Experience

Boutique Winery featuring Spanish Grapes

Ruby Magdalena Vineyards

 

We are a truly boutique Washington Winery created by Marty and Ryan Johnson. Our initial vines were planted beginning in 2007 and we were licensed as a winery in Washington State in 2014.

Our focus is on Spanish grape varieties including Tempranillo, Graciano. Garnacha Tinta, Mazuelo, Albariño and Orange Muscat. Our 1.5-acre estate vineyard features around 3,000 grape vines. This modest size gives us the luxury of attending to the plants and soil ourselves. All of the vineyard operations are handled by the two of us with the exception of harvesting when we gladly accept offers of help from our friends wishing to share in the experience. Our production is exclusively RMV Estate grown wines and averages less than 450 cases total output (5,400 bottles) per vintage year.

We believe that contemporary winemakers and grape growers are tasked with carrying on a legacy dating back nearly as far as mankind’s documented history. Over the course of the past 8,000 years, wine has served as currency, as a disinfectant and antiseptic, as a sedative, and as a social lubricant. Wine has been a key factor in conflict and strife, in love and romance, in intrigue and in death. Wine has been shared with workers as payment, shared amongst peers to stimulate thought and discourse, shared between friends and lovers to relax, calm and lower inhibitions, and allegedly shared with Christ as he suffered his crucifixion.

As winegrowers we feel that it’s our responsibility to produce the best wines that possible and to share them with others. It has been stated that wine is the most complex fluid on our planet. We believe that this is true not only from a biochemical standpoint, but also from a sociopolitical one as well. We feel humbled by the responsibility inherent in creating and sharing with others an opportunity to experience and hopefully enjoy our small contribution to this legacy.

 

Meet Ruby Magdalena

We’ve often been asked about the origin of the name of our vineyard and winery. We named our vineyard after Marty’s mother, Mrs. Ruby Magdalena Vigil y Trujillo Johnson. 

Born of Basque/Spanish descent and raised in the mountains of Northern New Mexico, Ruby taught Marty about the importance of working hard, studying intensely, and saving up to achieve one’s dreams. 

Ruby grew up on the family ranch in Cundiyo, a small mountain village where the family raised livestock, alfalfa and hay, a small commercial apple orchard and a small family orchard and vegetable gardens that helped support the family throughout the years. Ruby was instrumental in our desire to buy property and literally put down roots. 

Always supportive of our efforts and encouraging us to persevere through difficult times, we owe any success that we might enjoy to Ruby’s positive spirit and willingness to lend a hand. 

Ruby loved coming up to the vineyard to “house sit” with the cats and would spend hours tending to our garden and roses. She even helped us plant our Graciano block in 2010 at the spry young age of 84!

Ruby’s enduring faith in us lives on in the vineyard that bears her name.

Meet the Winemaker - Marty Johnson

What wine means to me

I believe that contemporary winemakers and grape growers are tasked with carrying on a legacy dating back nearly as far as mankind’s documented history. Over the course of the past 8,000 years, wine has served as currency, as a disinfectant and antiseptic, as a sedative, and as a social lubricant. Wine has been a key factor in conflict and strife, in love and romance, in intrigue and in death. Wine has been shared with workers as payment, shared amongst peers to stimulate thought and discourse, shared between friends and lovers to relax, calm and lower inhibitions, and allegedly shared with Christ as he suffered his crucifixion. 
As a winemaker and wine grower I feel that it’s my responsibility to produce the best wines that I can and to enjoy sharing them. It has been stated that wine is the most complex fluid on our planet. I believe that this is true not only from a biochemical standpoint, but also from a sociopolitical one as well. I feel humbled by the responsibility inherent in creating and presenting to others the opportunity to experience and to hopefully enjoy my small contribution to this legacy.

Read Marty’s Bio
“I feel humbled by the responsibility inherent in creating and presenting to others the opportunity to experience and to hopefully enjoy my small contribution to this legacy.”

Marty Johnson

owner | winemaker

ruby magdalena vineyards

Meet Our Team

Meet the co-owners and their family of cats!

Martin (Marty) Johnson | Winemaker

 “I began my odyssey during my college years, enjoying and evaluating many wonderful wines from Bordeaux in the late 70’s. Since then, there have been many moments that I have truly enjoyed a glass of wine. I have tasted and admired wines from much of Europe and the rest of the world. Occasionally I’ve even thought that I loved a particular bottle from a certain producer of an outstanding vintage. There were moments to be sure, captivated by a brilliant ruby color, entranced by the nuanced aromas of a well-aged beauty, intrigued by the complexities developing and unfolding on my palate, but true love was finally revealed to me by a 25 year old widow from France.

I never suspected that the bottle of 1973 Veuve Clicquot “La Grande Dame” that I had cached away for 17 years, awaiting a milestone event or life changing moment, would itself turn out to be my epiphany. The Champagne showed a beautiful golden amber color with needle fine bubbles struggling to rise to the top of the flute. A subtle aroma of baked bread, almonds and honeycomb hinted at the alluring pleasures to come. I can still remember the incredible viscosity on my palate, almost heavy, yet with a petulant mousse fleeting yet substantially uplifting. Flavors of fresh honey on toasted brioche, rich with butter and baked yeastiness lifted my senses with every sip. I still am haunted by the memory of the persistent finish, rolling and drifting between perception and implication. Yes, this was love, and the memory of it still remains.”

After nearly 45 years enjoying and evaluating wines from around the globe, Marty now brings his passion for wine and global perspective to the winemaking and winegrowing activities to Ruby Magdalena Vineyards, the passion project created by Marty and his wife Ryan. He will ensure that the utmost quality will continue to be the focus of our portfolio of carefully handcrafted wines.

 

2022 was Marty’s 18th vintage in the Yakima Valley. He began his winemaking career in the Yakima Valley at Tefft Cellars in Outlook, WA (~ 3,500 cases) as a cellar rat, worked his way up to assistant winemaker and eventually winemaker and cellarmaster. He has also worked as winemaker and vigneron at Eaton Hill Winery in Granger, WA (~ 2,500 cases) where he managed up to 18 acres of vineyards, winemaking operations and operated the tasting room on weekends. Hyatt Vineyards in Zillah, WA (~ 25,000 cases) was his next stop where he worked as winemaker and compliance officer, running the back end of the production facility. Marty has earned a two-year certificate in Enology and Viticulture from UC Davis, as well as WSET Level I, WSET level 2 with Distinction and WSET level 3 with Merit from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust based in London UK. He is currently working toward his Certified Specialist of Wine Certification.

Ryan Johnson | Executive Director

 Ryan was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. She lived there until graduating high school when she moved to Denver hoping to go to college to become a veterinarian. Things didn’t quite work out for her, and she subsequently returned to SLC a few years later. She purchased her first vehicle when she was 21 and purchased her mother’s house that same year. Always an independent thinker and wise beyond her years. 

“When I met Marty, I really had no knowledge of wine, and I didn’t quite care for it. He patiently educated me about the complexities of wine. It took a lot of good wine paired with equally good food for me to learn and acquire a fondness for it. The more that I learn about wine, the more I enjoy it. I am always learning something new!” 

 

“After moving to Washington and planting our own vineyard and garden, I discovered my own love of growing and tending to plants. Over the years (and with guidance from Marty) I have learned how to take care of our vineyard as the seasons progress. It’s something I look forward to every spring. Gardening has also become my passion. There’s just something satisfying about being outside, having your hands in the soil and growing something nutritious for our family. It really is a wonderful feeling to reflect on how awesome mother nature truly is.”