Rangeland News March 2024

Spring Wine Club: Better Than Ever

Although we are in the twilight phase of our wine production here at Rangeland,  I am impressed with the wines that we've bottled over the last few years. They just keep getting more expressive and refined. This spring's wine club lineup is the finest we have ever offered. Here is the wine club selection: 

• 2021 Limestone Reserve Cabernet*, new release
• 2021 Watershed blend*, new release
• 2021 Reserve Syrah*, new release
• 2021 Zinfandel*, new release
• 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2020 Petit Verdot 

*denotes 4-bottle Intro Club selection

As you may recall from our announcement last year, shipping is now included with your wine club without charge. Continuing a Rangeland tradition, we are offering our Doppel Club incentive. If you are a 6 or 12 bottle club member, you can double your order for an additional 10% off.  For example, a 6-bottle Estate Club member, normally 30% off, would get a full case at 40% off. If you would like to take advantage of this zuper opportunity to bolster your cellar with the good stuff, please email us. 

Some key dates to remember:

• Before March 25: If you'd like to customize your spring shipment, please let us know by email. All the available wines are listed here.
• March 25: We will start billling the wine club.
• April 8: We will begin to ship your wine club. Please update your credit card and shipping information, if necessary, at www.RangelandWines.com. You can use your email address to retrieve your login password. 
• April 8 and after, orders can be picked up at Paso Wine Storage (1605 Commerce Way, Paso Robles) Monday to Friday, 8am to 4:30pm. Please call first: (805) 369-1191.

Adelaida Springs Ranch Aerial View

Mar 16, 2024 at 11:21 AM Permalink

Rangeland News February 2024

Contents: Petite Sirah and Ultramafic Wine Specials, Winter Sights and Hints of Spring

Rugged Pleaser: Petite Sirah 

Petite Sirah has been planted in the fields and hillsides of California for over 130 years. It is a key ingredient in the rustic jug wine of "old" California, as well as the hidden kicker in luxurious dark, modern Cabernets that draw fantastic price premiums. The wonderful thing about our Adelaida Springs Ranch estate vineyard Petite is that it combines the dark textural power of the variety with an energetic acidity imparted by limestone soils. Rangeland 2020 Petite Sirah offers savory aromas of walnut wood and mocha followed by a powerful and brawny palate of plums and wild blackberries. Fresh acidity makes it a good "food wine" too. Pair it with lamb shanks, braised in an au jus gravy, enriched with carmelized onions.  Purchase 6 bottles for just $199, shipping included. That's just $33.16 per bottle, before your club discount. Order here. 

Merlot: a Noble Wine Tortoise

Whether it's the latest in coastal Pinot Noir, an expensive mountain Cab or a north slope organic Grenache from a geeky savant winemaker, the wine world always has a trendy favorite. Meanwhile, Merlot occupies the wine slow lane, producing distinctive, subtle bottlings that achieve nobility when grown on the right spot and handled with care. Our estate 2020 Ultramafic Merlot is another in a long string of complex, drinkable beauties. Its evocative aromas include bay leaves, acai berries, and ancho chile. The palate is round with silky tannins and notes of vanilla, nectarines, and wild raspberries. Pair with a savory dish like mushroom pizza or cured meats. Purchase 6 bottles for just $199, shipping included. That's just $33.16 per bottle, before club discount. Order here. 

Transitions and Reflections 

Spring starts early in most of California. Green carpets the hills in January, below the snowy ridges. Horses and cows lower their heads and nosh the juicy stems with relish. Exotic acacia trees show their copious canopies of yellow blossoms first, in February. Then the almond trees start to bloom, turning orchards into dream fields or punctuating a dormant hillside with pink. Sour grass buttercups pop up in vacant lots and roadsides. I remember tasting those lemony stalks at the edge of the ballfield as a boy. Often we couldn't wait for real spring to arrive, so we'd break out the baseball mitts and practice in the puddly grass, the leather ball soaked slippery and heavy.

But in many years, like this one, wintery weather still overlays the promise of spring. Storm after storm darkens the horizon. Mountain passes are closed and winds whistle around the chimney. The rainfall total here on the ranch is approacing 30 inches. We're ready for spring, but winter won't let us go. 

We spend a lot of our lives in transition. We think expectantly of the next season. We savor the next challenge or the next trip, ready to move on from the present. But sometimes it's best to settle into the now, build a fire and sip on a glass of wine. Give yourself time to reflect a little on the past, on the time and place and effort that brought you these gifts. 

Feb 21, 2024 at 8:49 PM Permalink

Rangeland Holiday Specials

Contents:  Mistletoe and Cab Specials, Ground Beef Special, Holiday Hours

Mistletoe Case Sale

Great for holiday gifts or for your wine fridge.  A 12 bottle case of our 2020 Mistletoe for just $250 or $20.83 per bottle, plus your new sunset club discount (extra 10%) and shipping is included! The 2020 Mistletoe takes a Rhone style tilt. It's an eclectic "Paso" blend of 31% Syrah, 20% Merlot, 17% Mourvedre, 11% Petit Verdot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, with a dash of Malbec, Grenache and Petit Sirah! Mistletoe offers aromas of chaparral and cranberry. The vibrant, juicy palate features notes of caramel, açaí, char-grilled ribeye, roasted chestnuts and a rich, umami finish. Order here. 

Cabernet for Christmas

For the really special people on your Christmas list (including yourself), why not send six bottles of our 95 point 2020 Cabernet for $199? That's just $33.16 per bottle ($45 list price) before your new sunset (extra 10%) club discount, shipping included. Rangeland 2020 Cabernet features black fruit flavors, dense, silky tannins, with a hint of vanilla. This elegant wine earned 95 pts, Double Gold medal, in the Sunset International Wine Competition. Order early to ensure timely delivery here.

Beef Special: Free Shipping 

Do you have hard-to-shop-for, but important people on your holiday gift list? Give the gift of healthy, delicious, nutrient-rich grass-fed beef that will be enjoyed for months. How about a 10 pound box of 100% grass-fed ground beef ($120) or 20 pounds ($220.) Club discounts apply.  Shipping is free for orders placed by December 31. We will ship all meat orders in January, after the holiday package rush, but we can send a gift card for you in December. Place your order here. 

Holiday Hours

• Our tasting Room will be closed on Thanksgiving day and the following day (November 23-24.)
• We will be closed after December 23, which will be our last day of tasting service. 

Nov 22, 2023 at 12:38 PM Permalink

Rangeland Sunset

Dear Customer,

I am writing to let you know that we are closing our tasting room at the end of this year. December 23 will be our last day for wine tasting or pick ups at Rangeland. Our wine club will continue for at least one year. We have some beautiful new wines in the bottle through the 2021 vintage that we'd like our loyal customers to enjoy. All continuing wine club members will receive an additional 10% discount and free shipping on all their orders, effective immediately. Six bottle Estate Club members will now receive a 30% discount. Case Club members will get 35% off, and so on. If you want to cancel your club membership, we understand. 

The inspiration for this decision is simply that Lisa and I want to slow down, work less and enjoy our family and health while we still have the vigor of youth.😊 During 24 years of ranching, home building, child rearing, grape farming, cattle breeding, sheep herding, walnut harvesting, firewood cutting, winemaking, burger slinging, meat packing, party throwing and guest hosting, we have learned so much from scratch. It has been an arduous thrill ride all the way. It was our honor to provide you with food and wine that comes right from our land, the California landscape that feeds and inspires us all. We have been humbled many times by the challenges, but your appreciation has been the most humbling of all. We are so grateful and thankful for your support over the years. We also had the help of great employees, family, working pets and friends. ¡Muchísimas gracias!

There is so much more I could write about this decision and our many experiences. Maybe someday I will do that. For now, however, I'd simply like to thank you for joining us on this journey in the sweet hills of Paso Robles. 

Nov 22, 2023 at 12:34 PM Permalink

Rangeland News October 2023

Contents: Wine Club, Pick Up Party, Ground Beef, Firewood, Late Harvest

Fall Wine Club: Send in the Caberlry!

Since we began as wine grape growers in 2001, Cabernet Sauvignon has been the foundation of our Adelaida Springs Ranch estate vineyard, comprising 20 of our 40 planted acres. We are celebrating noble Cabernet this fall by sending you some of the finest wines we have ever made--dominated by Cabernet varietal fruit. Our fall club selection includes two bottles of our award winning 2020 Cabernet, as well as one each our Limestone Reserve Cab, and a new Sandstone Cabernet. This new bottling from winemaker Alex Kemp highlights the supple mouthfeel and complex, aromatic fruitiness derived from this distinct soil type. Here's our fall wine club lineup (*denotes our 4 bottle Intro Club selection):

• 2020 Cabernet* x 2 (95 pts, double gold in the Sunset International Wine Competition)
• 2020 Limestone Reserve Cabernet*, a new release
• 2020 Sandstone Cabernet*, an entirely new wine 
• 2020 Watershed*, new release of our Bordeaux blend
• 2020 Mistletoe, just in time for the holidays!

As usual, we are making our Doppel Club offer. If you are a 6 or 12 bottle member, you can double your order for an additional 10% discount and $1 shipping. For example, a 6 bottle, 20% off Estate Club member would get a full case of wine at 30% off, or more than $100 in savings. If you'd like to take advantage of this zuper offer to stockpile some wine for the holidays, please email us.

We will begin billing the wine club October 17 and will ship between October 30 and November 6. If you want your wine club earlier, you can pick up at the tasting room beginning October 5. Please let us know by email if you'd like to customize your fall shipment. All available wines are listed here. If you need to update your credit card or shipping information, you can log in to www.rangelandwines.com, and use your email address to retrieve your password.

Pick Up Party Saturday, November 11 

We'll be serving up a great assortment of hearty and authenic local food at our pick up party, including our home-made grass-fed beef chili, lamb sliders, grilled J&R sausages, and Lisa's famous cookies. We'll be pouring the fall wine club lineup so you can taste everything and possibly add more favorites to your order. This party is complimentary for wine and beef club members and their plus one guests. Reserve your tickets now, as space is limited. November 11, 12 to 3pm. 

Free Shipping for Ground Beef This Fall

We have plenty of our juicy and savory ground beef available for sale: 10 lbs. for $120, and 20 lbs. for $220 (before your club discount). Shipping is included. The beef is conveniently packaged in 1 pound packs, and ships frozen and on ice. This offer is good until the end of the year, while supplies last. Orders received after  November 27 will be shipped in January. This would make an excellent holiday gift for the meat lover in your life! Order here.

Firewood Time!

Thanks to that epic winter of 2023, we lost a few more trees and have plenty of oak wood split and ready for you to enjoy this winter. Our half cord pallets are $250 before your club discount. If you're interested, please email us to make arrangements for pickup at the winery.

Harvest Update

Last year, due to a historic heat wave, we were finished picking by September 15.  Most years we are done by early October. But this year, due to a wet winter (64 inches of rain) and cool spring, we have yet to pick the first grape. And so the pendulum swings. Back in 2011, we had similar conditions and then we were hit with October rains that pushed harvest into November. Remembering that cold, wet harvest, with mud on the tractors, still brings a shudder. We hope to avoid that this year, because it puts the crop, our nerves, and wine quality at risk. The upside for 2023 is that the fruit looks good, flavors are developing nicely and the sugars are inching up. Hopefully Mother Nature will shine just a little hotter in the next few weeks, and we can bring this harvest home in good shape. We look to the autumn skies with a cautious smile. 

Oct 4, 2023 at 2:14 PM Permalink

Rangeland News August 2023

Contents: Cabernet Accolades, Petite Sirah Special, Ground Beef Ships Free and more

2020 Cabernet: 95 Points, Double Gold, Special Price!

Rangeland's 2020 Cabernet, which we are just now releasing, was awarded 95 points and a double gold medal from Sunset International Wine Competition. Sunset's notes describe our '20 Cab as "dense, silky, smooth tannins, hint of vanilla, elegant."  We couldn't agree more.  You can get your hands on this "new" wine for $399/case, shipping included, and your club discount applies. That's a 26% discount from the $45 list price! Order here. 

For Petite Sirah Fans

We continue to produce a limited number of cases of our estate Petite Sirah--for lovers of this distinctively dark variety. Our 2019 Petite features a deep ruby color with aromas of cherry blossom, notes of blackberry compote, and offers up rich, velvety tannins. Pair with a braised meat dish or an excellent piece of dark chocolate. Through September or while the short supply lasts, we're offering six bottles for $199, before your club discount. That's a 26% discount from the $45 list price! Order here.

Ground Beef Abundance: Free Shipping

We have plenty of our wonderful grass-fed ground beef available in 10 lb. ($120) and 20 lb. ($220) boxes. We're offering free shipping through September on this estate raised and locally processed beef. Your club discount (wine or beef) applies. Order here.

Beef Club Pick-up Reminder

If you are a Beef Club member and you haven't done so already, please pick up your beef club at J&R Meats in Paso Robles (3450 Riverside Drive, Monday-Saturday, 9-5). 2023 is a particularly tasty beef "vintage"--we've been really enjoying this meat at home. You can also arrange to pick up your box at our tasting room (with 48 hour notice), open Thurs-Mon, 11-5. Enjoy a glass of wine while you're there!

Grass-fed Burgers Every Weekend

We continue to serve our tasty grass-fed burgers every Saturday and Sunday--grilled and served on local sourdough with cheese, aioli, pickle and lettuce. Often accompanied by Lisa's pasta salad. Reservations (complimentary wine tasting if you use your club email address) are recommended, but we can usually squeeze a hungry group in, especially on Sundays. 

Aug 24, 2023 at 7:58 AM Permalink

Rangeland News July 2023

2020 Mistletoe Release Special

Rangeland Mistletoe is named after a red blend we made in our home cellar 20 years ago, when our Adelaida Springs Ranch vineyard was still a toddler. We bottled the wine at a holiday party and a great time was had by family and friends. More recently, as this delicious and affordable blend sells out earlier each year, we've moved up the release of this "holiday" wine to mid year, so we can celebrate a little Christmas in July. 

Winemaker Alex Kemp has given the 2020 Mistletoe a Rhone- style tilt. It's an eclectic "Paso" blend of 31% Syrah, 20% Merlot, 17% Mourvedre, 11% Petit Verdot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, with a dash of Malbec, Grenache and Petit Sirah!

Rangeland 2020 Mistletoe offers aromas of chaparral and cranberry. The vibrant, juicy palate features notes of caramel, açaí, char-grilled ribeye, roasted chestnuts and a rich, umami finish. It's already a Foshay family favorite. 

From now through July 31 only, we are offering a 12 bottle case of Rangeland 2020 Mistletoe for $300, shipping included, plus your club discount. That's just $25 per bottle versus the list price of $35, plus your discount. Order here. 

Closed for July 4 Holiday

The Rangeland tasting room will be closed from Monday, July 3 through Thursday, July 6. 

Jun 24, 2023 at 11:36 AM Permalink

Rangeland News April 2023

Contents: Rosé Release, Field Day Change-up

Springtime is rosé time, so we are happy to release our 2022 Flora Rosé ($32). Continuing a 13 year tradition of botanical label prints, this year's rose features Pacific Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), a beautiful denizen of our coastal mountains. On our ranch, we find these smooth and cool-trunked madronos on heavily wooded, well-watered slopes and canyons at 1700 to 2000 feet in elevation. Glossy-leaved Madrones often mark the location of natural springs for which our ranch is named. Although our Salinas valley is known for its hot, dry summers, some of the coastal mountain watersheds that feed the Salinas feature lush vegetation like ferns, conifer trees and madrones. These temperate climate outliers thrive in wet years like this one, when the Santa Lucia coast range received as much as 100 inches of rain in just a few months. 

This light rosé (60% mourvedre and 40% cabernet sauvignon) features aromas of white nectarine and orange twist. The juicy palate suggests Saturn peach and fresh croissant. It will pair nicely with a spring salad or other light fare. This year's supply is very limited (barely more than 50 cases) due to a record hot and challenging harvest. Get yours while you can. Come sample the Flora Rosé at the tasting room or order here.

Field Day ist Kaput!, but...

We are cancelling Field Day, our annual spring party scheduled for April 22, due to wet pasture conditions, downed trees and broken fences. Just another casualty of a tough winter. All ticket purchases will be refunded. Nevertheless, you are welcome to visit us on that Earth Day, when we celebrate our glorious planet with an expanded lunch menu for purchase, including beef and lamb sliders, our Asian edamame cole slaw with peanut dressing and also Lisa's famous cookies. Reserve you place here. 

Apr 10, 2023 at 1:26 PM Permalink

Rangeland News March 2023

Contents: Wine Club, Beef Special, Winter!, Field Day

Our wines are so alluring and delicious right now that I am excited to put them on your table. We will release our spring wine club a few weeks earlier this year, so we can ship in cooler weather. We will start billling the wine club March 20 and your shipment will be available for pickup starting March 27. We will begin to ship wine clubs in early April. 

Continuing a Rangeland tradition, we are offering our Doppel Club incentive. If you are a 6 or 12 bottle club member, you can double your order for an additional 10% off with $1 shipping. For example, a 6-bottle Estate Club member, normally 20% off, would get a full case at 30% off, or about $100 in extra savings. If you would like to take advantage of this wunderbar opportunity to stuff your wine fridge, please email us. Here is the wine club selection for this spring:

• 2019 Limestone Reserve, 95 points, Wine Enthusiast (WE)*
• 2019 Watershed, 93 points, WE*
• 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, 93 points, WE*
• 2019 Ultramafic, 91 points, WE*
• 2019 Petit Sirah, new release!
• 2020 Zinfandel, new!
  *denotes 4-bottle Intro Club selection

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

Winter Beef Bonanza

Each winter we have a few beef club boxes left over from last year's harvest. Since the meat is neatly vacuum sealed and frozen, it is still as good as fresh. You may remember that our 25 lb. grass-fed beef club box includes:

• 6 lbs steaks (NY, ribeye, sirloin and a dab of filet)
• 6 lbs roasts (sirloin, chuck, or brisket)
• 8 lbs delicious, dark and flavorful ground beef in 1 lb packs
• 5 lbs of "the rest" (short ribs, shanks, stew meat, kabob, etc.)

To clear out our freezer and make room for the next harvest, we are offering these beef club boxes at $280 (20% off the list price of $350), shipping included--and your club discount applies. While supplies last, order here. 

Thinking of Spring and...Field Day

We are still in the epic Winter of '23, with repeated heavy rain (now over 54 inches total including yesterday's 6.5 inches), abundant frost and even some snow.  There is no better way to appreciate Rangeland and the beauty of rural Paso Robles than at Field Day, our spring party in the pasture. We choose this weekend each year because it has the highest chance of green grass and warm, mild weather. Join us April 22, 12pm to 3pm, for wine, good local food, great music and livestock on display in the field next to the tasting room.  A barbecue lunch will include estate beef and the last of our lamb, local sausage from J&R Meats, a salad, Lisa's fab cookies and more. Order: $80 per person, $40 for non-adults. Club discounts apply. 

Mar 13, 2023 at 7:39 AM Permalink

Rangeland News January 2023

Contents: Wonders and Waterfalls, Watershed Special, Cellar Sale February 18

Many of you have heard me say that our Adelaida Springs Ranch estate vineyard forms the headwaters of Jack Creek, which flows all the way to Monterey Bay, first south via Santa Rita Creek and then north for 175 miles via the Salinas River. Our vineyard also drapes over a ridge and slopes westward to the Las Tablas Creek drainage which flows to the Salinas via the Nacimiento River, forming a watershed or divide between two local creeks. 

When we are experiencing the relentless sunshine and searing heat of a "golden" Paso Robles summer, all this talk of drainages and flowing water seems pretty fanciful, if not hallucinatory. But during most winters in California, the picture changes abruptly to a world of green grass and gently flowing seasonal streams. As recently as a few decades ago the Salinas watershed was a spawning ground for steelhead and even chinook salmon during wet years. In some winters, like the one we are having (already over 40 inches of rainfall on our ranch), these seasonal streams turn to churning monsters of water and debris (see video), blasting down the canyons carrying whole trees and cutting the earth into a frothy brown soup. It's as if the very coastal mountains of Calfornia are screaming "I'm melting," like the forlorn witch from the land of Oz.

Good farming, ranching and forestry practices can mitigate this erosional process, but cannot stop it. Nor would we want it to. In fact, the fabled fertility of California farms, and those the world over, is based on the tectonic rising of mountains and their utter destruction by weather into rich valley alluvium that will feed our children's children for generations yet to come. Back upstream on the marginally fertile and often steep hillsides of coastal California, the venerable grapevines mostly hold the ground in their dormant state, waiting for the spring incandesence and green shoots that will signal the beginning of a new vintage, with all its sweet promise.

How Special is Our Watershed

Now that you know about the natural origins of our Rangeland 2019 Watershed Bordeaux blend, we'd like to remind you of its stellar drinkability and offer it to you at a special price. Wine Enthusiast's Matt Kettmann rated our 2019 Watershed 93 points with the following notes:

"Intense aromas of cassis are dark and yet still fresh on the nose of this 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 15% Petit Verdot and 10% Malbec, which looks creamy in the glass. Polished tannins wrap around the jammy berry preserve flavors, with bold floral elements and a nice acidity pumping throughout."

You can purchase this outstanding single vineyard, estate grown wine by the case for just $399, or $33.25 per bottle versus a list price of $45. Wine club discounts apply and shipping is included. Order here. 

Cellar Sale February 18

Come join us in the Rangeland barn on Saturday of President’s Weekend, 10am-12pm.  For the price of a tasting fee (free to club members), you can taste and buy rare, discounted Rangeland library wines and snack on charcuterie. Reserve your spot here.

Jan 20, 2023 at 12:10 PM Permalink