additional beef club boxes this year, available to all. If you are going paleo or just love flaveo, you gotta have this nutient dense superfood. Beef, wine or lamb club discounts apply to this purchase: that's $200 for club members, $250 for non-club members. The 25-pound box contains 6 pounds of steaks, 6 pounds of roasts, 8 pounds of ground, and 5 pounds of extras (think stew, kabobs, shanks or shortribs). We even toss in a soup bone or marrow bone package after reaching the 25 pounds. It only takes up about 1 cubic foot in your freezer. To order a beef box, click here.

Rangeland Barrels for Sale

Be the only one on your block to own a fine, French oak wine barrel. We have some used wine barrels for sale, $50 each with a Rangeland logo branded on the head, $40 without. They must be picked-up at our Templeton tasting room. Update: we sold all of our barrels. 

Doggy Dayz of Summer: About That Heat

After a cool spring, record heat descended on Paso Robles and much of California in July.  It has been over 100 degrees in Paso Robles for the last two weeks, with peak heat of as much as 110. Despite the heat stress, the vines and livestock seem to be holding up pretty well. We branded our calves without (much) harm to man or beast. Our grapes are showing some color, so harvest will likely kick off around Labor Day, as usual. Our people are also proving adaptable: starting extra early, wearing hats and staying hydrated on that good Adelaida Springs water. They drink the occasional beer, invoking that old saying, "It takes a lot of beer to make good wine." We installed air conditioning in the tasting room and added misters and more shade on the patio. The ranch dogs are taking frequent baths in the water troughs, the lake and even the swimming pool. While we are by no means exempt from the threat of wildfire, we use the grazing sheep and cattle to minimize the property risk and reduce the potential intensity of a wildland fire. We are doing our part to farm sustainably and store some carbon in healthy soil instead of the atmosphere. Let's hope we can all make progress on this climate change thing. It's important not to confuse mere weather with the broad trends in the climate, but I think we are standing before a sign, etched in fire on a global scale. It says: WARNING! 

Aug 28, 2018 at 9:24 AM Permalink

Rangeland Wines June 2018 News and Specials

Beef Club is Coming!

We gathered our cattle recently and, after some good March rainfall and a late spring, the herd is looking fat and healthy. Our annual beef harvest is now underway, the meat is aging on the rail and we should have our club boxes assembled and ready for pick up July 2 at J&R Meats in Paso Robles, Monday to Saturday, 8 to 5. If you would like to pick-up beef at our Templeton tasting room, please make an appointment with at least two days advance notice, so we can have the meat there for you. If you are a shipping customer, we plan to start shipping the week of July 9. You will receive an email about your actual ship date the first week in July. If your shipping information has changed or your credit card needs an update, please login to RangelandWines.com and update your info. If you are not a Beef Club member but would like to place an order you can do that here or send me an email.

Flora Rosé Sale

Our pale, dry 2017 Flora Rosé is the perfect crisp summer companion, and we have an excellent deal on it right now. You can buy six bottles for $100 (retails for $24 per bottle). That's a killer savings of $44 before your club discount. Order two for a full case or as many as you like. It will likely sell out this summer, so get your order in now. If you are able to save wine (or forget where you stored it), we have found that our Rosé is a great accompaniment to Thanksgiving dinner or nice plate of fish this winter. This year's blend is 40% Grenache, 40% Merlot, and 20% Mourvedre. Order here. 

Summer Tailgate Wednesdays with a Featured Wine Every Week 

If you are fortunate enough to live on the Central Coast, you may already know about the Wednesday concerts in the park in Templeton during the summer. They started June 6 and carry on every Wednesday through August 22, except July 4. Our tasting room will be open every Wednesday from 4:30 to 6:30pm, so you can pick up some wine and sliders or nachos for your picnic in the park. Or you may just want to hang out on our garden patio. We'll be featuring a different wine each week, specially priced. If you're planning a visit to the area, consider arriving on Wednesday to take part in these relaxing summer evenings. We hope to see you there!

Summer Tasting Room Hours

Now through August 22, our summer tasting room hours will be:

• Wednesdays, 4:30 - 6:30 pm, grass-fed beef sliders and nachos available for sale
• Thurs - Sat, 11 - 5,
  • Grass-fed beef sliders and nachos available Friday and Saturday, 12-4
• Sundays, 11-3, kitchen closed, but grab and go case and grocery store open

Spring: Flingin' and Flailin'

There is always something to do on the ranch but spring is a an especially busy as well as beautiful time. The beauty peaks around June 1, when the vineyard is in bloom and  the subtle but heady scent of the grape flowers mingles with the heat and is really intoxicating. There is not too much time to smell the flowers however, as our little team is engaged in a swirling mix of tasks that keep them constantly moving.

Vineyard manager Patrick has managed the labor crews through 40 acres of shoot thinning, and has spent countless hours mowing and tilling on the tractor.

Winemaker Paul has been running the irrigation sets and sussing out the early season, when he's not tending or selling the wine. Paul also supervised the May bottling of our exciting 2016 vintage with our fantastic volunteer crew--they will do anything for free wine and a lunch! 

Ranch Manager Dane has gathered the cattle and sorted the fatties for harvest. We also moved 40 yearlings to a leased pasture on Vineyard Drive. Not to mention the sheep and guardian doggies, which require steady movement and husbandry. 

On the commerce side of things, where you get to enjoy what we do as customers, there are wine club orders, pickup parties, festivals and holidays to fill the calendar. Tasting Room manager Hayli Macomber, our newest team member, handles all that with energy and aplomb. 

The manager title around here is obviously honorary, since these four talented young people are working hands-on most of the time. People often ask Lisa and I what our favorite part of the job is. The answer is always the same: variety. We try to roll with busy seasons and keep it all moving forward. Sometimes it's a bit much but we try to keep a sense of humor. We are so gratified to be living with nature and providing you with fine wine and food. Your support is really appreciated here. 

Jun 14, 2018 at 10:30 AM Permalink

Rangeland March 2018 News

Vintage Paso Zinfandel Weekend, March 16 - 18

Join us for Vintage Paso--we still call it Zin Fest--at our Tasting Room in charming and historic downtown Templeton (225 S. Main Street). We'll be pouring a vertical selection of Zinfandels: 2014, 2015, and 2016 (a sneak peak at this new bottling). Of course we'll be pouring a few other reds and winemaker Paul Hinschberger's impressively balanced Chardonnay. We're serving grass-fed beef sliders, nachos and deli platters on Friday and Saturday, 11am to 3pm. Our hours for the festival weekend are:

Friday and Saturday: 11am - 5pm, Grass-fed Beef Sliders and Nachos served 11am to 3pm
Sunday, 11am - 3pm, no food served (but grab and go snacks available)

Zin Special--2 Bottle Vertical for $50, Free Shipping for a Case

To celebrate Zin Fest, we're offering a 2-bottle Zinfandel vertical (2014 and 2015) for just $50--that's before your club discount.  If you make it a case (6 specials = 12 bottles for $300, before club discount), shipping is free! It should be fun to compare these two vintages. The 2014 vintage is complex and refreshing, with interesting earthy notes--a Zin for Pinot lovers? The 2015 Zin is wonderfully fruity, with a rare lightness and balance for Paso Robles. Order online here.

Spring Lamb on the Way

We're readying the spring Lamb Club for shipping later this month, in time for Easter. So Lamb Club members should be on the lookout for an email about their shipment. Wine club members can also order the 20 pound box, which sells for $200--20% off. The Lamb Share includes a rack of ribs, loin chops, 2 small leg roasts, shoulder chops, riblets, stew meat and/or shanks, and 1 or 2 pounds of ground lamb. We'll also have 10 lb. boxes of ground lamb available again. Order lamb here. 

Spring Wine Club to Ship in May

Our spring Wine Club selection will be ready for pickup starting May 3 and will ship May 9. Here are the wines we are planning to include:

• 2017 Flora Rose' (substitute 2015 Mistletoe for "reds only") 
• 2015 Zinfandel
• 2015 Syrah Mourvedre
• 2014 Cabernet
• 2013 Watershed 
• 2013 Limestone Reserve Cabernet 

Please update your credit card and shipping information, if necessary, at www.RangelandWines.com. You can use your email address to retrieve your password to login. Also please let us know by email if you'd like to customize your spring shipment. All the available wines are listed here.

Wine Club Pick up Party Sunday May 6, 12pm-2pm

All club members (Wine, Beef and Lamb) are welcome to our spring pick-up party! You can taste the wine club line-up, pick up your wine, and enjoy some delicious grass-fed beef tacos, assorted salads and desserts in our garden setting at the Tasting Room. Ground lamb and beef boxes will be available for sale. This event is complimentary to club members and a guest. Space is limited, so reserve your spot now by clicking here.

Rangeland's New Tasting Room Associate

We're pleased to introduce our new tasting room associate, Hayli Macomber. A Templeton native, Hayli recently returned to the Central Coast after several years in New York. We feel very lucky to have her. Please stop in and welcome her to the Rangeland family!

Bottle Beasts, Busy Boys, Crazy Ladies and Horny Pets

It's been a crappy winter on the Ranch, rain-wise, so our pastures are struggling to stay green. March, however, has come in like a lion and shows some promise of rescuing us with rain last week and more in the forecast. 

Nevertheless, we are staying busy in good weather and bad. Winemaker Paul Hinschberger and a crew of volunteers bottled 800 cases of wines in February, including some 2016 reds, the 2017 Rosé and our first ever Savignon Blanc. The volunteers included the "Bottle Beast" Jeremy Thompson, a local club member who has lifted literally every Rangeland bottle onto the line for the last five years. His diligence and strength have been rewarded with Rangeland Wines, of course. 

Vineyard Manager Patrick Hamilton guided a small army of contract laborers through 40 acres of pruning last month and the sheep are happily grazing the vineyard cover crop he planted last fall. Now, If only Patrick could keep his midget dog Rebel from trying to copulate with our Great Pyrenees teenager Daphne. At one point Rebel drove her, (or did she lead him?) on a wild escapade miles off the ranch, which ended with them both in the San Luis Obispo county humane society penitentiary for deliquent horny pets. 

My adorable, hardworking but wacky wife Lisa often feels like singing "It's the most wonderful time of the year" in March, when there are baby lambs and calves being born every day on the ranch. But all this livestock and the drought conditions make work very lively for Ranch Manager Dane Jensen. He has to move the animals and feed them hay much more frequently in a drought. Dane still manages to look like Clint Eastwood, even as a couple of hundred sheep scatter wildly through my household landscaping and a geyser of water rises from the irrigation pipe they just  broke off. Just another day at Adelaida Springs, aka Calamity Ranch. 

Mar 22, 2018 at 8:47 AM Permalink

Slider Saturdays and Specials!

Slider Saturdays in Templeton

We're happy to announce grass-fed beef Slider Saturdays at our Templeton tasting room, beginning January 13 from 12 noon to 3pm. Start your Martin Luther King weekend off with a tasting of our wines, accompanied by grilled sliders (3 for $10). We are partnering with our neighbor Nature's Touch to make food available in the tasting room. They will be cooking delicious grass-fed ground beef sliders from our Adelaida Springs Ranch, served open-faced on a sliced sourdough baguette topped with artisan aioli, local greens and a Kosher pickle. Local cheese platters, organic side salads, and chili will also be available for purchase from Nature's Touch. Join us on the patio in sunny weather, or sit at the bar and enjoy our tasty, nutritious little burgers. 

The Rangeland tasting room is open Thursday through Saturday, 11-5 at 225 S. Main St, Templeton. We are serving sliders on Saturdays only for now (12 to 3pm), but the other grab and go food items should be available every day at Nature's Touch. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Wine Specials: including our friend "Pete Sirah" 

Dark and smoothly tannic, but balanced enough to invite to dinner, Rangeland Petite Sirah is one of our most popular wines. Can't remember the last time we offered a deal on this wine, but here it is:

• 3 bottles 2014 Petite Sirah for $120, more than 10% off before your wine or meat club discount); order here.
• Case (12 bottles) of 2014 Petite Sirah, 20% off or $36 per bottle, before club discount; order here.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the heart of what we do here at Rangeland, comprising 20 of our 40 planted vineyard acres. We've had some "wow" moments lately featuring our Cabernet and Watershed with holiday meals or sipping in front of the winter fire. Our Bordeaux special includes the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, which is a nicely fruit forward but still balanced rendition. This 3 bottle selection also includes the 2013 Watershed (Cab, Cab Franc, Merlot and Petite Verdot) and 2013 Limestone Reserve Cabernet, for $110--that's a savings of $20 before your club discount! Order here.

A Fresh Start on Winter

After a record dry December that reduced our pastures to a crusty gray,  January has started in a much more promising and seasonally wet vein. Three inches of rain in the last week has soaked the ground with almost no runoff due to the sere, absorbant conditions.  While the vineyard sleeps. leafless for the winter, we have some new baby lambs kicking and many cows looking very heavy in calf. Let the storm door swing wide open and keep this winter rolling, so all these plants, animals and caretakers can thrive in the coming year. 

Jan 9, 2018 at 4:14 PM Permalink

Rangeland Wines December 2017 News & Specials

Is Winter Coming?

Despite some frost in the canyons this morning, we've had a mild fall with just a few spritzes of rain. We are grateful that green grass has started in most places on the Ranch but we're worried about the relatively dry, unseasonably warm weather. At Woodstock back in '69, young people in a drug-addled frenzy chanted for "No Rain." Here, now, in the Adelaida hills, we old farts, somewhat wine-addled, are definitely chanting for MORE RAIN! We'd even take snow at this point, like we received in February of 2006. 

Holiday Gift Specials

Whether you are appreciating your loved ones or treating yourself this holiday season, think about our vivid Rangeland Wines, the goodness of our grass-fed meats and the pristine slice of old California that we are conserving here at Adelaida Springs Ranch. For delivery by Christmas, place out of state orders by December 15. California, Nevada and Arizona are served by Golden State Overnight, so we should be able to fulfill Christmas wine orders to these states up until December 19.

Mistletoe Specials: Two Bottles for $50 or 20% off by the Case

We are offering a Mistletoe special this month; 2 bottles of 2015 Mistletoe for $50, a $14 savings before your club discount. This 2015 vintage includes Cabernet Sauvignon 46%, Syrah 27% and Tannat 27%. The Tannat seems to give this wine a spicy complexity and tart vivacity that pairs wonderfully with rich foods, which--at this price-- includes your favorite night pizza any night of the week. You can place multiple orders to different addresses to knock out your holiday gift list. Order here.

Order a full case of Mistletoe and get 20%, on top of your club discount. This lowers the price below $20 per bottle for wine or meat club members, so stock up now. 

Bordeaux Special: 3 bottles for $110

We've updated the Bordeaux special to inlude the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, which is a nicely fruit forward but still balanced rendition. The 3 bottle selection also includes the 2013 Watershed (Cab, Cab Franc, Merlot and Petite Verdot) and 2013 Limestone Reserve Cabernet, for $110--that's a savings of $20 before your club discount! Order here.

Free Shipping for December Beef Orders 

For California, Nevada and Arizona shipping addresses we have begun to use Golden State Overnight for meat shipping. We have 25 pound Beef Intro boxes of mixed cuts, as well as 10 and 20 pound boxes of ground beef. Order now and shipping is free. We are out of lamb while we wait for our 2017 lambs to fatten for the spring. 

Tasting Room Now Open

Our tasting room is now open at 225 South Main in Templeton, Thursday through Saturday, 11 to 5. You can pickup wine there during business hours or just drop in for a tasting, complimentary to club members and their guests. You can also pickup our meats there by appointment or arrange an off-hours tasting.

Dec 2, 2017 at 8:24 AM Permalink