Wine: Ojai: Syrah Santa Barbara

California

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Ojai Vineyard

The Ojai Vineyard, owned by Adam & Helen Tolmach, works closely with a dozen different vineyards on the Central Coast of California and produces wines from syrah, grenache, mourvedre, pinot noir, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and viognier. About 6000 cases are produced each year, divided between 15 bottlings, most of which are vineyard designated wines.

The key to producing special wine is in the care taken growing the grapes. There is an inverse relationship between quantity and quality when it comes to grapes, so rather than purchasing ours by the ton, we have long term agreements with our growers to buy the fruit by the acre. This lets us culture the vines and thin the crop to our strict specifications, yet allows the grower to receive a fair return.

In the winery we like to watch the development of the wine carefully, yet prefer to do as little as possible. Experience has shown us that the least amount of moving, pumping, fining and filtering is always best. The ultimate objective is to show off the distinctive character of a vineyard site.

We publish two newsletters a year (spring and fall), in which we offer our wines in advance of delivery at discounted prices to our mailing list customers. If you would like to be placed on our mailing list please sign up here or fax us your mailing address information. If you are interested in ordering wines that are currently available from The Ojai Vineyard please see our order form.

The Ojai Vineyard is not open for tours or tasting.

This is our first wine from Doug Braun’s lovingly farmed Presidio Vineyard. Doug has been making wine for years, and recently found this property west of the Santa Rita Hills appellation and planted it with organic and biodynamic growing in mind from the start. His first crop was in 2004. I find his vineyard compelling for a few reasons. First and formost is the cool climate. The lack of heat preserves the distinct character of the grapes—their struggle to ripen at this windy site is essential for their unique personality. The vineyard is situated in a great spot on a gentle southerly slope, and the vines are planted close together in very poor sandy soil. Doug’s commitment to organic and biodynamic farming has been great for grape quality because succussfully farming without the usual chemicals requires a special attentiveness to the needs of the vine, which has a direct bearing on what sort of quality the vines will produce. Although it’s difficult to quantify all the differences between conventionally grown and biodynamically farmed fruit, perceptive growers I talk with think there are clear advantages to the natural approach. The wine we made was immediately a standout in the cellar. It bears the mark of being grown in a particularly cool spot by its spectacular aroma of bright berry fruits and peppery herbal earthiness. There is a density and sexy, musky vineyard personality that is hidden by its freshness, but it will become apparent with age. Immediately after bottling in March of 2007 the wine closed down and hid most of its promise. However, now, a year and a half later it is beginning to show its stuff. With a good decanting it is perfect with savory dishes, though it still has years to go before it peaks

• Alberta