1997 Ojai Pisoni Vineyard Pinot Noir

Ojai Vineyards was founded in 1983 in Ventura County, on California’s Central Coast. It was established and is still operated by Adam and Helen Tolmach. Adam Tolmach was also one of the founders of Au Bon Climat, another Central Coast winery, which he left to focus on Ojai Vineyards. The estate produces about 6,000 cases of wine a year. It makes 15 different wines, primarily Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Most are vineyard-designated wines made of grapes from long-term suppliers. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “only a handful of wineries have matched (Adam Tolmach’s) brilliant performance record from vineyards spread out through Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Just about any Ojai wine is well worth checking out…”

Santa Lucia Highlands AVA is a 12-mile long, narrow strip of an appellation wedged along the eastern hillsides of the Santa Lucia mountain range. Given its proximity to Big Sur and the Gabilan Mountain Range to the northeast, Santa Lucia a cool-climate wine growing district. Morning sun is often followed by maritime winds and fog in the afternoon, a weather pattern that prolongs the growing season and means long, gentle ripening of the grapes. Spanish missionaries planted vineyards in the district in the 18th century, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that modern winemakers planted vineyards and began making high quality wine. The district received AVA status in 1991 and today there are 6,000 vineyard acres in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Pinot Noir is the dominant grape planted, followed by Chardonnay and Riesling.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.