Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/735024
{ SOMMjournal.com } 107 Ruben Solorzano farms vineyards through- out the 30-mile long Santa Ynez Valley, the southern- most wine region in Santa Barbara County, sitting between the Santa Ynez Mountains to the south and the San Rafael Mountains to the north. Within the val - ley are sub-AVAs, including the east-west flow of Sta. Rita Hills, with cooler conditions for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and the warmest spot to the east, Happy Canyon, producing distinctive Bordeaux varietals. But it's the north-south-situated vineyards of the Ballard Canyon AVA that are the most unexpected and least known, lining the hilly back roads of the valley. Its afternoon breeze cools the fruit that warms up mid- day from plenty of sunshine. "You can set your watch to 3 p.m. every day for sunshine," comments Michael Larner, who owns and operates Larner Vineyards. Devoted to Rhône varietals, sandy soils and low yields are common threads for Ballard Canyon grow - ers and vintners, along with the wines natural acidity. "We know we've got something special here when our Syrah ripens consistently," notes Larner, a geolo- gist-turned-winemaker. "We have no need for aggres- sive farming," he says, turning towards Solorzano, who has a spiritual type of relationship with each vineyard he oversees. "We're close enough to the Pacific's cooling influence," explains Solorzano. "The grapes are air- conditioned—they go dormant under 55-degree nights and don't lose their acidity. They change before your eyes. People come to me in alarm and say that the vines look parched and dying during midday. I tell them to wait a few hours—and they see the vines recover once the temperature drops. Everything seems to come back to life." Underneath us, as we stand on an inclined hill at Larner Vineyards, we're told that this shallow soil leads to a deep bedrock of marine organisms, the result of the compression of the facing mountain ranges. These well-drained soils don't require much irrigation. "We can time our irrigation so that we keep our berry sizes small for precision viticulture," Larner points out. With 7,700 acres in this small geographical arena, and fewer than 600 acres planted to grapes, there is room for expansion; but Ballard Canyon is first and foremost dedicated to Syrah. "This is a mixed climate, and we're on that edge where the fruit has the capability to get fully ripe," notes Steve Gerbac, winemaker for Rusack Vineyards. Michael Larner has his "Goldilocks" point of view when it comes to the AVA. "Ballard Canyon is not too hot, not too cool, but delivers balanced fruit—it's just right." Steve Gerbac is winemaker for Rusack Vineyards. Ruben Solorzano manages the majority of vineyards in the Ballard Canyon AVA.