Rancho San Martin Winery

​I have to eat crow.  Not a lot of crow, but I have to eat crow.  More on this later in the blog…
COVID be damned, another winery tasting room opened up last year in Ramona.  Located off of Highland Valley Road not far from Mermaid Valley, Ranch San Martin Winery is a small, boutique affair.  They plan on staying small and concentrating on making good wine.  I can live with that!
The tasting room is a tent, as shown below, on a very nice site, and one can sit outside the tent as well.  Wine is brought to the tables, i.e., the right way of doing things, and water is readily available.

​Currently, the wine selection is limited to wines made from two grapes:  Sangiovese and Tempranillo.  OK, here’s where I eat crow:  the Tempranillo wasn’t all that bad.  Indeed, I drank every drop of it.  So, for the few of you out there that are Tempranillo fans, this is the winery for you!
Of the Sangiovese varietals, we tasted two, a 2016 vintage and their 2017 Bella.  The Bella is a mix of their two clones, as shown in the price list below.  Very nice.  I plan on returning to check out their single clone Sangioveses, and maybe give the Tempranillo another shot….

​They have a relatively standard wine club – 3 bottles a quarter at a 20% discount -- but with an important extra -- club members pick the wines!  The tasting offerings, as with most wineries, will change often, and will include, in addition to wines made from the estate grapes (Sangiovese and Tempranillo), Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Cabernet Franc, and some others (see picture of labels below).