The Vineyards of Ojai

For years Martin Ramirez was more comfortable building sites than in a vineyard. He didn’t know a great deal about wine and even less about viticulture. But in the early 1990s, when his boss at the Roll Ranch asked him to manage his vineyard in upper Ojai, Martin accepted the challenge with joy and embarked on a steep learning curve. Twenty years into his role as viticulturist at the Roll Ranch, M

artin’s genuine love of vineyard life and his almost fatherly relationship with his vines is obvious. He is onsite every day, sometimes 14 hours a day, seven days a week during vintage, to coax his vines through the tough times and the great. When he first started at the Roll Ranch, Martin had 4 acres of vines to convert from a trellising system to hanging cane. Not an easy job, and with only one slasher, one sprayer and a tractor to do it with, Martin had his work cut out for him. “Hard work never hurt anyone,” says Martin. And his hard work has paid off. Martin is now an expert viticulturist in Ventura County, he considers himself lucky to be at the helm of one of the state’s most unique regions. With over 17 privately owned vineyards under his belt in Ventura, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara Counties, Martin has become a leading expert in the field. With Bruce’s expertise in winemaking coupled with Martin’s intimate knowledge of the region’s climate, soil and terrain, they are well on their way to achieving their goal: Create wines that are a true reflection of the region’s special terrain.