Vinous
Billy Norris
Fleshy, resonant and loaded with character, the 2022 delivers a wealth of complex berry fruit, mineral depth and exotic spice richness.”
“This is one of the most exciting new projects I’ve encountered in California in some time. I found myself thinking about these wines weeks after I tasted them.”
What Makes This Site Unusual
Ojai Mountain is an estate vineyard located high on Sulphur Mountain above Upper Ojai at approximately 2,800 feet. All wines are produced exclusively from this single site.
The vineyard sits roughly 10 miles from the Pacific and benefits from a rare combination of elevation, marine influence, and the east-west orientation of the Transverse Ranges - which allows cool ocean air to move inland more directly than in most California mountain locations. These conditions give the wines a distinctly cool-climate character despite the southern latitude.
Winemaker Erich Bradley, known for his work in Sonoma, created Ojai Mountain as a long-term passion project focused on Rhone varieties grown at elevation: Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul, and Roussanne.
“There are not a lot of grapes that are being grown for wine production at that elevation anywhere in the world.”
Key Facts
We are the only estate in Ojai growing and making wine entirely from our own grapes - 100% estate grown, every vintage, no exceptions. Every cluster harvested, every drop bottled comes from this single mountaintop vineyard at 2,800 feet. No sourcing. No blending with outside fruit to soften a difficult vintage. What the mountain gives us is what we bottle.
Founded
2018
Location
Upper Ojai
Elevation
Approximately 2,800 feet
Distance from Pacific
Roughly 10 miles
Climate
Marginal climate, above fog line, 21 inches of
annual precipitation condensed into 3 months
Single-estate
100% estate, all wines from one site
Viticulture
Organically grown, 100% hand-harvested,
1800 vines per acre
Varieties
Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Grenache
Blanc, Picpoul, Roussanne, Tempranillo
Winemaker
Erich Bradley (25+ vintages)
Style
Cool-climate Rhône & Tempranillo
Press contact
info@ojaimountainestate.com
Press & Media Resources
For press inquiries and interview requests, reach us at info@ojaimountainestate.com
Or download our press kit below — it includes high-resolution images with usage rights, winemaker bio and headshots, brand logos in light and dark versions, and a one-page fact sheet with everything you need to know about the estate.
Download Press KitCritical Acclaim
Scores & Reviews
Wine Enthusiast
Matt Kettmann
Top 100 Cellar Selection
This destined-to-be-legendary mountaintop estate is starting to show its potential in this elegantly mineral-driven bottling.”
Vinous
Billy Norris
Deeply concentrated but driven and upright — a Syrah of exceptional balance and real potential.”
Wine Enthusiast
Matt Kettmann
Editors' Choice
Hailing from a high-elevation, super-exposed mountaintop overlooking all of Ventura County, this bottling is snappy on the nose with black raspberry and lilac aromas.”
Vinous
Billy Norris
Undoubtedly a bellwether of very exciting things to come. I cannot wait to taste this in future vintages.”
Vinous
Billy Norris
This is an incredibly distinctive wine, but the through-line between all three vintages is crystal clear. This is what terroir is all about.”
Wine Enthusiast
Matt Kettmann
Editors' Choice
From a very exciting mountaintop estate overlooking almost all of Ventura County, this white blend offers lively aromas of Asian pear, cherimoya and melon rind.”
Wine Enthusiast
Matt Kettmann
Top 100 Cellar Selection
The inaugural vintage of one of the more interesting estates to come to California in years.”
Vinous
Billy Norris
This is a wine of real identity, with a discernible site signature already in place. I can't wait to see what this site will do as the vines age.”
Wine Enthusiast
Matt Kettmann
Cellar Selection
Fruity aromas of apple and mango prove quite juicy on the nose of this bottling from a vineyard located high above Ojai. This has the bones to age a while.”
| Wine / Vintage | Score | Review Source | Accolade | Quote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Syrah | 96 | Vinous Billy Norris | Fleshy, resonant and loaded with character, the 2022 delivers a wealth of complex berry fruit, mineral depth and exotic spice richness.” | ||
| 2023 Mourvèdre | 95 | Wine Enthusiast Matt Kettmann | Top 100 Cellar Selection | This destined-to-be-legendary mountaintop estate is starting to show its potential in this elegantly mineral-driven bottling.” | |
| 2021 Syrah | 95 | Vinous Billy Norris | Deeply concentrated but driven and upright — a Syrah of exceptional balance and real potential.” | ||
| 2022 Syrah | 94 | Wine Enthusiast Matt Kettmann | Editors' Choice | Hailing from a high-elevation, super-exposed mountaintop overlooking all of Ventura County, this bottling is snappy on the nose with black raspberry and lilac aromas.” | |
| 2022 Estate Red | 94 | Vinous Billy Norris | Undoubtedly a bellwether of very exciting things to come. I cannot wait to taste this in future vintages.” | ||
| 2022 Estate White | 94 | Vinous Billy Norris | This is an incredibly distinctive wine, but the through-line between all three vintages is crystal clear. This is what terroir is all about.” | ||
| 2022 Estate White | 93 | Wine Enthusiast Matt Kettmann | Editors' Choice | From a very exciting mountaintop estate overlooking almost all of Ventura County, this white blend offers lively aromas of Asian pear, cherimoya and melon rind.” | |
| 2020 Estate Red | 93 | Wine Enthusiast Matt Kettmann | Top 100 Cellar Selection | The inaugural vintage of one of the more interesting estates to come to California in years.” | |
| 2021 Estate White | 93 | Vinous Billy Norris | This is a wine of real identity, with a discernible site signature already in place. I can't wait to see what this site will do as the vines age.” | ||
| 2024 Estate White | 91 | Wine Enthusiast Matt Kettmann | Cellar Selection | Fruity aromas of apple and mango prove quite juicy on the nose of this bottling from a vineyard located high above Ojai. This has the bones to age a while.” |
Featured In
Editorial
Wine Enthusiast
by Matt Kettmann • 2026-03-10
7 Beautiful California Hikes That End in a Tasting Room
For an exclusive and remote experience, book a visit to the Ojai Mountain Estate, where renowned Sonoma County winemaker Erich Bradley travels to craft Rhône wines grown at 2,800 feet.”
Edible
by Tami Chu • 2025-10-22
Ojai Mountain winery and vineyard celebrates five years
We've seen harsh conditions: the second driest year followed by the wettest.”
Luxury Travel Magazine
by Luxury Travel Magazine • 2025-08-15
Book your 'stay above the clouds' at the new vineyard estate retreat
Wake up to sunrise over the vineyard, end your day with stars and wine.”
Los Angeles Downtown News
by Alison Bailin Batz • 2025-08-11
Exquisite equations: beautifully blended wines are part math, science, artistry
The 2022 Estate Red has been named among the best blends on the market today.”
Southwest Travel & Life
by Nicole Leonetti • 2025-05-05
Exploring California’s Ojai Wine Trail
...Ojai Mountain Estate is nothing short of breathtaking. The experience begins on the drive up the mountain, which evokes a feeling of being transported to heaven.”
FWT Magazine
by Nicole Leonetti • 2025-03-14
Ojai Wine Country: A Central California Destination Waiting to Be Discovered
Ojai Mountain wines capture the essence of the unique mountain terroir—a blend of boldness and elegance that reflects the wild beauty of the land.”
Decanter
by Brianne Cohen • 2025-03-11
Ojai wine and travel guide: The perfect three-day itinerary
Ojai Mountain's private tasting is a must-stop on any Ojai itinerary.”
Wine Predator
by Gwendolyn Alley • 2025-02-16
Biodynamic syrah: taste beauty and the beast in a bottle
The vineyards are at 2800′ — an elevation which allows grapes to ripen without getting too “hot” or high in alcohol”
Forbes
by Noel Burgess • 2024-10-28
Election 2024: Toast To The Occasion With Red, White And Blue Wines
This Syrah enchants with its deep, opaque hue, hinting at the complex flavors within.”
The Montecito Journal
by Gabe Saglie • 2024-08-06
Go sip it on the mountain: elevation is secret to new Ojai Mountain wines
It’s not just the views that impress from atop Sulphur Mountain in Ventura County. It’s the wines, too.”
Santa Barbara Independent
by Matt Kettmann • 2024-07-23
Ojai Mountain estate’s towering terroir
High-elevation vineyards can prove too tempting for winemakers to ignore.”
Edible
by Kim Master • 2024-03-03
Lofty Expectations
I love the intensity and I love the concentration of high-elevation wines—and it’s here.”
WineBusiness
by Stacie Jacob • 2023-10-16
Ojai Mountain Announces First Vintage Release
We really feel like explorers, and that's the mentality of our approach.”
San Francisco Chronicle
by Sara Schneider • 2023-10-14
Sonoma wine pros take on a new vineyard that’s extreme in every way
As soon as they said 2,800 feet, I stopped them. Nobody says 2,800 feet!”
WineBusiness
by Stacie Jacob • 2023-09-27
The 2023 wine harvest is underway across the central coast
Our vineyard is exceptionally lush this year, and all this vigor should benefit next year's berries”
Ojai Magazine
by Tiffany Paige
High-altitude wine: up in the clouds with Ojai Mountain’s estate vineyard
Success demands a deep understanding of land and respect for its rhythms.”
Featured at Vinous Icons 2026: Cool-Climate California
Winemaker Erich Bradley represented Ojai Mountain at the Vinous Icons 2026 Cool-Climate California Masterclass-a seminar examining the terroirs defining California's coolest growing regions.
Moderated by Vinous senior editor Billy Norris, the tasting brought together 10 estates from Sonoma Coast, Santa Cruz Mountains, Santa Lucia Highlands, and Santa Barbara County. Ojai Mountain was the only Ventura County producer invited and the southernmost cool-climate estate on the panel.
Bradley poured the 2023 Mourvedre alongside Kistler Vineyards, Rhys Vineyards, Domaine de la Cote, Hirsch Vineyards, DuMOL, Roar Wines, Clarice Wine Company, Denner Vineyards, and Far Mountain-a lineup reflecting the depth and range of California cool-climate winegrowing.
“This is one of the most exciting new projects I’ve encountered in California in some time. I found myself thinking about these wines weeks after I tasted them.”
At 2,800 feet on Sulphur Mountain, Ojai Mountain occupies one of the state’s most extreme high-elevation sites, where Pacific influence, diurnal temperature swings exceeding 50F, and fractured Monterey shale create wines of uncommon refinement.
Selected for the Slow
Wine Guide since 2025
Ojai Mountain is selected for the Slow Wine Guide - one of the most meaningful recognitions a young estate can receive.
The Slow Wine Guide evaluates wineries on what happens outside the bottle: soil health, water conservation, biodiversity, pollinator protection, and commitment to the land.
Ojai Mountain was the first vineyard in Ojai farmed organically and regeneratively from the day the first vine went into the ground in 2018. No transition period. No conventional years. The Slow Wine Guide placed us alongside some of the most thoughtful producers in American wine because the farming has been deliberate from the beginning.
“It is the cleanest, healthiest, most productive land in the area; besides that, it has the most beautiful views in the valley!”
The Standards
Soil Health
No synthetic herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers. Native cover crops and natural biology between the rows. Ancient Monterey shale farmed without intervention.
Minimal Intervention Winemaking
Native yeasts, small lots, neutral oak. No reverse osmosis, no must concentration, no manipulation. Wines that taste like the site, not the cellar.
Biodiversity
The estate supports native pollinators, birds of prey, and the broader ecosystem of Sulphur Mountain. Our partnership with the Ojai Raptor Center is one expression of this.
Pollinator Protection
No systemic pesticides. Organic certification and regenerative practices protect the bees and beneficial insects essential to the estate and surrounding landscape.
Quality and Authenticity
Wines that express origin, not market profile. Single-site, native yeast, small lots, no compromise.
Water Conservation
Elevation and marine climate reduce irrigation dependency. Water is managed carefully across every block in a region where it's not taken for granted.
Accolades
Recognition Badges
Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Cellar Selection
Wine Enthusiast Cellar Selection
Wine Enthusiast Editors' Choice
Your Questions, Answered
From our vineyard location to farming philosophy and estate practices - find answers to the most common questions about Ojai Mountain.
Ojai Mountain is a small, high-altitude vineyard and private estate at 2,800 feet on Sulphur Mountain in Upper Ojai, California. We grow Rhône varieties and Tempranillo on ancient Monterey shale soils, farm organically using regenerative practices, and produce around 500 cases per year of 100% estate-grown wine under winemaker Erich Bradley. The estate is 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean, above the marine fog layer — a rare combination that gives our wines uncommon structure and freshness for Southern California. → About us
Three things rarely exist together: elevation (2,800 feet, among the highest active vineyards in California south of the Bay Area), ocean proximity (10 miles from the Pacific, above the fog line), and ancient Monterey shale with virtually no topsoil. The elevation drives 40–50°F diurnal swings that naturally preserve acidity. The ocean moderates heat and lengthens the growing season. The shale limits vigor and concentrates flavor. Vinous critic Billy Norris called Ojai Mountain potentially "the next great vineyard in California" after the first two vintages. → Our terroir
Yes. Ojai Mountain has been featured in Forbes, Decanter, the San Francisco Chronicle, Wine Enthusiast, Vinous, Wine Business Monthly, Luxury Travel Magazine, Southwest Travel & Life, the Santa Barbara Independent, Edible Ventura County, Ojai Magazine, and others. The 2022 Estate Syrah earned 96 points from Vinous (Billy Norris) and 94 from Wine Enthusiast (Editors' Choice). The 2021 Estate Syrah scored 95 at Vinous and 93 from Jeb Dunnuck. The 2023 Mourvèdre earned 95 from Wine Enthusiast (Cellar Selection). → Press & media
No — they are completely separate wineries with no connection.
The Ojai Vineyard was founded in the 1980s by winemaker Adam Tolmach and is a well-regarded producer working with a wide range of grape varieties sourced from multiple vineyards across Santa Barbara County. Some of these vineyards may be organically farmed, while others use conventional farming practices.
Ojai Mountain was established in 2018 on a high-altitude estate in Upper Ojai and produces wines exclusively from its own organically farmed estate vineyard at 2,800 feet on Sulphur Mountain. The wines are made by renowned Sonoma County winemaker Erich Bradley. This distinctive site is the southernmost vineyard producing cool-climate wines in California, shaped by elevation, wind exposure, and proximity to the Pacific Ocean. Ojai Mountain farms 100% of its fruit organically and does not purchase grapes from outside vineyards.
Both wineries use “Ojai” in their names simply because they are located in the Ojai region — that is the extent of the connection. The key difference is that The Ojai Vineyard produces wines from sourced fruit across a broader region, while Ojai Mountain is entirely estate-grown and focused on expressing a single high-elevation mountain site.
No. Ojai Mountain and Ojai Mountain Farm are completely separate and unrelated businesses with no shared ownership or history, and reviews for one should not be attributed to the other.
Ojai Mountain is a private, appointment-only vineyard in Upper Ojai producing estate-grown wines. The project began in 2015, the vineyard was planted in 2018, and Erich Bradley joined as winemaker in 2019. The first vintage was released in 2020, wines became available online in fall 2023, mountaintop tastings were introduced in 2024, and The Ridge villa was added to the hospitality program in 2025.
Ojai Mountain Farm, by contrast, is an agricultural business that grows fruits and vegetables and opened a restaurant in downtown Ojai in 2026.
Our signature event is the annual Harvest Dinner, held on the mountain each November — a Wine Club member event featuring a sit-down dinner with a French-inspired menu prepared by a guest chef using locally sourced ingredients, paired course by course with estate wines. Past dinners have featured charcuterie and cheese from Paradise Pantry in Ventura, sourdough from The Dutchess in Ojai, and winemaker Erich Bradley at the table talking through each wine. One of the most memorable moments: the Ojai Raptor Center released two rehabilitated owls back into the wild during the evening. Invitations go to club members first.
For private events including weddings, elopements, or multi-day celebrations, The Ridge villa is available for exclusive rental. The vineyard estate itself is not available for private event rental.
If you're a chef, event producer, or creative partner interested in collaborating on programming at the estate, reach out at info@ojaimountainestate.com. → Events
Yes. The Ridge is our luxury villa, located on the estate directly adjacent to the vineyard at 2,800 feet. It's one of the most distinctive places to stay in Southern California — not just because of the setting, but because of what it gives you access to: waking up inside a working mountain vineyard, a terrace with views of the Pacific Ocean, Lake Casitas, and the Channel Islands, and private sommelier-led tastings at the vines just steps from the front door.
The villa sleeps up to 10 guests across four bedrooms. Amenities include a hot tub with direct Pacific views, a fully equipped kitchen with Weber gas grill, multiple outdoor patios, a private half-mile hiking loop, media room, washer/dryer, full HVAC, stable Wi-Fi, and helicopter landing pad. Double-gated access means complete privacy — no nearby homes, no through traffic.
Guests consistently describe it as unlike anything they've experienced. One guest wrote: "The views rivaled Hawaii — pictures can't do it justice." Another called it "better than Tuscany." A third: "It feels like another planet." The most common theme across reviews is that the photos undersell it — the setting needs to be experienced.
The Ridge is available through ridge.ojaimountainestate.com as well as Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com. The property is 90 minutes from Los Angeles and 45 minutes from Santa Barbara. → The Ridge
The main channels:
- Instagram @ojaimountain — vineyard life, wine releases, tasting experiences, and the mountain through the seasons
- Instagram @ojaimountainridge — The Ridge villa, views, and stays
- YouTube @OjaiMountain — longer-form content about the vineyard, winemaking, and the team
Facebook facebook.com/ojaimountain and Pinterest OjaiMountain for additional content and event updates
For release notifications and event invitations, the mailing list is the most reliable channel — social media algorithms don't guarantee you'll see announcements when they go out.