May 2020 Musings from the Wine Press
First and foremost, thank you for supporting Rancho Loma Vineyards through this extraordinary and unprecedented time. Rest assured; your loyalty has been a comfort to all of us at RLV. We have continued to work and plan for our re-opening and it is finally arriving, albeit slowly!
This edition of the wine press affords me the opportunity to introduce our RLV staff. Their accumulated wine and culinary training will make your RLV experience exceptional. We invite you to make our tasting rooms an extension of your home. We look forward to hosting private dinners, events for your friends, families, clubs, and civic groups. Stay tuned for unique tasting events along with food and wine experiences sure to tempt and please! Please reach out to them individually and allow them to be your personal RLV consultant. Their contact information is noted below.
Caitlyn “CJ” Hatchett, RLV Operations Manager
CJ Hatchett is our Operations Manager for Rancho Loma Vineyards. She is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park New York. CJ spent the last seven years in Fredericksburg, Texas working in the wine industry. She enjoys spending time with her husband, playing tennis and hanging out with her two dogs.
Sean Gravalos, RLV Business Relations Manager, Head Sommelier
Sean Gravalos Business Relation Manager/Head Sommelier for Rancho Loma Vineyards. Sean Recently moved to Texas from Toronto Canada. He’s a huge wine nerd and wine aficionado. He quit his Corporate bank job a year ago to follow his passion of wine. He is currently a level 3 advanced Sommelier via WSET.
Lauren Murray, Fort Worth Tasting Room Manager
Lauren graduated from Johnson & Wales Denver, Colorado with a degree in Culinary Arts and has been in the Texas wine industry for years. Her passion and talent for pairing food with exceptional wines drew her to Rancho Loma Vineyards. She is eager to meet all of you and work with you to find your exceptional RLV wine!
Heaven Bedell, Coleman Tasting Room Lead
Heaven is our Tasting Room Lead at Rancho Loma Vineyards in Coleman, Texas. Heaven has been working locally in the food and wine industry since 2015. She embraced Rancho Loma Vineyards since its inception and her passion for pairing wine with food has inspired her to continue to research and pursue studying more about Texas wines. Heaven graduated from Coleman High School and know the area and people that make this west central Texas town unique.
Virtual Wine Tasting Happy Hour
If you missed the first Virtual Tasting with our Head Sommelier, Sean Gravalos, you most certainly do not want to miss the next! Sean will be discussing 3 of our award-winning wines: 2017 RLV III– 2017 RLV Corso– 2017 RLV The Tempter. If you would like to taste with us, these wines are available for pick-up/curbside @ both our Coleman and Fort Worth locations. You can also order online at www.rlv.wine. Get 15% off the purchase of these 3 wines for this special event. How to Join: Tast- ing will be conducted via Zoom. Copy and paste this link into your browser: https://bit.ly/3bE4mpC
New Website Design
If you have not been on our website recently, take a moment to visit it once again. We have incorporated Fort Worth and it has a new look, less clicks, and loads of information! www.rlv.wine. Look for exciting updates, specials, and entertainment as we begin to re-open both sites.
Musings from Our Sommelier
2017 Syrah – Our first vintage Syrah was made especially for our wine club members. It was aged 18 months in barrel,30% of it in new French oak. This wine is dry, full-bodied and well balanced with great acidity. Presents with blueberry,black cherry, black plum, earth, tobacco, cedar, pepper and a little vanilla on the nose and the palate.
Awards: Silver Medals at both 2020 Rodeo Uncorked, Houston and the Texas International Wine Competition.
Pair with our Perini Ranch Mesquite Smoked Peppered Beef Tenderloin —Lauren Murray, FTW Tasting Manager
2017 Corso – This Italian blend of Sangiovese, Montepulciano and Barbera is dry and full-bodied. Offers red cherry,raspberry, black cherry, black currants, roasted tomato and a hint of vanilla on the nose and palate.
Awards: Silver Medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition.
Pair with Tomato Basil Bruschetta—– CJ Hatchett, RLV Operations Manager
2016 Cohesion – One of our earliest vintages, this red blend is dry with a medium plus body. Dark red cherry, blackcherry, black raspberry, blueberry, and plum are present on the nose and palate.
Awards: 2017 Bronze Medals at both Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo International Wine Competition and 2018TEXSOM.
Pair with our Truffled Pate Cornichons and Baguette– Lauren Murray, FTW Tasting Room Manager
2018 III Especial – This Rhone blend of Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne is fermented in 100% new French oak,sur lie aging for 9 months. Apricot, yellow apple, pear, pineapple, jasmine, honey, toasted coconut and a vanillafinish. The III Especial is only available to our wine club members.
Pair with our Housemade Marcona Almonds with herb de Provence—- CJ Hatchett, RLV Operations Manager
2018 Marsanne – This is 100% Marsanne and is un-oaked. Look for lemon, pear, apple, almond, wet stone, minerality and flinty finish.
Awards: Bronze Medal at the 2019 San Francisco International wine competition.
Pair with our Mediterranean Plate with Hummus, Feta Cheese and Olives— CJ Hatchett, RLV Operations Manager
2018 Impish – This wine is an off-dry blend of Orange Muscat with a bit of Marsanne. Look for orange blossom, meyerlemon, Mandarin orange and pineapple with crisp acidity. This wine is great as an aperitif and as a summer sipper.
Awards: Bronze Medal at the 2019 San Francisco International Wine Competition.
Pair with our Goat Cheese and Fig Bruschetta—– Lauren Murray, FTW Tasting Room Manager
VinoShipper
Good news! Now you can ship your favorite RLV out of state via VinoShipper. We can now ship to your friends and familyin 40+ states. For out of state shipping: https://vinoshipper.com/shop/rancho_loma_vineyards_llc . Or select your favorite wine at www.rlv.wine under our Shop Tab, then click on About This Item, and scroll down to the direct link.
Important Contact Information
General information: info@rlv.wine
Wine Club Inquiries: wineclub@rlv.wine
Existing orders/reservations inquiries: customercare@rlv.wine
Fort Worth Phone: 817.369.9030
Coleman Phone: 325.625.1010
Social Media
Can we ask a big favor of our loyal wine club members? Follow us and like us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and Share!
@rancholomavineyards
@rancholomavineyards_fortworth
@thenewfiesommelier
Looking forward to seeing you soon to share a glass or two of wine either in Coleman or Fort Worth.
As always, Cheers!