In the vineyard, the art of making great wine begins in spring. It is during this festive time of year that the vines wake from their slumber and the mating ritual of the young buds on the vines begins.
In romantic settings throughout California, this dynamic process is seen first-hand by migrant farm workers who care for each vine from spring until the ripe grapes are harvested in the fall.
One vineyard expert who has watched this amazing process take place for the past 40 years is Reynaldo Robledo Sr., who began his career as a migrant farm worker after immigrating to California from Michoacán, Mexico in 1968.
After mastering the tricky techniques of selecting the appropriate grape vines for the right location, row orientation, canopy management and controlling the amount of grape clusters per vine, Robledo saved his money and in 1984, began purchasing land and planting his own vineyards in the prestigious wine-growing regions of Carneros, Sonoma Valley, Napa Valley and Lake County.
In 1997, after planting over 160 acres of vineyards, Robledo, his wife Maria and their nine children started the Robledo Family Winery, the first Hispanic-owned and operated winery and tasting room in the United States and Canada.
Today, this lovely Sonoma County winery produces a plethora of delicious wines made with sauvignon blanc, pinot blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and other tasty grape varieties.
One of the winery's special new releases is the Robledo 2004 Los Braceros, Sonoma Valley ($25*). Made with premium cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah grapes, this powerful proprietary blend features aromas of leather and tobacco and robust flavors of ripe red fruit, black cherry, currant, baking chocolate, dried herbs and spices.
On a more intrinsic level, the term "Los Braceros" refers to the original Mexican immigrant workers who came to the United States to work in vineyards and other sectors of the agricultural industry in the 1940s, a period when America's labor force was vastly depleted because of World War II. Reynaldo's grandfather, Luis Robledo, was one of the skilled farm workers who migrated to California from Mexico in 1948.
"To our family, this wine represents a very important tribute to all farm workers that have helped establish Carneros, Sonoma Valley and other important wine growing regions throughout California," said Vanessa Robledo, president of Robledo Family Winery.
To complement the border-crossing theme, a powerful film to pair with the 2004 Los Braceros is No Country for Old Men. Written, directed and produced by Joel and Ethan Coen, this Oscar-winning film tells the story of a drug deal gone wrong and the violent sequence of events that leads to a series of thrilling showdowns between the main characters played with aplomb by Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and especially, Javier Bardem.
With its bold flavors, balanced tannins and a deep red hue, each sip of Los Braceros 2004 can match the power and intensity of all these characters no matter which side of the border they are on.
*Prices quoted in U.S. dollars
