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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June 29, 2009

It finally happened! We now have wine for sale! Yea! On Saturday June 27, 2009 we had our first wine release party at the Wine Shoppe at Redmond Ridge Marketplace. We had well over 200 people attend this event! It was a smashing success. The party was to start at 5:00pm and go until 8:00 pm. Immediately at 5 people started coming in and the room was filled until 9pm. Wow! Deb and I were very happy to see all the people whom we know from the different arenas we work and play in. Thanks to all of you who made the effort to come by and celebrate with us! We are very appreciative.

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June 1, 2009

This past weekend we put our first official labels on the 2007 Semillon, the 2008 Viognier, and the 2008 Pinot Grigio. This was a very momentous occassion for Deborah and myself. Our two years of hard work and deligence along with lots of friends help along the way has made our dream come true. On Monday our wine bottles were transferred to our warehouse facility in Walla Walla where they will be maintained at a cool 57 degrees until they arrive at your house!! That's right... they are now for sale. Our red varieties will be release later on this summer. If you would like an advanced tasting of one of our tasty whites please e-mail me at: sam@castillodefeliciana.com

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May 13, 2009

Our beautiful new equipment has arrived.

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