2013 Pinot Noir Solomon Hills

This is a strong set of wines from Adam Tolmach and Fabien Castel. In particular, readers will find numerous Pinot Noirs and Syrahs that merit considerable attention. I am less thrilled with the whites, some of which come across as excessively light, with less flavor development than is typical here. In recent years, Tolmach and Castel have dramatically reduced their use of punchdowns and now favor pumpovers and carbonic maceration with a greater use of whole clusters for their red wines. As always the malos proceed at a slow, leisurely pace in these cold cellars and racking is kept to a minimum, which means just once in preparation for bottling for the Pinots, while the Grenache and Syrah might see a summer racking in between. Ojai remains one of the hidden jewels in Santa Barbara, with prices that are exceedingly fair for the quality of what goes in the bottle.