On a recent summer morning, the sun was strong above the rows of sangiovese that line the rolling hills of Ballard Canyon, where the earth between the vines is baked and cracked. The famous Italian wine consultant Alberto Antonini once declared that this spot “might as well be Tuscany,” but the fingers of cactus lining the roadway and a spatter of gnarled oaks are markers that this is most certainly California.
Sangiovese is a tricky grape to grow — even trickier, some argue, than pinot noir. Sangio’s thin skin makes it susceptible to sunburn, and it’s prone to over-cropping. So far, it’s suffered from a spotty reputation in the New World and doesn’t fetch anything close to the prices commanded by other varieties grown in Santa Barbara County. And yet, with a little more than 127 acres currently planted to the grape, there are a handful of Santa Barbara County producers who have not only stuck with this temperamental variety but have also come to love what it produces here.
"The grape is really happy here," said Peter Stolpman, whose family has been making Ballard Canyon sangiovese for 20 years, now producing about 1,200 cases of it annually, including a carbonic version made from earlier-ripening fruit. Light and refreshing, that’s best served with a chill.