What is the chance of having four days in the low seventies while enjoying the Arizona desert with 75 of the nicest people? Where’d they come from? It must have been the wine! Our Winter Wine Round-up at Rancho de los Caballeros was an enjoyable time for all. You should try it next year.

So far, we have survived better than ten inches of rain. The vines won’t be thirsty again until June. We are midway through pruning the vines. Our longtime crew of workers have become artists at designing a grapevine.

I tried the new wines with Megan again and last year’s vintage looks spectacular. We have a “Gold Medal” Winemaker.

2021 Sauvignon Blanc: This variety has continued to grow in the marketplace over the past few years. I think it is now #2 among white wines. This wine is a combination of our two Sauvignon Blanc vineyards, Los Alamos and Valley View. I like the combination of cool weather with warmer weather. This wine has very good flavors and has a softness and almost a honey character from the warmer vineyard that balances the acid in the grapes from the cooler region. I think you will find this one to be quite good.

2019 Malbec: California continues to ignore this variety, which thrives extremely well in our Valley View Vineyard. This one is one of our best ever. It is bold, bright, and reflects the perfect ripeness of the grapes. The ripeness in the skins is what makes this wine special. It is really going to pair well with barbecue pork steak and lamb, and I also like it with chocolate.

2018 Hidden Asset: This one should be named “Mr. Tastes Good” for all of you red wine drinkers who need a mild grape sugar fix, who appreciate grape varieties that produce wines to the soft side, and who like to smile while drinking. There is nothing hidden in this wine. Drink up!

I am getting ready to do a Notre Dame wine tour, which includes the wonderful Paul Hobbs, one of California’s best winemakers. In May, we will be in Tuscany suffering with those Italians! We will visit Antinori, the home of the Super-Tuscan wines, do a truffle hunt, taste through several Brunello producers, visit a cheesemaker, and eat a lot of great food. We may still have space for two. Visit LLWine.com/events to confirm.

Keep your raincoats near!