The Story of Watson Ranch and Piston Broke
by Anne Watson
If you had told me when I was a kid that one day I’d grow up and fall in love with a bunch of grapevines, I would have told you that you were nuts. But, here I am – a grown woman who is madly in love with a vineyard, and I’m not ashamed to admit it!
Our family’s intimate 3-acre Cabernet Sauvignon & Sangiovese vineyard here in Fallbrook, California will forever hold a very dear place in my heart for many reasons, not least of which is because these vines were planted, loved and maintained for the first five years of their life by my beloved late husband, Tim.
He was the grape farmer of our family, Watson Ranch Vineyards was his entrepreneurial business, and ‘Piston Broke’ Cabernet Sauvignon was his baby. He poured his literal blood, sweat & tears into establishing these vines – braving the rattlesnakes, battling the gophers, cutting the weeds, tying-up the shoots, fixing the coyote-chewed irrigation pipes… you name it, he handled it in order to see the vines flourish.
After Tim passed away from cancer in February of 2021, I made a promise to both Tim & myself that his physical death would not be the death of his vineyard. I would carry on his legacy and Tim’s spirit would live on in the vines for years to come. I vowed to teach myself all that I could about vineyard management, grape growing, and wine making, and I’d bring the wines that he’d dreamed of making & sharing with the world to fruition.
So, here we are. And I’m so thrilled to introduce you to our second vintage of Watson Ranch Vineyards ‘Piston Broke’ Cabernet Sauvignon wine – the 2019 Vintage is on sale now.
Limited quantities available on a first-come, first-serve basis