Driving up to Allan and Elizabeth Bleaks home is like walking through the entrance of Marys Secret Garden. From the grape vines delicately winding their way up the gate at the driveway to the wildflowers blooming all around the property, the Bleaks land is a testament to their passion and the effort it took to create a perfect slice of paradise.
The land the Bleaks invested in is now returning the favor through a thriving vineyard that has become the impetus for the creation of Pleasant View Vineyard and Winery.
Allan Bleak bought the multiple-acre parcel in 1994. At the time, the land was filled with oak brush and trees and it was hard to envision what it could become.
I bought the dirt years ago and just started messing with it, Allan said.
The Bleaks were living in Mesquite, Nev., at the time, and spent weekends in Southwest Colorado working their property and dreaming of the future. A dream of transforming dirt into a vineyard.
In the late 1990s, the couple began building their home, a large wooden structure that greatly resembles a barn. In 2000, the Bleaks relocated to their property and began working to fulfill Elizabeths vision of a working vineyard and winery.
I always wanted a vineyard, Elizabeth said, a large smile spreading across her face. I thought it would be romantic.
The couple soon realized the romanticism of vineyards is hard earned, a lesson learned when they began building the fencing around their vineyard designed to keep hungry elk at bay.
We really had no prior knowledge, but we are very driven and wanted to succeed, Elizabeth said.
The Bleaks were discouraged by others in the area from pursuing a functioning vineyard and were told their location would not be ideal for wine grapes. But the determination that has served the couple well throughout their lives paid off when they decided to move forward.
We have a really unique micro climate here, Elizabeth said. We sit along a canyon, and even though we are at 6,300 feet (above sea level), the cold goes down in the canyon and our fruit doesnt freeze.
Experimentation with vines ordered from a vineyard on the East Coast led to a few false starts, but now the land is lined with roughly 4,000 vines, most of which are grape varieties the Bleaks were told would not grow in this region.
What we were told wouldnt grow just took off, Allan said.
Elizabeth, a self-proclaimed tomboy who grew up in the San Fernando Valley in California, said though she began the process with really no agricultural knowledge, she believes she has learned the best way to manage the land to full production.
I think Ive managed the land really well, and we do it all organically, Elizabeth said, the pride evident in her voice. You learn to know your land, and you learn what it needs and how to manage it best.
The management has led to outstanding production. Last year, the vineyard produced more than 4 tons of grapes, which were harvested through a community effort and now rest in French oak barrels, waiting to be bottled when the time is right. The Bleaks 2009 pinot noir and chardonnay are already bottled and available at T-Box Liquors and Pepperhead restaurant.
The Bleaks efforts have been supported for the past two seasons by vineyard manager Amy Stewart. Stewart runs the day-to-day operations at the vineyard while the Bleaks manager their construction business, which focuses on federal contracts. The couple gives Stewart much credit for the health of the vineyard.
You learn each plant and what it needs, Stewart said. I walk the vineyard each day because you see a lot more on foot. You get to know the plants like friends.
Along with the grapes, the Bleak property also feature fruit trees, including peaches, cherries, apples and pears. Elizabeth plans to bring much of the fruit to the Cortez Farmers Market this season.
Though the early success of the vineyard indicates the Bleaks could expand as far as they want, they are much more concerned with quality over quantity, Elizabeth said.
We dont want to be large, she said. We really just want to be a boutique winery, with maybe an estate bottle. We wont ever produce more than maybe 2,500 gallons a year.
In the entrepreneurial spirit that has driven her most of her life, Elizabeth sees many possibilities for the winery, which will never be open to the public.
This is our home, she said. We dont want to invite people to our home constantly, but we do want to share our product.
The Bleaks hope to open a small shop in the building that houses the Pleasant View post office as an outlet for their wines.
Though their passion has turned into a small business, the Bleaks say it is about creating a life they love more than a money-making venture.
It isnt about the money, Elizabeth said. I cant describe it. I just love our life here. There isnt another place I would rather be.
Reach Kimberly Benedict at kimberlyb@cortezjournal.com.