My latest shipment from Ojai arrived last week, so I tried these 4 over the weekend:
1. OjaiVnyd Riesling KickOnRanch/SantaBarbaraCnty (12.5%) 2020: Med.light gold color; rather strong R/mango/floral light chalky/mineral/stony quite fragrant R nose;
quite tart/tangy bit flinty/steely/metallic fairly strong R/mango/pineapple/floral rather chalky/mineral/stony bit austere/tight/wiry flavor; very long quite tart/tangy/flinty/metallic
fairly strong pure Calif R/mango/pineapple/floral light chalky/stony bit austere/lean finish; a bit simple now but a fairly classic OV Calif R that really needs some 4-5 yrs to put on
weight & should go out 10-15 yrs; resembles a bit the Bedrock Rieslings but not as rich. $28.00
________________
2. OjaiVnyd SauvBlanc McGinleyVnyd/SantaBarbaraCnty (13.0%) 2020: Very attractive melony/SB/light herbal some floral/marigolds/SauvMusque (?) light pencilly/oak
some mild-mannered lovely nose; fairly tart/tangy/bit grapefruity fairly strong SB/melony/ripe/bit herbal light pencilly/oak flavor; very long/lingering strong melony/ripe/SB/
slight herbal bit floral/SauvMusque (?) lightly tart/grapefruity bit pencilly/oak finish; a quite pretty mild-mannered SB that doesn'y have a lot of savory/mineral character but is
likely to put on weight & become more interesting; reminds a bit of the DryCreekVnyds Sauv Musque but less oak. $28.00
________________
3. OjaiVnyd Viognier RollRanchVnyd/VenturaCnty (14.0%) 2020: Light yellow color; quite attractive strong pear/peach/Viog/quite floral/almost R-like/spicy slight mineral
lovely nose; lightly tart very strong pear/peach/Viog/floral slightly rich quite balanced bit R-like/mango lovely flavor; very long/lingering strong Viog/pear/floral/gardenias
almost R-like/mangoslight mineral balanced lightly tart finish; quite a pretty/balanced expression of Viog far away from DollyParton territory; will probably benefit from a
few yrs of age; a very attractive bright/tangy Viog. $34.00
________________
4. OjaiVnyd Barbera RichVnyd/VenturaCnty (14.5%) 2017: Quite dark color; very strong very spicy/Barbera/dried Italian herbs/pizza spices rather toasty/oak fairly
lush blackberry/bit peppery lovely nose; slightly tart/tangy rather rich/lush strong Baarbera/spicy/dried Italian herbs bit complex flavor w/ light ripe tannins; very long/lingering
rather rich/lush quite tart/tangy very spicy/Barbera/dried herbs bit earthy/dusty finish w/ modest tangy tannins; loads of spicy Barbera character & a bracing acidity but the
richness/lushness tempers the high acidity; a terrific expression of uniquely Calif Barbera but w/o the often hard/austere character of Piemonte Barbera
$35.00
______________________________
A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. I have, of course, followed AdamTolmach's wines from the very start, his '82 OakView Syrah, one of the first great Syrahs made in Calif. His wines were really rather
big/bombastic in style back then. But he has reined in the alcohol & upped the acidity to make a wine her much prefers now. Sometimes they can be a bit too
restrained for my tastes. These were not.
Tom