Kimsey Vineyard Gets Coastal Kick

When officially approved by the federal government in 2012, Ballard Canyon clocked in as one of the smaller appellations in the state, with less than 600 acres of grapes planted across about 7,700 acres. The region was designed both geographically — it’s a tight valley that runs from behind Buellton and Solvang all the way to Los Olivos — and varietally, in that syrah thrives in a Goldilocks-like way, showing the savory, gamey qualities of a cooler climate yet with the rounded ripeness of a warmer one.

Despite that narrow focus, however, there remains much diversity to Ballard Canyon’s vineyards. Stolpman is planted in clay and limestone, while adjacent Jonata is mostly sand, for instance, and Purisima steeply rises high, while Rusack lays gently lower. Perhaps most unique of all is Kimsey Vineyard, which rides the southern lip of the canyon. That equates to a steady flow of coastal influence from the Pacific Ocean to the west, whereas most of the appellation is a bit more protected by the canyon’s walls.

“For me, the influence of the ocean is so direct on this property,” said winemaker Matt Dees, who makes the Kimsey Vineyard estate wines for owners Bill and Nancy Kimsey, as well as the wines of nearby Jonata. “There’s really no barrier to the Sta. Rita Hills,” he explained while looking toward that more coastal appellation west of Buellton. “There’s just something about the spice that the syrahs have on this property.” In addition to those syrahs — which amounted to 250 cases in the Kimsey Vineyard’s first vintage of 2013 — Dees also makes a grenache (68 cases) and white blend (60 cases), all of which sell for $60.