Ballard Canyon Growing Area
While great Syrah grows throughout the Santa Ynez Valley, passionate vinters have gravitated to a few areas that consistently produce the purest expression of this noble grape - one of these places is Ballard Canyon. With its steep hillsides and limestone-laden soil, Ballard Canyon is home to some of the most sought-after Syrah in the New World. Tierra Alta is a newer planting at the very top of Ballard Canyon near the town of Los Olivos and shares its terroir with such great Syrah sites as the Stolpman vineyard and the Beckman family's Purisima Mountain vineyard. Other respected vineyards in Ballard Canyon include the Larner family's namesake vineyard and Rusack's estate vineyard.