August 18, 2009

Yes...Things are looking pretty good. Stucco is being placed on the outside of the building, the roof is complete, and insulation and drywall are being installed. Soon we will be painting the walls, placing cabinetry, and setting tile. We are so excited. I met with our landscaper last weekend and finalized the plan for plants, grass, and a couple of beautiful water features. Our front gate is complete and final grading is being done to the road and parking lot.
I have included a few photos for you to look at. Until next time Adios.
Sam and Deb Castillo

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July 22, 2009

Finally Deb and I get a chance to get away from work around the house, work around the winery construction in Walla Walla, and work marketing the wines we make. We took a break and went to our cabin on Center Island in the San Juans. What a wonderful time we had. We weren't able to do any crabbing but we were surely able to sit around the campfire sipping some fine wine as well as enjoy our boat on the water. We were lucky enough to have our favorite niece Hailee join us for a couple of days until the rest of her family joined us on Sunday. I think Hailee is turning into an island girl!!

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July 13, 2009

Our walls are going up! Thanks to John Durst Construction our walls are finally up. By the end of this week we will see roof truses and it will start to look like a winery.
In the meantime other work is being done on the property. The front entry is being completed and i might say looks quite impressive!
Stay tuned as we progress i will include photos. Our scheduled date for completion is the middle of September 2009

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July 8, 2009

Awesome pouring at Vintage tonight. Thanks to everyone who could make it and if you weren't so lucky the Tempranillo is on a glass pour!

If you are more in the mood for a white wine the 2007 Semillon will be on a glass pour at Creek Town Cafe. Great vino made from 25 year old vines, perfect on the patio!

Ryan Raber
Castillo de Feliciana
Winemaker

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July 7, 2009

Hello,

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ryan Raber. I am the new winemaker for Castillo De Feliciana. Well sort of, I've actually been making the wines from the beginning. Anyway, I am now needed full time. I am very proud to be part of Feliciana. I have known Sam Castillo since I was 11 years old. I lived about a block from his first dental office in Duvall. I remember dragging my feet to his office for my first checkup. Dr. Sam was so nice and friendly I never dreaded going there again. Eighteen years later when Sam and Deb told me about their dream to start a high end winery and vineyard I was excited to help them.

Yesterday marked my first official day on the job. I've been busy visiting the vineyards and pouring wine for the local restaurants and shops. I also stopped by the winery site.

Things are progressing smoothly. The foundation has been poured, stem wall put up, preliminary plumbing and electrical are in and the concrete floor was being poured this morning. Wow! and that is for two buildings.

Across from the building site I took a walk through the Estate Vineyard. The vineyard consists of between six and seven acres of vines that should produce their first crop in 2011. The Eastern blocks are planted to Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. From these vines we will make the Estate Red Table Wine (really cool name to follow). I think of this wine becoming an Argentina meets Bordeaux blend, which means there will be more Malbec than usual. The West block is made up of two different clones of Tempranillo. From this we will make the Estate Tempranillo. Right next to the building we will be planting Albarino. This is the signature white of Spain, known for its citrus flavors and crisp acidity.

Once the winery construction is complete, the Castillos and I hope you can all stop by. We would love to show you around the Estate and have you sample some of our wonderful wines.

Cheers,
Ryan Raber
Castillo De Feliciana
Winemaker

P.S. I am pouring some of our inaugural releases at Vintage Cellars on Second Avenue in Walla Walla tomorrow, July 8th. Come join me to sip and savor the Tempranillo, Semillon and, Summer's most favorite wine, Pinot Grigio!

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