It is springtime at LDV. With the warmer weather comes bud break on the vines, trees blooming, and much anticipation for the 2018 vintage. Bud break happened pretty much on schedule in late March in the vineyard. As usual, the Viognier led the way followed by the Syrah. The Petite Sirah and Grenache are just starting to wake up. We retard bud break by increasing our irrigation in early March to keep the ground cold. Many other Arizona vineyards are much farther along with bud break. However, we will be white knuckling it until the threat of a late frost disappears sometime in early May.



Throughout the 40-acre property spring is evident. After winter pruning, the orchard’s trees are all blooming and leafing out. We are looking forward to a lot of fruit this year from the 7 apples, 2 pears, 2 cherries, and 2 almond trees. 

Later this spring, we will also be installing an owl house in the vineyard along with several bluebird houses. Along with the many hummingbird species we attract, we are becoming a destination for bird watching as well as wine tasting. Contact us if you would like to plan a trip. 



Peggy spent a few hours on her last trip weeding the Betty Lawrence Dunham Memorial Rose Garden and the effort has paid off. There are 20 different types of roses that are leafed out and ready to bloom. The first bloom of the season is always spectacular! The roses are such a wonderful remembrance of Curt’s mom who was known as the “rose lady.” The Arizona Ash trees that flank the Chiricahua Circle have quickly leafed out. These trees have grown tremendously in the 10 years we have owned the property. In Ash Creek, the Live Oaks have begun to lose their leaves (which is typical this time of year) while the Arizona Ash and Sycamore are coming alive with color.

As the weather heats up, we start thinking about outdoor entertaining. Though in Arizona we have the luxury of using our barbeque grills year-round, many of our friends back east and in Canada are brushing off the snow. This month we wanted to provide you with a wonderful grill recipe – Grilled Salmon with Red Wine BBQ Sauce - that will go perfect with our newly released 2014 Sky Island Syrah. This is the first Sky Island Syrah. For those in the know, LDV’s Sky Island wines are ones that are aged without oak influences. We experimented with both new French and American oak barrels for previous vintages and the intense fruit from 2014 called for a change. The 100% Syrah is aged for 32 months in neutral oak barrels. The 2014 Sky Island Syrah retails for $32.00 per bottle.

Send us a copy of your favorite spring recipe and let us know how you like our recommendation. Get the Grilled Salmon with Red Wine BBQ Sauce HERE.