Ranchero Cellars
Get the Dirt from Amy Butler
“Winemaking is the only career I’ve ever had. I went to school for it, I’ve been doing it for 15 years, and I can’t imagine doing anything else. I quit my day job last year (making wine for a larger company) to focus on Ranchero Cellars. It’s been a challenge, but worth everything I’ve given it. ”
What will you be pouring at The Garagiste Festival?
I will be pouring 2010 Chrome (Grenache Blanc/Viognier) La Vista Vineyard, Paso Robles; 2010 Viognier La Vista Vineyard Paso Robles and 2009 Carignan Old Vines Mendocino County
Tell us something about Ranchero Cellars?
Ranchero Cellars pays homage to the spur-jangling vaqueros of the old west, as well as to the cowboy kitsch culture of 1950s Americ
The wine style evokes the pastoral history of early California: old vines and dusty fields, shady oaks and goats and chickens, rusty tractors and barbed wire fences. I like those things.Based in Paso Robles, Ranchero Cellars is committed to making small batches of wine using unique varietals and time-honored methods. I mean very small batches – three barrels, made with naturally occurring yeasts, minimal processing: rounding up what nature gives me using as little rope as possible.
How did you get started making wine? Do you still have a "day job"?
Winemaking is the only career I've ever had. I went to school for it, I've been doing it for 15 years, and I can't imagine doing anything else. I quit my day job last year (making wine for a larger company) to focus on Ranchero Cellars. It's been a challenge, but worth everything I've given it.
What kind of wine do you make? Why are you making wine where you are?
I started with just Grenache Blanc and Carignan. Those two varieties are my favorites to make – just so exciting and with a lot of different possibilities for varietal expression – and ones I'm really passionate about. I expanded to Viognier because I saw that the quality of the fruit at La Vista Vineyard in Paso was just phenomenal, and I wanted to do something a little bit different with Viognier. I was inspired by hearing some of the Condrieu winemakers at Hospice du Rhone. As far as making wine where I am, well, I've worked in Sonoma and Napa, and I think Paso Robles is the BEST region for winemaking. It has great weather, great soils, great potential, and most of all, great people.
What do you hate about making wine?
Earwigs. At harvest you find them in your hair, in your clothes, even hours after you've done processing grapes. I'd rather get stung by 5 bees than to find another one of these guys crawling on me.
Besides your own, what is your favorite wine region in the world?
CHAMPAGNE!
Would it be as much fun to be a winemaker if you had to abide by the appellation laws of France or Italy? Do you find them to be focused or restrictive?
You know the way Paso Robles is finally coming into its own after about 25-30 years of establishing itself as a wine region? We are finally figuring out, as an industry, what to plant, what to make, how to grow. And in the Old World they've had centuries to figure this out, exactly. Which is why they've developed the laws and restrictions that they put on growers and winemakers within appellations. The laws may seem totalitarian to us, but they ensure the integrity of the wines from each region. And they do bend...that's why we have excellent Vins de pays from France....and don't forget the super expensive Tuscan wines that don't fit into any DOC category.
What did you learn from your first vintage?
You'd better REALLY like making wine, because it's fucking hard.
What's the story behind the name of your winery/label?
Well, it's kind of both a throw-back to old California and a tribute to the Ford Ranchero, which is the coolest car ever. I sometimes cruise around in my 1960 Ranchero now, and I plan to have it painted in a style befitting the 50-year-old Ranchero Cellars farm truck.
Any surprises or insider news you want to share? New varietals, company developments, gossip or innuendo?
I'm thinking of adding another red to the line-up. Still open to suggestion.
Any advice to offer aspiring winemakers?
See (8) above.For more information about Ranchero Cellars, click here.
How did you get your start in the winemaking business?
I went to school for it, and it’s the only career I’ve ever had. Starting Ranchero Cellars was my reward for making wine for others for 12+ years.
What's your favorite varietal/wine to make? Why?
Carignan. Need you ask? It’s savage, and unique, and rewarding.
What vineyards do you source from? Why? If estate, why do you choose the spot you're in?
I source from two carefully selected vineyards – selected because I like the people, the soils, the climate, and most importantly, the farming methods. My two white wines are sourced from La Vista Vineyard in Paso Robles, which is one of the most amazing sites I’ve seen anywhere. Their soil inspires me, and so does their view. I get the Carignan from a very old site in Redwood Valley, up near Ukiah. There are very few really old Carignan plantings that have lasted up until now, and I was very lucky to happen upon this one, farmed by the Colombini family.
What do you love about your winemaking region? What makes it different special?
I love Paso Robles for a million reasons. First, it’s home. I love the people, the community, and the surroundings. I left Napa to move here, for no other reason than that I saw Paso Robles as a wide-open opportunity to help define the future of California wine. I am not exaggerating. This place is phenomenal.
What's the story behind your name/label?
It’s named after my 1960 Ford Ranchero. I think it’s also fitting, though, with the kinds of wines I want to produce and the Old California feel of Paso Robles that I want to invoke.
If you had unlimited funds, what would you do differently, if anything, in the production of your wine?
I wouldn’t change a thing about the production of the wines. Production, along with grape sourcing, has always been my financial priority. Maybe I’d draw a salary, though!
What's the biggest misconception about making wine in California?
That it’s easy. That anyone can do it. That your brand is any more important, in the scheme of things, than anyone else’s. You have to do it for love.
What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about the wine business before you started your own winery?
I was in the business for a long time before I started Ranchero. I’ve seen a lot of pitfalls. I still have a lot to learn, but I knew what I was getting into.
We're curious…do you even get tired of drinking your own wine?
I love the wines I produce, but I typically drink something else, just so I can keep learning. I’m currently enjoying Austrian wines a lot.
Is it considered bad form to constantly dip into your inventory?
I hope not.
If working in the wine industry wasn't an option, what's your other dream job?
Probably something radically different, like law.
What piece of winemaking equipment is the most fun to use? The hardest? Most necessary?
Cleaning is 90% of winemaking, and I love to use the pressure washer, especially with the rotary floor cleaning attachment. So satisfying! No equipment is really that hard to use, but it can be tricky to take it apart and put it back together when you’re cleaning. Also tricky: programming the white wine press to get just the right squeeze. The most necessary is definitely the forklift.To learn more about Ranchero Cellars wines go to their website. Tasting is available by appointment. You can also follow Amy's adventures on Facebook and Twitter.