Ellen Burdick is a no-fuss, no-muss sort of lady. Straight forward, yet kind and gentle in her mannerisms, Ellen opened the 17 Ranch tasting room for us on a day it is not normally scheduled to be open and reminded us of our grandmothers as she smiled and ushered us inside. When we arrived, she had the front door propped ajar to let in the fresh air and welcomed us to step up to the bar. We probably could have talked to Ellen for hours, listening to her stories of anything from ranching, to winemaking, to her fond reminiscences of time spent traveling in Spain. We could tell she was a busy lady though, being a full-time rancher in addition to a vintner, so we did our best not to keep her there all night. We’re not sure Ellen would have minded if we had though, as she seems like the kind of person who takes the time for everyone she meets, even stepping away from our tasting for a moment to feed a stray cat that began loitering by the open front door. As she poured our tastes, she would tell us about each wine and how she made it, where the grapes or fruit was sourced, and she even mentioned a batch that she decided not to bottle because it just hadn’t turned out the way she wanted it. We could tell that Ellen was passionate about her wine… [read more]*

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