On down the road to meet Steve Beckmen at his Purisima Mountain Vineyard. Although Stolpman predated it, arguably, it may have been Purisima Mtn that put Ballard Canyon on the map - so to speak. After apologizing for the lack of shade (it was a hot day), Steve described the location. He told us that Purisima Mtn was similar in soil to similar to Tierra Alta and Stolpman - with the biggest difference being that his vineyards are facing south and southwest. Same Linne clay/loam/chalky limestone - which could be right at the surface or well below it. After making wines with Stolpman fruit, Steve was impressed with quality of Syrah and Grenache, and to a lesser extent Mourvedre, so the Beckmen family bought this piece of Ballard Canyon in 1996.

Planted in late '90s over 3 yrs (40ac in '97, 60ac in '98, and 30ac in '99), Purisima Mtn is now 125 acres, with 15 Sauvignon Blanc, 12 Cabernet, and the rest Rhone varieties. About 60 acres of Syrah, and about 30 acres of Grenache - a standout on this property. Also has some Counoise (only goes into the LeBec bottlings as 5-12% of the blend for "textural and balance purposes"). The vineyard can get quite windy, so most of the Grenache is in sheltered swales, as it tends toward shatter in windy conditions at the time of flowering. So much so that Steve joked about "stem dropping," referring to the shattered clusters that get dropped. Trellising is mostly vertical shoot position. Steve had just done some hedging of both sides and tops, and leaf and lateral shoot removal this time of year to the Syrah. But, he lets everything else go, because there's too much growth laterally after hedging.

The Marssanne is on bilateral cordon. Steve prefers the bottom section (flatter part) of the vineyard, rather than the hillside portion - and says, though it is more vigorous, it has more character and flavor. Since 2002, he has been trying biodymanic farming. Steve and his family live on the property, wich give added meaning to a "self sustaining environment." Currently, they're doing lots of gardening, and this will be followed by adding livestock in the next few years (cows, goats, etc.) Steve, hasn't used sulphur for last couple of years - uses something mineral oil-based item for mildew - but he says it's mostly dry here anyway. He has noticed higher levels of nitrogen, and fewer stuck fermentations since use of biodynamics. About 85% of the fruit goes to the Beckmen label - sells primarily Syrah to about 10 other winemakers. Block 6 was started the same time as the biodynamic program, so he could follow it how well the block performed (3 selections - 174, 383, Estrella).