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Ojai: Sauvignon Blanc
We tasted the Ojai Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc and were pleasantly surprised. This is a single Vineyard wine from Ojai’s Westerly Vineyard on the Central Coast of California. Ojai only produces about 6000 cases, divided between 15 bottling’s. The wine is Crisp and clean, highly aromatic. You would expect grapefruit and this Sauvignon Blanc doesn’t disappoint. Alongside the grapefruit is hints of mango and a solid peach finish. Mineral notes are present throughout.
Ojai: ROSÉ 2009
Maybe it doesn’t make sense to like rosé so much, but a good one is really good! In the old days we used to make it dark, soft, and full to the point that it could have been confused with a pinot noir. The wine was a meal in itself. But I have turned away from that style; I now prefer rosés light and zippy-so much easier to slurp with lunch on an unbearably hot day. Inspiration has come from rosés as diverse as the ultra expensive Château Simone to the completely unpredictable Francois Cotat, which when it’s great, there’s none better! This year we made ours from Roll Ranch syrah picked at a zippy 22 Brix sugar with a spot of added viognier and sauvignon blanc.
Ojai: Riesling 2008
I had never thought much about riesling until I moved to Ojai full time in 1993. The summers here are hot, and I found myself drinking more and more white wine during those hot months. I don’t care much for semisweet wines, but the dry style rieslings from Germany and Austria are quite thirst quenching-and surprisingly food friendly and versatile. That love of the classic dry rieslings led to my curiosity about a small vineyard way out west of the town of Los Alamos. By coincidence, it’s just a few miles from where I got my start in the wine business. Old-timer grape king Dale Hampton once told me that this area was particularly well suited for riesling, but since grape quality and the economics of the wine business don’t always jive together, almost all the Riesling in the valley was torn out and replaced with chardonnay. I had seen Kick On vineyard in the early days when it was just being planted but had forgotten it had riesling, so when I heard that some was available, I jumped at the chance. 2007 was our first offering, and it was a take-no-prisoners-styled wine that had searing acidity-and tasted terrific with goat cheese and crackers. This 2008 is also dry-and strikingly unlike other California rieslings if a bit more consensual. It has a beguiling lemon peel aroma and fresh, crisp minerally flavors, yet it is richer flavored and rounder than the previous effort.
Ojai: Pinot Noir Santa Barbara
This wine is the product of our quest to make exuberant California pinot that has a more European sensibility, and we are particularly delighted with the results. By picking grapes that are not over-ripe, we have achieved a wine that has better acidity, more aromatic thrust, and a deliciously fresh, fine-grained finish. Sourced from some of the best vineyards in Santa Barbara County, the blend is 52% Solomon Hills, 32% Bien Nacido and 16% Presidio.
Ojai: Pinot Bien Nacido
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.
Ojai: Pinot Noir Clos Pepe
A delicate style which is immensely pleasing. Flavorful red strawberries and raspberries framed by bright acidity and gossamer tannins. Minerality is prevalent throughout.
Ojai: Syrah Santa Barbara
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
Ojai: Syrah Bien Nacido
funky sweaty leather, intense, earthy, savory escargot, some raw coconutty wood here, boysenberry juice, lots of forest floor. Great complexity with only a subtle fruitiness. Very finely focused in the mouth with lots of soft tannins and finely integrated acids supporting soft, almost grapy, slightly peppery black raspberry fruit. This is rather agile on the palate for such a big wine. This has a slightly raw feel to it and will definitely benefit from another 2-4 years in the bottle. There’s a very attractive herbal note on the back end that contrasts nicely against fruit and the finish is read more…a mélange of apple, pomegranate and boysenberry fruits that are fresh, pure and long with a hint of that sweet/sour jolly ranch character.
Ojai: Syrah White Hawk
Dark bluish red. Delicious and open nose of blueberries, blackberries and hints of herbs and smoke. Great welcoming mouthfeel with loads of cool fruit and refreshing acidity. A real beauty.
Ojai: Syrah Thompson
My criticism of Thompson syrah is that it tends to be a bit monolithic. To remedy this, since 2003, we have been adding increasing amounts of grenache and mourvedre, and we love the results. This 2007 has a beautiful aroma, a lively play of bright stone fruits and herbs, and reminds me of a modern style Châteaunuef du Pape-not a bad thing at all! Generally, these Thompson syrahs have been impossible to drink when young, but this one is different. It doesn’t give up one ounce of intensity, but it’s just a lot less awkward-and really downright charming. I see a drinking window from now through 2025.
Ojai: Syrah Melville
A very original aroma of black pepper, herbs, and roots, this Melville syrah expresses what is so special about cool climate syrahs. I like them because, although they are fruity, they go beyond simple fruitiness-there is another dimension of enticing aromatic spiciness. This syrah has great density of flavor, but is not overly heavy. It possesses earth and animal flavors, and has mouth-coating and delicious tannins.
Ojai: Syrah Roll Ranch
This wine has an evocative and lively aroma of pine, sage and damp earth. There are sappy plum pit and cherry aromas as well, and no hint of overripe heaviness—which is not to say the wine is light, it isn’t. It is savory and rich with a nice bittersweet chocolate aftertaste. The 2005 harvest gave us wines that are fresh and alive.
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