Stephen Tanzer's
International Wine Cellar

October/November 2009

 

The Ojai Vineyard
By Josh Raynolds Nov/Dec 09

A late spring frost in 2008 will curtail quantity for the second vintage in a row, Adam Tolmach told me. The upside is that conditions look good for making concentrated, powerful wines that should show some similarities to their vaunted 2007 siblings. Tolmach has moved decisively toward "making wines that are balanced, with depth and power but not for their own sake. Heavy-duty wines tend never to resolve themselves", he said, "while wines that are elegant have a way of surprising us with their ability to develop great complexity." He added that he wasn't advocating malnourished wines by any stretch. "Things were just going so far to the extreme, and I realized that those weren't the kind of wines that really captivated me and held my attention." All of the fruit that Tolmach buys is paid for by the acre so that he can ensure low yields.

2008 The Ojai Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc McGinley Vineyard Santa Ynez Valley ($30)

Light, bright yellow. Musky pear, peach pit and mango aromas are complicated by smoky minerals and herbs. Firm, tightly focused citrus and dried pit fruit flavors gain weight and sweetness with air, picking up a juicy melon quality. Firm finishing notes of pear skin, Thai basil and minerals give this wine a grown-up character. Has heft but betrays no excess fat. 90


2008 The Ojai Vineyard Riesling Kick On Ranch Santa Barbara County ($25)

Greenish straw color. Spicy citrus and floral aromas are complemented by notes of honeysuckle and jasmine. Racy and precise but concentrated, with nervy lime and orange flavors and good mineral snap. Finishes gently spicy, with very good clarity. 90


2008 The Ojai Vineyard Chardonnay Santa Barbara County ($22)

Pale gold. Expressive aromas of poached pear, peach and honeydew. Spicy and sweet, offering nervy citrus and orchard fruit flavors and a good lashing of smoky minerals. The brisk finish shows good citric bite and focus. 90


2007 The Ojai Vineyard Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley ($28)

Yellow-gold. Deep, musky aromas of pear, orange and smoky lees, with an undertone of dusty minerals. Weighty and round, with palate-saturating citrus and orchard fruit flavors and chewy texture. Becomes sweeter with air and finishes with lingering melon and mineral qualities. This is drinking very well right now. 91


2007 The Ojai Vineyard Chardonnay Solomon Hills Vineyard Santa Maria Valley ($34)

Bright gold. Musky, deeply concentrated pear and dried citrus aromas are complicated by notes of truffle and iodine; smells like an old-school white Burgundy. Succulent orchard fruit flavors are enlivened by tangy mineral and lemon qualities and given depth by a toasty, leesy element. This complex chardonnay has the power to handle full-flavored, buttery dishes with ease. 92


2007 The Ojai Vineyard Chardonnay Clos Pepe Santa Rita Hills ($38)

Yellow-gold. Musky peach pit and mango aromas are complicated by zesty, smoky minerals. Tightly focused citrus and dried pit fruit flavors gain a gentle sweetness and put on weight with air, picking up a juicy mango quality. Firm finishing notes of bitter pear skin, tarragon and minerals give this wine a serious aspect. I'd hold off on opening this impressively concentrated wine for another couple of years. 93


2008 The Ojai Vineyard Rose California ($17; a blend of syrah, grenache and mourvedre)

Pale pink. Racy, sharply etched pink grapefruit and strawberry aromas are complicated by honeysuckle and white pepper. Tightly wound citrus and red berry flavors show an impressively delicate, balanced personality, with tangy mineral lift and cut. This is one of the most precise and lithe pink wines I tasted this year, from anywhere. 92


2007 The Ojai Vineyard Pinot Noir Solomon Hills Vineyard Santa Maria Valley ($44)

Deep, bright violet. Energetic red and dark berries on the nose, with sexy notes of rose and blood orange coming up with air. Lively strawberry and black raspberry flavors stain the palate, taking on a richer cherry quality on the back. The sweet red fruits repeat strongly on the strikingly pure and sappy finish. This tangy expression of pinot has the balance and concentration to reward patience. 93


2007 The Ojai Vineyard Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley ($44)

Vivid ruby-red. Deeper and darker on the nose than the Solomon Hills bottling, offering blackberry and licorice scents and a note of white pepper. Youthfully taut and a bit unforthcoming today, slowly unfolding to show sweet cherry and dark berry flavors. Gains spiciness on the finish, which is impressively focused and very long if a bit undifferentiated. Needs patience. 89(+?)


2007 The Ojai Vineyard Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard Santa Rita Hills ($44)

Deep, bright red. Vibrant aromas of red berries, cherry and blood orange, with complicating notes of flowers and minerals. Fleshy, succulent raspberry and cherry preserve flavors are enlivened by zesty minerality and given depth by a slow-building, sweet cola quality. Turns more tangy and powerful on the finish, which leaves fresh redcurrant and raspberry notes behind. I like this wine's blend of vivacity and power. 92


2007 The Ojai Vineyard Pinot Noir Fe Ciega Santa Rita Hills ($50)

Bright red. Musky cherry and dark berries on the nose, with complicating scents of tobacco and spicecake. Stains the palate with spicy red and dark berry flavors, braced by a spine of nervy minerality. Turns fresher and more energetic with air and finishes with excellent clarity and spicy persistence. Already complex enough to drink but built to age. 93


2007 The Ojai Vineyard Pinot Noir Presidio Vineyard Santa Barbara County ($50)

Deep red. Exotically perfumed bouquet displays raspberry liqueur, incense and dried rose, with a sexy note of spicecake gaining strength with air. Silky in texture and deeply concentrated, with unlikely freshness and clarity to the sweet red fruit flavors. Finishes brisk, with a hint of bitter cherry. This wine will also reward patience. 93


2006 The Ojai Vineyard Syrah California Roll Ranch Vineyard ($44)

Vivid ruby. Energetic red berry and cherry aromas are complemented by notes of black pepper and violet. A fresh, focused rendition of syrah that provides good palate coverage without excess weight or tannins. Finishes with very good sappy persistence and an echo of peppery spice. 90


2005 The Ojai Vineyard Syrah Thompson Vineyard Santa Barbara County ($38)

Inky purple. Exotically perfumed bouquet offers spicy raspberry and blackberry scents, along with notes of violet and black olive. Classic syrah on the nose and the palate, with sweet red berry and spice flavors gaining weight and richness with air. Juicy, focused and gently chewy on the long, penetrating finish, which leaves an exotic apricot pit note behind. 92


2005 The Ojai Vineyard Syrah White Hawk Vineyard Santa Barbara County ($38)

Inky violet. Hypnotic aromas of dark berry preserves, incense, violet oil and Indian spices, plus a sexy note of apricot. Succulent, mineral-driven red and dark berry flavors stain the palate, with velvety tannins providing shape. Gains sweetness with air, picking up notes of candied flowers and spicecake that carry through the finish. Impressively energetic, pure syrah that's delicious now but will age well too. 93


2005 The Ojai Vineyard Syrah Verna's Vineyard Santa Barbara County ($38)

Opaque purple. Deep, youthfully brooding aromas of blackcurrant, licorice and black cardamom, with a note of cracked pepper gaining strength with air. Chewy and dense, offering powerful dark fruit flavors and a kiss of bitter cherry pit. This is pretty uncompromising right now but its balance and depth of fruit suggest that it will come out of this sullen stage in fine form. 91(+?)


2005 The Ojai Vineyard Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley ($38)

Glass-staining ruby. Vibrant aromas of black cherry, cassis, violet, pepper and licorice pastille. Tightly wound and unevolved right now, but shows impressively energetic, high-pitched flavors of black cherry and dark berries, with undertones of licorice and violet. A very rich wine with impressive mineral spine. The pungent, violet-tinged finish shows varietally accurate notes of blackcurrant, red berries and olive and clings with excellent clarity. 93


2005 The Ojai Vineyard Syrah Special Bottling Santa Maria Valley ($44; fermented with 25% whole clusters)

Inky purple. Intensely floral, spicy bouquet shows raspberry and boysenberry scents, along with notes of violet, rose, cinnamon and clove. Sappy and sharply focused, offering sweet dark berry flavors and a silky texture. Tannins arrive late and give shape to the spicy, nervy, very long finish. Tolmach told me that he's normally nervous to work with whole clusters but that these stems were perfectly ripe and he couldn't resist the urge to play with them. 93


2005 The Ojai Vineyard Syrah Melville Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills ($44)

Vivid ruby. Highly perfumed bouquet of blackberry, potpourri, smoky minerals and incense. Vibrant red and dark berry flavors gain depth and sweetness with air, picking up an exotic candied floral quality. The mineral element resonates strongly on the strikingly pure and focused finish. This is pretty sexy right now but possesses the balance to reward patience. 93

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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