by Tom Hill

A self-admitted wine geek, Tom lives in Northern New Mexico and works as a computational physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory doing numerical neutron transport & large scale code development. He has been tasting wines since 1971, participates locally with a couple of large tasting groups in his area, and is practically a fixture at most California wine festivals, such as the Hospice du Rhône, Rhône Rangers, and ZAP. Other interests: Tom is heavily into competitive sport fencing (foil & epee), biking, cooking, basketball, skiing, backpacking, mountain climbing.

 
1. Ojai Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Westerly Vineyard 2003: Beautiful figgy/floral slight SB/herbal light pencilly/oak nose; rich/lush floral/figgy/ripe some minerally light oak flavor; lovely/ripe unusual rendition of the variety. Adam's SBs have always been one of my very favorites from Calif. He used to make a CuveeHelene that had some Semillon and received more barrel time, but that's been dropped. Since Adam's gone to Westerly SB grapes, I think the wine has been kicked up a notch. It's priced very well but, alas, not much is made and it sells out rapidly.
2. Ojai Vineyard Vin de Soleil Blanc Bien Nacido Vineyard 2003: Rather leesy quite minerally ripe/lush/pear/ Viognier rather low-key/quiet floral nose; soft/lush low-key/pear/peach/Viognier/ripe rather minerally flavor; a rather quiet/ripe wine w/ an interesting minerality to it. The wine is mostly Viognier. All of the Stolpman Roussanne goes now into the VinBlanc. The tiny amount of RollRanch Viognier is now all diverted into the dessert/icewine. This wine is a FallRelease.
3. Ojai Vineyard Vin de Rose 2003: Pale copper/salmon color; very fragrant/perfumed bright/zippy/ cranberry/juicy slight toasty/oak nose; soft/lush/mouthfilling bright floral/cranberry; a lovely/lush rose w/o the hard/dusty/acidic character of Provencal versions. Jeez...wisht I'd ordered more of that. This was the current release. Mostly Syrah saignee plus some Grenache.
   
   Then Adam asked us if if we'd like to try some Chards. Normally I would have politely demurred this offer, but Adam's sly little grin indicated we shouldn't. So Michael lined us up w/ a blind tasting of three Chards:
   
   
4. Ojai Vineyard ClosPepe Vineyard Chard (14.0%) 2002: Lovely lush/melony/ripe/Chard some floral/pineapple some pencilly/oak nose; beautiful rich/lush pineapply/buttery/lemony/cream puffy/floral/ripe slight minerally light pencilly/oak flavor w/ an underlying bright/acidity; lots of lush ripeness but a great tart structure.
   Mostly Dijon clones I believe. This is a killer Chard that's a FallRelease. Adam doesn't get a lot of recognition for his Chards (nor his Pinots), but they're some of the few that I regularly buy. And attractively priced. The Bien Nacido Chard (this Spring's release) was also terrific, but not as interesting as this ClosPepe.
5. Clos Pepe Santa Rita Hills Chard (13.9%) 2002: Strong/fragrant tropical fruit/floral/pineapply slightly aldehydic/pungent some smokey/toasty/oak some complex nose; soft/ripe floral/tropical fruit quite fragrant smokey/toasty/oak flavor; finishes a bit short. Not the ClosPepes I'm familar with, which tend to be a bit tighter/leaner and more Chablis-like.
6. Melville Vineyard Clone 76/Inox Chard (15.0%) 2003: Very strong clean/celery/pure/Chard light melony/ lush slight earthy nose; light lean/clean/celery/melony/Chard flavor; short bit herbal/celery finish; plenty of ripe/Chard fruit w/ an underlying leanness; very nice of this style. 
   This is supposed to represent the Chablis-like style of Chard, but it doesn't show that chalky/minerally terroir of French Chablis.This was a pretty interesting comparison of SRH Chards. Not sure I can identify any terroir yet of SRH. Mostly I find them to have a lot of ripe fruit & lush character, but an underlying brisk acidity that lends them great structure. The Ojai was my clear favorite for its greater depth and length. The ClosPepe was not like any that I've had before and I'd like to retaste it again. So then it was onto the reds:
7. Ojai Vineyard Bien Nacido Pinot Noir QBlock 2003: Dark color; lovely slight herbal/chile quite Burgundian classic BN/black cherry/plummy slight earthy some toasty/charred nose; big/lush rich plummy/black cherry/Pinot rather toasty/charred/Burgundian flavor w/ fair tannins. From a new barrel. Lots of smokey/charred/Burgundian character.
8. Ojai Vineyard Clos Pepe Vineyard PinotNoir 2003: Less black cherry/ripe character more minerally/earthy/ Burgundian brighter/black cherry rather charred/toasty/burnt/oak nose; tart/lean minerally/earthy/ quite bright/cherry/black cherry rather toasty/charred/oak nose; more terroir expressive and more tighter structured for aging; quite Burgundian, will be a killer Pinot.
9. Ojai Vineyard Fe Ceiga Vineyard PinotNoir 2003: Less fruit more earthy/dusty slight cherry/black cherry some toasty/charred oak; big bit clunky light cherry/black cherry rather earthy/dusty some charred/oak flavor; rather hard & tannic & the least fruit of all. Reminds me some of the Oz or Tasmania PNs w/ its earthiness. From Rick Longoria's new Pinot  Vineyard.
10. Ojai Vineyard Beckman Vineyard/PurismaMtn Grenache 2003: Beautiful strawberry/Grenache interesting milk of magnesia/bubble gummy (Bazooka) exotic nose; tart/rich intense wild strawberry/boysenberry very wild/exotic flavor; very exotic interesting intens Grenache.
11. Ojai Vineyard Stolpman Vineyard Mourvedre (Tablas Clone) 2003: Somewhat stinky/reduced nose that clears to gamey/leathery/plummy somewhat dusty/earthy nose; rough/rustic/tannic quite sauvage/gamey/earthy/ leathery some plummy flavor; rather a Languedoc-style of Mourvedre. Quite interesting.
12. Ojai Vineyard Purisma Mtn Syrah 2003: Strong blackberry/Syrah slight dusty/earthy slight stinky/reduced nose; rich/strong/hard blackberry/blueberry/boysenberry/Syrah flavor; lots of straightforward Syrah fruit. For the Vid de Soleil.
13. Ojai Vineyard Vogelsang Vineyard (ENTAV Clone 383) Syrah 2003: Black color; less intense blackberry/ boysenberry/Syrah slight dusty nose; bit softer/rounder strong blackberry/Syrah bit simple flavor; on its own a pretty nice Syrah but not the interest of the others. For the Vin de Soleil.
14. Ojai Vineyard Westerly Vineyard (ENTAV Clone 174) 2003: Black color; stronger blackberry/boysenbery/Syrah bit more floral/perfumed/violets more fragrant/perfumed nose; soft/rich/lush floral/blackberry/ Syrah bit tannic flavor; the most interesting of these three Syrahs. 
    For Vin de Soleil.  On their own, these three were very nice Syrahs. But they were a bit lacking in structure and grip compared w/ the other Syrahs. They make great components for the Vin de Soleil, though.
15. Ojai Vineyard RollRanch Syrah 2003: Big rich plummy/spicy bit peppery/roasted very lush nose; soft/lush very spicy/blackberry/plummy/Syrah ripe classic RollRanch Syrah; lovely wine.
16. Ojai Vineyard RollRanch EHBlock 2003: Black collor; much like above but more spicy/peppery intense nose; big mouthfilling more spicy/peppery tarter more tannic/structured on palate; a killer EHBlock.
17. Ojai Vineyard Stolpman Vineyard Syrah 2003: Much less fruit than RR; lighter blackberry/Syrah bit closed nose; rather hard/lean/tannic/austere some blackberry/fruit flavor; needs more age to show much; hard & closed & tight.
18. Ojai Vineyard Stolpman Vineyard EstrellaClone 2003: much brighter Syrah fruit, much more fragrant & perfumed; still pretty hard & tannic on the palate.
19. Ojai Vineyard Thompson Vineyard Syrah 2003: Black color; very intense blackberry/Syrah/peppery bit dusty nose; very spicy very blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry extracted big hard tannic flavor; another terrific Thompson Syrah.
20. Ojai Vineyard White Hawk Vineyard Syrah 2003: Beautiful fragrant/Syrah/blackberry/black cherry bit plummy very aromatic almost Pinotish nose; big/rich aromatic/blackberry/Syrah/black cherry slight licorice flavor; a lovely addition to the Ojai portfolio. This comes from a new  Vineyard whose soil is almost pure sand. Definitely a  Vineyard to watch.
21. Ojai Vineyard White Hawk Vineyard Syrah 2003: This version had extended skin contact for 30 days after fermentation. Much the same character but softer rounder and more lush on the palate.  Adam will release his first WhiteHawk Vineyard Syrah 2001 w/ the FallRelease. He advises us that it is one killer Syrah.
22. Ojai Vineyard Melville Vineyard (Verna's) Syrah 2003: Strong blackberry/Syrah quite plummy/ripe/chocolaty/ licorice nose; tart/spicy very blackberry/Syrah/ripe/licorice flavor. This is from the new Melville  Vineyard up on CatCanyonRd not far from the Thompson Vineyard. Will go into the SantaBarbara Syrah.
23. Ojai Vineyard Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah 2003: Big/rich ripe/plummy/black cherry/perfumey very ripe/framboise fragrant nose; tart/lush intense/ripe/black cherry/blackberry/Syrah/framboise/raspberry peppery rather tannic flavor. 
    As I have noted over the last yr, nearly all the Bien Nacido Syrahs I've been tasting strike me as much improved over earlier BNs. Adam attributes this to much better farming of the grapes by the Millers in recent yrs.
24. Ojai Vineyard Melville Estate Santa Rita Hills Tablas Clone Syrah 2003: Strong very spicy/peppery /licorice/ blackberry/Syrah perfumed/aromatic nose; tart/hard rich/ extracted/mouthfilling very peppery/blackberry/ Syrah/licorice structured flavor; a stunning Syrah made to last.
25. Ojai Vineyard Melville Estate Santa Rita Hills Estrella Clone Syrah 2003: This came from a new oak barrel. Bit more bright/fragrant/strawberry/blackberry rather toasty/charred/oak nose; bit lighter/brighter strawberry/blackberry/peppery/Syrah bit floral/lilacs flavor. 
    Beautiful/spectacular Syrah.  As with all such tastings of such young wines, these notes are merely a snapshot of works in progress. I haven't the experience to say how these wines are vis a vis previous vintages, nor how they will evolve. It's always easy to muck things up betwixt barrel & bottle by the winemaker. My experience tells me that this will not happen w/ Adam, though.And then Adam had a special treat for MerlotBoy and I....a complete vertical of his Rhone-blend Vin de Soleils:
26. Ojai Vineyard Purisma Mtn Vin de Soleil 2002: About 56% Mourvedre, balance mostly Grenache, some Syrah. Med.dark color; quite gamey/plummy/ripe/perfumed slight earthy nose; soft/lush ripe/gamey/plummy slight boysenberry light toasty oak flavor; smooth/round/lush w/ great balance. The Mourvedre really shows it sauvage/plummy character.
27. Ojai Vineyard Vin de Soleil 2001: 72% Grenache, balance Syrah. Much more pretty/fragrant/perfumed/ strawberry/Grenache rather floral/bubble gum (Fleers) nose; soft/round/lush very strawberry/perfumed/ floral/violets flavor; lush & near ready to drink but should age.
28. Ojai Vineyard Vin de Soleil 2000: 85% Grenache from Beckman & Stolpman, 15% Syrah/RollRanch. Slightly corked/funky, so Michael retrieved a 2'nd btl. Beautiful/lush licorice/plummy/strawberry very floral/ perfumed/aromatic nose; soft/lush plummy/licorice/strawberry very spicy slight toasty/oak flavor; very balanced & drinkable but should age longer.
29. Ojai Vineyard Vin de Soleil 1999: Pretty badly corked/musty. No backup btl here, alas.
30. Ojai Vineyard Vin de Soleil 1998: Mostly Grenache plus Stolpman Syrah & Mourvedre. Lovely toasty/pencilly/ oak very smokey/complex very spicy/strawberry perfumed/fragrant nose; lush/round/smooth pencilly/ smokey/roasted/oak complex/round/smooth spicy/strawberry/floral flavor. (Obviously) showing the most development and ready to drink but will go several more yrs.
31. Michael's mystery wine: Sine Qua Non Erased 1998: Very intense blackberry/plummy very spicy quite pencilly/toasty/charred/roasted/oak some complex very aromatic nose; tart very toasty/charred/oak smokey/roasted bit hot/fumey/alcoholic intense blackberry/boysenberry complex flavor; needs more age. Because of the spicy/blackberry character and the much mopre intense charred/oak, I identified it as an earlier Ojai Thompson, about '95 or '96. Wrong again, but had I paid more attention and feeled up the btl more, my palate would've told me it was a SQN right away.  

The Rhone-blend/Chateauneuf-style wines in Calif don't seem to get as much respect as their Syrah brethern. Adam's VdS has always been one of my favorites of the genre from Calif. He has it priced right up there with his Syrahs, so he obviously things highly of them as well. Because the blends for them vary from yr to yr, their evolution is not always linear. With more & more PurismaMtn grapes going into his VdS, it's going to be kicked up a notch I feel. As we are finishing up with tasting, Helen brings Benjamin & Henry back from their play date, so they all stop to chat a bit. The two boys are growing like weeds, kinda to be expected. I offer to show them what a REAL sword looks like, so open my suitcase and quickly assemble my weapon. They don't seem all that impressed by my epee, probably acause it doesn't have a sharp point and they can't do any real damage with it. And the orthopedic grip seems a bit strange to them as well. Oh, well. Bid adieu to Adam & Michael (Fabien has already had to leave) and head up the road to SantaBarbara to deal w/ my falt and have dinner w/ Bernie.

At the Library tasting at HdR on Friday afternoon, Michael and Fabien were there to pour some of the Ojais:

1. Ojai Vineyard Calif Syrah 1991: Classic mature Calif Syrah; very smokey/pungent dusty slight blackberry/ licorice complex bit earthy nose; soft slightly dried out/astringent very smokey/pungent/toasty/ roasted light blackberry/Syrah complex/pungent flavor; terrific complex somewhat Rhonish nose and still in great shape but starting to dry out.
2. Ojai Vineyard Bien Nacido Syrah 1996: Beautiful/complex classic Ojai toasty/smokey/pungent strong blackberry/ Syrah nose; rather hard/tannic beautiful smokey/pungent/toasty/charred intense blackberry/Syrah/black cherry/licorice flavor; still loaded w/ fruit & pungent character & needs age yet.
3. Ojai Vineyard Roll Ranch Syrah 1998: Loads of spicy/blackberry/Syrah/plummy slight toasty/oak some complex nose; soft/fat/rich/lush very strong peppery/plummy/blackberry/Syrah very spicy/perfumed flavor; very drinkable & still loaded w/ ripe/plummy fruit.
4. Ojai Vineyard Roll Ranch Syrah 1997: More fragrant/spicy slight gamey/sauvage more complex nose; big/rich soft very lush more gamey/complex loads of spicy/blackberry/Syrah flavor; my favorite of this foursome.

I have followed Adam's Ojai wines from the very start when he was making them up in LosAlamos in SamHale's dairy barn, alongside JimClendennen and BobLindquist. Don't think I've missed a one. His first Syrah was the '83. made from EstrellaRiver Vineyard grapes. I liked it a lot, but thought it was a bit too much towards WalterShug's early Phelps, a bit too much overdone on the toasty/oak, a bit too Burgundy in character. But that changed very rapidly and then soon became one of my favorite Syrahs from Calif. Starting in the early '90's, I thought the quality jumped to some of the top Syrahs being produced in Calif. And they still remain, IMHO, pretty much at the top of a rapidly growing heap of Calif Syrahs.

I first started sending Adam my tasting notes from the very start, with the '93. But marketing & public relations are not Adam's strong suit, and so I never heard from him until the late '90's when I finally received a scribbled post card thanking for my notes. It wasn't until the early '90's that I actually met him in RealSpace. And, of course, it was not until only a few yrs ago that we actually connected in CyberSpace via e-mail.

The Ojai wines are pretty much no-brainers every year; wines that I & my group purchase year-in & year-out, knowing that the quality will always be there. Fortunately, even though they receive high accolades from Arpy and others, they still remain realtively available, at least direct. And Adam has been very good at taking care of his LosAlamos customers; where there are probably more Ojai wines, per capita, than anyplace outside OakView.

TomHill

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