“In terms of leaf quality, number of peduncles being formed and production of buds for next year’s crop, the vines are looking the best they have in five years,” Bob says. “If production this year is good, 2017 could be sensational.”

Since the rains began in early December, his rain gauge shows precipitation has totaled almost 8 inches. At the end of March, he turned on his drip system for the first time this season to provide an overnight irrigation for his vines. Normally, he irrigates two nights a week from March until June. Water comes from a system of five deep, metered wells operated by a small rural water company.

Although frost is a threat every spring for growers in the Santa Ynez Valley, it’s a minor concern for the Baehners. “We’re 600 feet higher than the valley floor and above the fog layer where the air is much warmer,” Bob says. “In the 16 years we’ve been here, we’ve never experienced frost. We didn’t know about the low frost threat when we planted the vineyard and went through the first several seasons without an overhead sprinkler system. By then, since we had not needed frost protection, we never installed sprinklers.”

The Baehners follow sustainable farming practices, minimizing the use of chemicals to control diseases, insect and other pests. With few nearby vineyards and frequent, blustery winds and warm temperatures, disease pressure in the vineyard has remained very low.

Occasionally, he applies sulfur to control any powdery mildew but uses no herbicides. Native grasses control erosion while limiting weed growth between the rows of vines on the slopes. He hires a crew with weed-whackers to control weeds within the rows.

“We can afford the extra cost of mechanical control because of our small acreage, and we think it contributes to the quality and value of our grapes,” Baehner says.

Meanwhile, he relies on trapping rather than poisons to control rodents, as well as resident barn owls and coyotes, bobcats and other wildlife. Also, a 100-head herd of cattle, which graze in the surrounding area, help keep the wildfire hazard down.