2011 Pinot Noir Solomon Hills

My tasting this year at Ojai was epic. Winemaker/Proprietor Adam Tolmach and Assistant Winemaker Fabien Castel have done a fabulous job with these new and upcoming releases. The highlights are centered among the Pinots and Syrahs. I am less enthused with the 2012 Chardonnays, which lack some of the customary level of Ojai energy. In exchange, though, those wines will drink well right out of the gate. Tolmach adds that the 2012s continue to put on weight in bottle, while the 2013s were born with more density and structure. Both years produced generous crops. In 2012, the Fe Ciega, Bien Nacido and Solomon Hills Pinots were all made with dollops of whole clusters, while all of the Syrahs were made from fully destemmed fruit. Because of the short harvest and low production, the 2011 reds are going to be hard to find. The 2012s, on the other hand will be more readily available. Given the number of small-production bottlings in this range, the best approach is to sign up for the winery's mailing list. Also tasted: 2013 Rosé.

Since Adam Tolmach was up in the Santa Rita Hills making a last check of the vineyards before harvest, I tasted the latest set of Ojai releases with his long-time assistant winemaker Fabien Castel and "all-around vineyard and cellar guy" Dominic O'Reilly, whose family owns Washington's Owen Roe winery. Castel described both 2011 and 2010 as "vintages that speak right to my French taste, as they showcase nerve and focus, and you could taste the differences in the vineyards starting when the grapes came in." They're not years of or for massiveness, he went on, pointing out that "luckily you couldn't make big wines if you tried, at least in our vineyards, so things have worked out well for us."