Seth Kunin’s memorial service investigated over noise complaint

In late October, beloved California winemaker Seth Kunin died from a heart attack late at night in his sleep. Shortly after, friends and family celebrated his life at Larner Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley. An anonymous person has since lodged a complaint against the winery for allegedly violating its permit by hosting the event and causing traffic and noise disruptions along rural Ballard Canyon Road.

Michael Larner, vineyard manager and longtime friend of Kunin, confirmed to the Santa Barbara Independent that over 500 people gathered on his property between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on November 13. The area was staffed with four parking attendants responsible for 200 vehicles. All overflow traffic was under control along the roadside, and no incidents were reported.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbdrQ6EggZt/?tagged=sethkuninAdditionally, no special permissions were required for the memorial, “since we did not charge or rent anything, but rather donated our site to honor a good friend and vineyard client of some 13 years.” Larner assumes the complaint comes from a neighbor he’s not particularly fond of.

“In all honesty, I have really bad neighbors, and they should be embarrassed,” Larner told the Santa Barbara Independent.

Officials have opened an investigation into the allegations to determine whether or not the vineyard will be fined. For those who don’t have anything to whine about, here are 20 reasons why you should drink a glass of wine every day.