Ojai Mountain
The debut — and still among the most mineral expressions from this vineyard. Slate, honey, white flowers, and meyer lemon on a lean, precise frame with grip and structure to burn. A sculpted wine that has only opened with time. Vinous 92 Points. Drink now–2032.
Top Review
93Vinous
Drinking Window
2024 – 2032
Production
74 cases
Whole-cluster pressed and fermented with native yeast, then aged 10 months in neutral French oak, the 2020 Estate White is the debut wine from the estate's first crop. With no Roussanne to soften it, this is the leanest, most elemental expression of the blend, all line and definition.
On the nose, wildflowers and honey unfold over slate and split pine, with a whisper of white smoke. The palate stays taut and chalky through the mid-palate, closing on fresh almond and a cooling note of wild mint, a wine that has only gained depth with age.
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 inaugural Estate White came from two-year-old Grenache Blanc and Picpoul vines, picked in mid-August as the first part of the 2020 harvest. A dry, mild winter and brief summer heat events kept the season moving quickly; the young vines yielded a small, naturally concentrated crop with bright acidity intact.
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 White is the only vintage built from just two varieties: Grenache Blanc for weight and Picpoul for its razor acidity, with no Roussanne to round the frame. The result is the blend at its most elemental: all line and definition.
| Vintage | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Blend | 75% Grenache Blanc · 25% Picpoul |
| Rootstocks | SO4 (6 rows) / 1103 (Grenache Blanc); 1103 (Picpoul) |
| Clones | 01/TVA (Grenache Blanc); Wonderful Nurseries (Picpoul) |
| Estate Fruit | 100% |
| Appellation | Ventura County |
Cellar work is deliberately restrained. Whole clusters are pressed gently and only free-run juice is carried forward. Fermentation is initiated by native yeasts in neutral French oak barriques, with no malolactic conversion, and the wine ages on its lees in the same neutral oak before bottling without fining.
| Pressing | Whole cluster pressed |
|---|---|
| Fermentation Vessel | Neutral French oak barriques |
| Yeast | Native yeast |
| Oak Aging | Fermented and aged 12 months in 100% neutral French oak barriques |
| Fining & Filtration | Unfined, gently filtered |
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.
First-crop fruit from thin shale soils delivered the debut's defining chemistry: 13% alcohol on a strikingly low 3.05 pH with 7.5 g/L of acidity. The numbers explain why a wine this lean has only opened with time.
The leanest, most tightly wound white of the range; no Roussanne, all structure.
Lean, mineral, and precise. Wildflowers, slate, and honey open into split pine and white smoke, with white melon, Meyer lemon, and wild herbs on a structured palate finishing clean with almond and mint.
Wine Characteristics
“This is a vineyard that's really planted on its own — there's nothing within miles of it, and as far as we know, it's the highest coastal vineyard in the world.”
| Production Count | 74 Cases |
|---|---|
| Harvest Date | August 19, 2020 |
| Élevage | 12 months |
| Bottled Date | August 8, 2021 |
| Released Date | August 2024 |
Built for delicacy and salinity rather than richness. Pacific oysters with yuzu-shallot mignonette and hamachi crudo with citrus show off the wine's precision, while grilled Petrale sole in brown butter and capers carries its chalky minerality without weighing it down. Fresh chevre with wild herbs and a bright ceviche both echo its citrus lift. Best avoided: cream sauces, sweet glazes, and heavily oaked dishes, which mute its structure.
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.
It is the only vintage with no Roussanne, and it shows: the leanest, most tightly wound white of the range, all line and definition. The 2021 is more citrus-lifted, the 2022 broader and more textural, the 2024 the most tension-driven. The 2020 remains the most elemental.
This is a wine that has only opened with time, consistent with the drink now through 2032 window above. A pH of 3.05 and 7.5 g/L of acidity give it unusual staying power for a California white. Store it on its side, in a dark, cool space.
Serve at 48 to 52°F, slightly warmer than refrigerator temperature, so the slate and honey aromatics open. Given its age and structure, let it warm in the glass rather than over-chilling.
Coastal registers: grilled sea bass with lemon, scallops in brown butter, fennel and citrus salad, aged goat cheese. Its bright acidity lifts delicate proteins while the textural weight handles brown butter with ease.
