2016 Site Wines Grenache Larner Vineyard Ballard Canyon Santa Barbara 750 ml

Our Master Sommelier Sur Lucero has formed many friendships in his more than two decades in wine, and today they’ve earned us a bottle that next to no one can get their hands on: the rare 2016 Site Wines Grenache from Ballard Canyon’s singular Larner Vineyard. 

A brilliant winemaker’s cult-level red, Antonio Galloni of Vinous called this a “total rock-star wine” in his 95-point review. Made in a tiny 100-case quantity, we normally expect the entire production to be gobbled up by Michelin-starred California destinations like The French Laundry, SingleThread, Lazy Bear, and Benu. 

This is one of the most striking California reds we’ve ever tasted, a restrained version of greats by Sine Qua Non and Saxum. Dense with blackberry, blueberry, and plum accented by pepper-laced smoked meat and balsamic, it’s big on up-front richness, but reveals worlds of fine-etched detail with every sip.

Lovers of Rhône wines and California reds owe themselves a bottle of this stunner, and we truly wish our allocation could match our excitement. But despite our success in scoring this coup, there won’t be a bottle for everyone—not with the paltry supply.

The name says it all: Site Wines, the passion project of former Seavey (Napa) and current Adelaida (Paso Robles) winemaker Jeremy Weintraub, are all about expressing their source, which is why he refuses to claim any one “style.” Instead, Jeremy favors a roll-with-the-punches approach that can only be dictated by the vintage and the vineyard—and his bar is so high, he only works with three. 

Every one of the three superstar Santa Barbara County vineyards Jeremy leans on for his 500-case annual production will be familiar to Wine Access members: Santa Maria’s Bien Nacido Vineyard supplies him with Syrah. He goes to Stolpman in Ballard Canyon for Roussanne, and to nearby Larner Vineyard for the 75% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and dash of Viognier that make up this spectacular bottle. 

The vines at the south-facing Larner Vineyard, which is located at the southern edge of wind-whipped Ballard Canyon, grow in exceptionally well-drained, sandy soils—a description that makes our minds go straight to Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape, perhaps the most celebrated Grenache in the world. But in style, Jeremy’s stellar bottle reminds us of cult icon Sine Qua Non, just pulled back a bit: It’s decadent and lush, but sports a restraint that speaks to meticulous farming, not to mention a light hand and prudent decisions in the cellar, where he ages the wine in mainly neutral and large-format oak.

The result is a wine that sports a price tag about one-fifth of comparable wines—if you ever see it in a retail setting. We’re thrilled to tell you that today’s your day, so claim this while we’ve got it!