Cox Vineyards Update: Springtime at the Ranch

While I spend most of my time in Los Angeles, it’s always nice to come back to my roots and recharge. After all, nothing can rival the fresh, smog-free air and peaceful nature of my family’s ranch. It truly is heaven on Earth.

Springtime on the ranch is without-a-doubt my favorite. Although the more-than-generous amounts of rain this year seemed like a nuisance, it’s clear to see now that Mother Nature had a colorful idea in mind. While there aren’t clusters of grapes on the vines this time of year, bud break (above) has begun, signaling a new vintage. It’s almost as if spring has somehow kissed the vines and broken winter’s spell. The grass is an unreal shade of green, thriving off of rainwater and sunlight. The creeks my sisters and I used to catch tadpoles in are really running again and teeming with turtles and fish. Wildflowers paint the fields and hills, literally perfuming the air all around; the purple lupine are, by far, the most fragrant. And of course, calves nurse from their mothers while the rest graze happily on fresh grass.

The plum trees that line our ranch’s entrance blossom and fall in a matter of days, it seems. However, the yellow mustard seed seems to weather the spring rain and wind quite well; it especially thrives in our old vine vineyards. To the left (above) is one of the vineyards that is staked and ready to be newly-planted.

My younger sister has been raising ducks and wild geese, which she brings to some of the ponds at our ranch for afternoon dips.

In case you missed the last Cox Vineyards Updates detailing the 2016 harvest, check it out here.

Vineyard photos by Whitney and Natalie Vau