Santa Barbara County, Santa Ynez AVA

Ballard Canyon is the newest of the AVA’s in Santa Barbara County, established in October of 2013. This relatively small AVA encompassing only 7,800 acres sits at the center of the Santa Ynez Valley with Los Olivos to the North East and Solvang to the South. It produces Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Roussanne, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Viognier. Syrah accounts for almost half of the planting.

Here is an Excerpt of our conversation with Michael Larner of Larner Vineyards and Winery with a little about the terroir and how Ballard Canyon AVA came about.

Ballard Canyon is defined by the presence of chalk or limestone,  with Beckmen, Stolpman it’s limestone, you come down to me on the south side and we are more chalk. It’s still the same material it’s just a little more friable in my neck of the woods, where it’s a little more compacted up on the north side. It’s still rendered from the same foundation of bedrock, but ours is basically overlaid by sand so it allows the vines to be stressed enough to produce low quantities, high concentration, but then there is a nice underlay of chalk in our case that also brings a minerality.
I think that was sort of the unique thing about Ballard, the way it formed was essentially 6 of us producers that were pouring wine for Sommelier Journal we tasted through all the wines and looked at each other and thought wow there’s a lot of similarities. We all have our different fingerprint in terms of oak use etcetera, but there was definitely a lot of very characteristic minerality, that we all picked up on. Then when we did the Q & A with these sommeliers, they said “Why aren’t you guys an AVA” and we said okay no brainer, why aren’t we an AVA. So we started forming it in 2010.

Rhône varieties – Syrah overwhelmingly, plus Mourvedre, Grenache, Viognier & Roussanne

A drive through Ballard Canyon takes some time.  The 7.2 miles of curvy roads can be done in about 16 minutes, but the twists and turns on this one-lane road, not to mention the scenery, will make you want to take it slower.

As you drive north through the valley, you pass the vineyards of Larner, Rusack, Stolpman, Beckmen’s Purisima Mt. Vineyard, coming to Tierra Alta and the beautiful Windmill Ranch vineyard of Saarloos & Sons.

It is a beautiful region, and the climate makes it perfect for Rhône varieties, like Grenache, Syrah, Roussanne, & Viognier.  Overwhelmingly the valley has been found ideal for Syrah, and more than 50% of the grapes planted here are Syrah.

You will not, however, find tasting rooms here.  With the exception of Rusack, there are no tasting rooms in Ballard Canyon.  Some wineries have opportunities for Estate Tours if you contact them in advance.