Âmevive - Grenache Blanc - Ballard Canyon, CA - 2024

Notes from the Winery/Importer

This wine comes from Rancho Boa Vista, a certified organic vineyard and olive orchard perched on the west-facing slopes at the southern end of the Ballard Canyon AVA. I fell in love with warm-climate Grenache Blanc the very first vintage I worked with it here in Santa Barbara County. Rancho Boa Vista captures the harmonious blend of the varieties’ Mediterranean roots and the California sunshine it grows under beautifully This bottling is especially significant, as it marks the final vintage of Grenache Blanc from Rancho Boa Vista. The vineyard was unexpectedly abandoned after the 2024 harvest, and I feel both grateful for the wines we were able to make and sad to say goodbye. Looking ahead, in 2024 we planted our own estate Grenache Blanc at Ibarra-Young. Our first harvest will come in 2026. Good things take time.

Notes on the Producer

Pronunciation: "ahm-veev" ​ ​Translation: soulful, lively soul, living soul ​ the emotional part of human nature; the seat of the feelings or sentiments. high-mindedness; noble warmth of feeling, spirit or courage. the principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity and separate from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part.

We lease and farm the Ibarra-Young Vineyard in Los Olivos District A.V.A.

This vineyard was planted by Charlotte Young in 1971 and is still owned by her three daughters. Charlotte's right-hand man, Miguel Ibarra, Helped her plant the vineyard in 1971 and continued to work on the vineyard for more than 40 years. Today, we celebrate this duo by designating these 10 acres as the Ibarra-Young Vineyard.

Ibarra-Young Vineyard was one of the first vineyards planted in the Santa Ynez Valley and has so much soul you can feel it. The first 3 acres were planted in 1971 and 3 more acres were planted in 1973. In the late 90's and early 2000's Bob Lindquist completed Ibarra-Young's planted acreage with the "young" vines in the rockier section of the vineyard.

The vineyard is planted to Syrah and Mourvèdre planted in 1971, Marsanne planted in 1973, as well as suitcase clone Tempranillo and Graciano planted in the late 90's. Everything on the property is own-rooted and has been farmed organically since 1993. We began leasing and farming this special place at the beginning of 2020 and employ regenerative organic and biodynamic practices.
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Our goal is to rebuild an ecosystem of native species that live alongside our vine rows, regenerate soil health, and grow the highest quality grapes this site can give. We believe the best wine grapes are grown with minimal inputs and conscious vineyard management. We reject a systematic schedule for viticulture and farming in general. We believe that by working in conjunction with nature we can increase biodiversity and soil health, minimize unnecessary sprays, minimize tractor passes and compaction, decrease water use, and reduce our carbon footprint.

We look forward to taking you along on this journey of unconventional viticulture with us. We hope to convince you that with a lot of passion and hard work, world-class wines are made with minimal intervention in a vineyard that grows alongside a healthy living ecosystem.
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