Ojai Mountain
Our inaugural vintage — a modern Bordeaux-Rhône blend with notes of cassis, blackberries, and tart cherries, lifted by an iron-edged freshness. Structured, flavorful, and built to age. You can lay this one down for years. Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Cellar Selection.
Top Review
93Wine Enthusiast
Drinking Window
2026 – 2042
Production
264 cases
Born from the first harvest at 2,800 feet, where ancient Monterey shale, ocean winds, and dramatic diurnal swings shape every cluster, the 2020 Estate Red introduced the character of Ojai Mountain. Aromas of cassis, tart cherry, graphite, and brown spice lead into a palate layered with dark berries, crushed stone, leather, and persistent mineral tension.
Jeb Dunnuck praised its terrific purity, polished elegant mouthfeel, and outstanding length, while Billy Norris highlighted its balance and precision. Wine Enthusiast awarded 93 Points and selected it among its Top 100 Cellar Selections, calling it the inaugural vintage of one of the more interesting estates to come to California in years. Firmly structured and beautifully balanced, this is a wine built for decades.
The 2020 season moved quickly on the ridge. A dry, mild winter led to an early start, and by spring the clusters were already small and firm from thin soils and steady wind, with brief, sharp heatwaves keeping ripening on a brisk pace through the estate's first commercial harvest.
The estate's first red came from two-year-old vines in a dry, fast-moving season. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and the Cabernet varieties were picked from mid-August through early September, as brief heat events and steady wind kept clusters small. The result was a deliberately modest first crop with dark fruit and a firm line of acidity.
Inaugural harvest from two-year-old vines. Dry, mild winter and brief heat events; a deliberately small crop.
From Our Journal10 min read
The story of the estate's first commercial harvest, and how young vines produced the first expressive mountain wines.
The 2020 Estate Red is the estate's original blend: Rhône varieties at the core, framed by the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc the vineyard carried in its earliest configuration. Each block and variety was fermented separately in this first vintage, then assembled before aging.
| Vintage | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Blend | 30% Grenache · 25% Syrah · 19% Cabernet Sauvignon · 18% Mourvèdre · 8% Cabernet Franc |
| Rootstocks | 1103P (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc) |
| Clones | Noir Lewis (Grenache); Estrella (Syrah); FPS 02.1 (Mourvèdre) |
| Estate Fruit | 100% |
| Appellation | Ventura County |
Cellar work is deliberately restrained. Grapes are destemmed, then given a 5-day cold soak before fermentation begins. Fermentation takes place in open-top vessels, initiated by the native yeasts present on the fruit and in the winery; no commercial yeast is added at the outset. After pressing, the wine moves directly to neutral French oak barriques for an extended élevage. Bottling is done without fining or filtration.
| Cold Soak | 5 days |
|---|---|
| Fermentation Vessel | Open-top fermenters |
| Yeast | Native yeast |
| Oak Aging | 20 months in neutral French oak barriques |
| Fining & Filtration | Unfined, unfiltered |
From Our Journal10 min read
Erich Bradley's journey in winemaking spans more than 25 vintages, from early cellar work in Sonoma to leading Ojai Mountain's high-elevation vineyard project.
The estate's first red shows the site's fingerprint from day one: moderate alcohol, a low pH, and bright acidity from two-year-old vines on thin shale soils. The chemistry explains why a debut wine carries a 20-year drinking window.
The leanest, most tightly wound white of the range; no Roussanne, all structure.
Dark and brooding at first, opening with coaxing. Dark berry, smoked meat, and brown spice lead into tart cherry, graphite, and leather, carried on firm, mountaintop-influenced tannins that persist deep into the finish.
Wine Characteristics
“This is a piece of land that's never had agriculture on it before. We're pioneers here — explorers, really. That's the mentality.”
| Production Count | 264 Cases |
|---|---|
| Harvest Date | August 16 – September 6, 2020 |
| Élevage | 20 months |
| Bottled Date | April 19, 2022 |
| Released Date | August 2023 |
Built for umami-rich, earthy dishes rather than sheer richness. Portobello pappardelle with Parmesan and thyme is the definitive match, its earthy depth mirroring the wine's precision and mineral core. Herb-crusted rack of lamb and duck breast with cherry reduction bring out the cassis and tart cherry, while Beef Wellington or roast quail with thyme lean into its structure. Aged Comte or Gruyere round out the table.
From Our Kitchen10 min read
Earthy umami complements the wine's precision, minerality, vibrant acidity, and fine tannins.
Fractured Monterey shale at 2,800 feet, ten miles from the Pacific and above the fog line. Almost no topsoil, so roots dig deep and berries stay small.
Hand-farmed block by block on steep mountain terrain. Organically grown, regeneratively farmed, planted at 1,800 vines per acre to keep yields low.
Native yeast, free-run juice only, neutral French oak. No fining on any wine, and the reds go to bottle unfiltered.
Storage, serving, and what makes this wine what it is. For visiting, booking, and policy questions, see our full FAQ.
The 2020 and 2021 share the original Rhône-Bordeaux composition; from 2022 the blend went Rhône-only. The 2020 is the darkest and most brooding of the early reds, needing air to open, where the 2021 is more lifted and the 2022 more taut and savory.
Wine Enthusiast's advice stands: lay this one down. Firm, mountaintop-influenced tannins and bright acidity support the drink now through 2040 window above. Store it on its side, in a dark space, at a steady 55°F (13°C) with moderate humidity.
Serve at 60 to 65°F. This is a wine that requires coaxing: give it a decant of 45 to 60 minutes to reveal the dark cherry fruit, seaside herbs, and brown spice beneath the structure.
Hearty, earthy preparations: charcoal-grilled lamb shoulder with rosemary, braised beef with dried mushrooms, roasted eggplant with aged Pecorino. The structure wants richness; the acidity keeps herb-driven dishes lifted.
