Pursuit
Back then a lot of vines were grown without much care in what was called a California sprawl. It took years to get growers to move towards progressive practices like drip irrigation and vertical trellising to improve wine grape quality. Adam was a pioneer in this respect, convincing farmers to prioritize quality over quantity. He worked relentlessly in the cellar to fine-tune the winemaking process to make it as natural as possible, using only tiny quantities of sulfites and avoiding fining and filtering, with an aim to further improve quality. "In business, it's really easy to produce something universally appealing..but if you're really into craft, you don't do that, you have to fight that and make wines of subtlety, finesse and distinction." The question of climate is also a cornerstone — his years of experience showed him how the cooler climate sites were always better balanced and more expressive terroirs. He grew determined to focus on those sites completely, and in 2020 he purchased Fe Ciega Vineyard, a cool Sta Rita Hills vineyard that he had made wine from since 2003. Coming up on his 44th vintage, Adam is still the winemaker and the sole proprietor of The Ojai Vineyard. He has remained whole-heartedly dedicated to his craft, fueled by a genuine love for what he does. In the least pretentious way possible, Adam is trying to make some of the finest wines in the world.
