Stephen Tanzer's
International Wine Cellar

New Wines from California's Central Coast

Mother Nature has been playing games with California's Central Coast in recent vintages, and this fall things have been especially nerve wracking, especially in vineyards planted to late-ripening varieties. At press-time much fruit was still hanging, which makes this the latest harvest on record for many vineyards. On top of that, severe frosts in early spring dramatically reduced yields in many sites; for example, more than half of Paso Robles' 26,000 acres were affected by frost between April 8 and 10, and some vineyards will produce no fruit at all.

Two thousand ten was a relatively benign vintage aside from a damp, chilly spring and a cool summer, which slowed the growing season and set the stage for one of the latest harvests ever, until this year. Some producers told me that 2010 was the coolest growing season since 1998. The good news is that heat spikes in late August and early September (temperatures soared to almost 110 degrees in Paso Robles) helped to kick up sugars, after which the weather cooled back down and stayed that way into October, allowing the vines to be picked at leisure, or at least until the serious rain and cold weather hit in late October. Those weren't issues for pinot noir and chardonnay, by the way, which had long been harvested by then.

Every producer I spoke with this fall was pleased with 2009, describing the year as a textbook, often cool growing season, with sugars advancing smoothly and no serious drops in acidity leading up to the harvest. An early September burst of heat helped push grape sugars up and no significant rain came until the middle of October, by which time almost all pinot and chardonnay had been harvested. That fruit was extremely healthy. Warm, even hot weather returned after the rain and late-ripening varieties could then be harvested into November.

There are still a number of 2008 red wines coming into the market, especially those based on cabernet sauvigon, and they tend to show the effects of this low-yielding vintage, which was seriously affected by severe spring frosts. The wines tend to be on the rich side, with deep, concentrated flavors and serious power, but without the superripe character of many 2007s.

A welcome development in the Central Coast is the growing number of entry-level bottlings from upper-tier producers, wines that are often made with at least some purchased grapes. Much of the fruit comes from high-quality sites and was originally intended to wind up in high-end wines, but that's a slow-moving category now, to say the least. This means that wineries are now able to buy grapes from many carefully planted and tended vineyards at prices that are often far below their intended value, which translates into excellent wines at fair prices, at least in theory. But don't expect to see bargain prices for wines made from grapes sourced from blue-chip Central Coast vineyards any time soon, as that fruit is still in very high demand.

A number of producers told me this year that one way they're dealing with the sluggish market is by relying more heavily on direct sales to consumers, either at tasting rooms or via mailing lists. The logic is that while their market presence may be compromised by limited distribution to retailers and restaurants around the country, they can keep more profit if they sell straight to the end buyer at a lower price than the buyer would be charged at a wine shop. With wine consumers becoming more and more cost-conscious, this strategy makes sense, at least for the short term. Still, quite a few wineries, especially the smaller ones, say that they remain loyal to the traditional three-tier system of producer-wholesaler-retailer. The little guys usually can't afford to have their own sales forces and must rely on wholesalers to keep their wines in the public eye.

Nov/Dec 11

The Ojai Vineyard

By Josh Raynolds

Adam Tolmach told me that his personal preference for a syrah-drinking program is to "start in when they're about seven or eight years old and the fruit has begun to turn complex, and then for a long time after that." Not enough people have had the chance to experience enough well-aged syrah, he went on, "although plenty of people have a lot of experience with older pinot and cabernet, so they're missing a whole other part of wine, so far." He told me that his customers have been extremely responsive to, and supportive of, the move he made a few years ago to making wines "that emphasizes elegance more than sweetness. That doesn't mean that we're making meager wines," he added, "but we do shoot for picking at lower Brix levels than a lot of people. If the pinot is right at 23 degrees Brix, we pick it. Still, you can't have a recipe, because every vintage has its own story. You just need to pick the fruit when it says it's ready."

2010 The Ojai Vineyard Viognier Roll Ranch Vineyard California

($26) Pale yellow. Fresh, precise scents and flavors of orange, green apple, white flowers and ginger. Sappy and broad on entry, then tighter in the mid-palate, with striking clarity to its juicy citrus and orchard fruit flavors. Finishes very long and lively, with excellent focus and cut. According to Tolmach, "too much viognier is too opulent, without the energy to be truly satisfying."
91

2010 The Ojai Vineyard Riesling Kick On Ranch Santa Barbara County

($26) Green-tinged straw. Racy aromas of lime, grapefruit and pear skin, with deeper notes of agave and herbs in the background. Dry, focused, refreshingly bitter citrus pith flavors pack a solid punch but carry no excess weight. The lime note repeats on the long, sappy, linear finish.
90

2010 The Ojai Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc McGinley Vineyard Santa Ynez Valley

($28) Light, bright yellow. High-pitched aromas of tangerine, lemongrass and green tea, with a dusty overtone. Dry and tightly wound, offering zesty citrus pith and floral flavors and very good clarity and precision. The finish features a hint of bitter quinine and hangs on with excellent tenacity. Fans of Loire Valley sauvignon blanc would love this wine. 91

2009 The Ojai Vineyard Chardonnay Santa Barbara County

($26) (made from the fruit of younger vines in the Bien Nacido and Solomon Hills vineyards): Bright yellow. Highly fragrant scents of fresh orchard and citrus fruits, along with suave floral and spice nuances. Juicy and focused on the palate, offering sappy orange and honeysuckle flavors and sneaky spiciness. The brisk finish features very good cut and snap.
90

2009 The Ojai Vineyard Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley

($30) Light gold. Seductively perfumed bouquet of lemon curd, nectarine, jasmine and iodine, with a suave note of mace. Juicy, expansive orchard and pit fruit flavors are lifted by a tangy citrus zest quality, which adds back-end precision. Closes on an impressively focused, stony note, with excellent length. Adam Tolmach told me that these vines are 38 years old.
92

2009 The Ojai Vineyard Chardonnay Solomon Hills Vineyard Santa Maria Valley

($33) Light, bright gold. Riper and more expressive than the Bien Nacido bottling but missing some of that wine's precision. Plump, expansive orchard and pit fruit flavors are lifted and energized by gentle acidity. The silky finish shows very good persistence and lingering spiciness.
91

2009 The Ojai Vineyard Pinot Noir Kick On Ranch Santa Barbara County

($44) Vivid red. High-pitched aromas of raspberry, cherry and Asian spices, with a sexy floral quality and a rhubarb nuance. Fresh and incisive, offering tangy red fruit and floral flavors that gain richness with air. A bitter cherry note comes up on the tight, pure, very persistent finish.
92

2009 The Ojai Vineyard Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley

($44) Bright ruby-red. A highly expressive bouquet of pure red fruits and flowers, with slow-building smokiness and notes of licorice and Asian spices. Fresh, incisive and light on its feet, showing excellent clarity to its strawberry and raspberry flavors. Refreshingly bitter on the finish, with the floral and spice notes echoing with real authority. This year's version is even sexier than the excellent 2008.
92

2009 The Ojai Vineyard Pinot Noir Presidio Vineyard Santa Barbara County

($49) Bright ruby. The wildest of this set of pinots, offering intense red and dark berry, spice and potpourri scents with notes of musky herbs and cracked pepper. Stains the palate with sweet black raspberry and floral pastille flavors. Finishes juicy and focused, with excellent vivacity and length.
93

2009 The Ojai Vineyard Pinot Noir Fe Ciega Sta. Rita Hills

($49) Vibrant ruby. Sexy aromas of candied red berries, rose, lavender and star anise. Pure and incisive on the palate, displaying intense raspberry and cherry flavors and a hint of bitter rhubarb. Extremely suave, seamless pinot with superb clarity to its sweet, persistent finish. Awfully seductive right now but balanced to reward patience.
93

2008 The Ojai Vineyard Grenache Thompson Vineyard Santa Barbara County

($33) Vivid ruby. Slowly opens to displays scents of raspberry, cherry pit, white pepper and candied rose. Sappy and precise, with tightly wound red fruit flavors that pick up weight and sweetness with aeration. Shows very good intensity on the finish, which clings with impressive tenacity. This promising wine needs some more bottle age.
91(+?)

2008 The Ojai Vineyard Syrah Santa Barbara County

($28) Inky purple. Powerful, deeply pitched aromas of black and blue fruits, licorice, olive and violet, with a smoky overtone: very syrah. Sappy, penetrating bitter cherry and blueberry flavors show very good depth and become spicier with aeration. Finishes chewy and sweet, with gentle tannic grip. Offers plenty of upfront appeal but has the structure to age too.
91

2008 The Ojai Vineyard Syrah Solomon Hills Vineyard Santa Maria Valley

($49) Vivid ruby. Intensely perfumed aromas of sexy dark berries and cherry liqueur complemented by graphite, licorice and black cardamom; smells like a serious northern Rhone wine. Deep and sweet but focused, with sappy red and dark berry flavors and hints of smoky herbs and licorice. Picks up a suave floral pastille note on the back half and finishes sweet and long, with a lingering raspberry note.
93

2007 The Ojai Vineyard Syrah Melville Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills

($44) Opaque ruby. Heady aromas of cherry-cola, black raspberry, incense and lavender. Exotic, floral-accented red and dark berry flavors show impressive clarity and sweetness, with complicating notes of candied licorice and floral pastilles. Closes on an alluringly sweet note, with excellent focus and sappy persistence. This velvety syrah is complex enough to enjoy right now.
93

2007 The Ojai Vineyard Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard Santa Maria Valley

($38) Glass-staining purple. Cassis, violet and smoky minerals on the intensely spicy nose. Juicy dark berry and spicecake flavors offer very good depth and power. Nicely sweet if a bit slow to open, with peppery and smoky qualities gaining strength on the back half. Finishes with firm tannins, a note of candied violet and lingering spiciness. This wine is still a baby.
92(+?)

2007 The Ojai Vineyard Syrah White Hawk Vineyard Santa Barbara County

($38) Inky ruby. Pungent aromas of blackcurrant, blueberry and briary herbs, with slow-mounting smokiness. Deeply pitched dark fruit flavors show liqueur-like intensity and become spicier with air. Closes down on the finish, which features fine-grained tannins and a distinct blueberry quality. I'd stash this one away for a while.
91(+?)

2007 The Ojai Vineyard Syrah Roll Ranch Vineyard California

($44) Dark purple. Highly aromatic nose displays textbook syrah aromas of dark berries, violet, pipe tobacco, licorice and olive. Dense, lush, sweet and fine-grained, with a pliant, velvety texture and energetic red and dark berry flavors. Finishes seamless and lively, with echoing floral and berry notes.
92

2006 The Ojai Vineyard Syrah Presidio Santa Barbara County

($49) Inky ruby. Complex, intensely perfumed bouquet of raspberry and cherry liqueur, fresh flowers, spicecake and candied licorice. Supple and sweet, with impressive depth and energy to its red fruit flavors. Picks up a darker blackcurrant note with air and finishes with impressive power and assertive florality. This wine should age slowly and gracefully.
92