Ojai John Sebastiano Vineyard Syrah Grenache 2016 | 94 Points Galloni:  “I loved it”

94 Points Vinous | The Ojai John Sebastiano Vineyard Syrah Grenache 2016 is a rockstar wine from Ojai. The combination of Syrah and Grenache works wonders. Pliant, deep and resonant, Ojai John Sebastiano Vineyard Syrah Grenache 2016 is full of character. While offering terrific persistence and impeccable overall balance. It is a wine of unusual class. I loved it.” 2020-2030 94 Points.

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92RP | The Ojai John Sebastiano Vineyard Syrah Grenache 2016 offers up a rich, fruity nose of blackberry, plum preserve, and Provençal herbs. On the palate, the wine presents full-bodied, supple and juicy.  With deliciously immediate fruit and a fine-grained, savory finish. Vinified without any added sulfites, this will offer delicious drinking in its youth.

John Sebastiano Vineyard | Santa Rita Hills

Sourced from the John Sebastiano Vineyard, in the northeast of the Santa Rita Hills AVA.   This 50-50 blend of the two great grapes of the Rhône Valley exuberantly shows that, in the right hands, Santa Barbara County is capable of producing reds of equally peppery-and-fruity drama.

John Sebastiano Vineyard was planted in 2007 while producing its first crop in 2010. While located on the northeastern edge of the Santa Rita Hills appellation way up in the hills.   Notably, catching the ferocious winds that come in from the ocean at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The vineyard resides predominantly inside the appellation, and mostly planted to pinot noir, however, there is some Syrah and Grenache planted just outside and that is where we get our fruit.

Winemaker Adam Tolmach

Winemaker Adam Tolmach is often referred to as a genius. And his wines have acquired a near-religious following as a result of their exclusivity and rigorous, small-batch approach. However, in the beginning, there was no guarantee that his confident vision and refusal to be swayed by flattery or score-chasing would pan out. But it has, and a thousand-fold.

Adam Tolmach went to UC Davis and studied viticulture and enology.  With a degree in hand, he found work at Zaca Mesa in Santa Barbara County. Before long he decided to follow his own vision and started a winery with fellow employee Jim Clendenen in 1982. The winery, Au Bon Climat, was an overnight success.  But after nine years together Jim and Adam realized they had to follow separate paths. So, when the collaboration with Clendenen ended he concentrated all his attention on The Ojai Vineyard to further explore the infinite details of his craft. The Ojai John Sebastiano Vineyard Syrah Grenache 2016 exemplifies the best of Adam’s efforts.