Tensile, iron-edged, and driven — dark blueberry, cassis, cracked pepper, and sea spray on a palate that stays vertical through a long finish. Vinous 95 Points — “exceptional balance and real potential.” Jeb Dunnuck: “one classy Syrah that will evolve gracefully.” Drink now–2038.
100% Syrah (Estrella Clone)
Alcohol: 14.3% | pH: 3.47 | TA: 6.9
WINE CHARACTERISTICS
WINEMAKER'S NOTE
The 2021 Syrah is the most tensile wine this estate has produced — structured to its core, with fruit that sits inside the architecture rather than spilling over it. Spiced blue fruit, lavender, and iron on the nose; dark blueberry, cassis, cracked pepper, and sea spray on a palate that is driven and vertical from first sip to last. Vinous awarded 95 Points, calling it “potent, muscular… of exceptional balance and real potential.” Jeb Dunnuck called it “one classy Syrah that will evolve gracefully.” 92 Points from both Wine Enthusiast and Decanter. Drink now–2038.
Vinous
The 2021 Syrah is a potent, muscular wine with more power than it should have for a wine from three-year-old vines. Spiced blue fruit, lavender, garrigue, iron and sea spray paint a technicolor picture in the glass. Deeply concentrated but driven and upright, the 2021 is a Syrah of exceptional balance and real potential.”
Billy Norris
Jeb Dunnuck
All Syrah, the 2021 Syrah Ojai Mountain Syrah offers a darker core of blackberry-like fruits intermixed with ample ground pepper, leather, smoked meat, and scorched earth aromas and flavors. It too is concentrated, has medium to full-bodied richness, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. This is one classy Syrah that will evolve gracefully for 10-15 years.”
Jeb Dunnuck
Wine Enthusiast
Rounded blackberry and purple flower aromas meet with asphalt and lava rock minerality on the nose of this bottling from high atop a mountain that overlooks most of Ventura County. The palate is dense and lavish, coated in cassis and cracked pepper, proving powerfully ripe. ”
Matt Kettmann
Decanter
Redolent fruits and dark purple florals leap from the glass in this fruit-centered bottling of Central Coast Syrah. Black and red plum fruits, rich violets, lavender and notes of Christmas spice, this Syrah is raised in 100% neutral oak barrels. Tart early-season blackberries and piquant flavours of roughly chopped mint leaves, warm brown spices, sweet black cherries and a finish of concentrated blue mountain berries that carry on well into the finish.”
Clive Pursehouse
Production
85 cases 100% estate
Vinification
5-day cold soak, open-top fermentation
Aging Process
Aged for 20 months in 100% neutral French oak barriques.
Key Dates
Harvested: September 1, 2021 Bottled: May 13, 2023 Released: February 2024
Winemaker
Erich BradleyWinemaking Philosophy
We farm biodynamically at high elevation and intervene minimally in the cellar. The goal isn't to make wine—it's to let the vineyard speak for itself.
Learn About Winemaking ApproachKey Principles
Winemaking Process
Our process emphasizes native yeast fermentation, minimal additives, and selective use of neutral French oak. We monitor closely but intervene sparingly, allowing vintage character and site expression to shine through. The result is transparent, food-friendly wines with natural acidity and layered complexity.
PAIRING
Herb-crusted prime rib with rosemary and thyme; sautéed mushrooms with garlic and parsley; pepper-crusted ribeye with olive oil and flaky sea salt.
The wine’s firm tannins and dark fruit core stand up to richly marbled beef, while mountain acidity cuts through fat and keeps earthy, herb-driven flavors lifted and precise.
Try Our Suggested Recipe
This wine was made for prime rib. Try it with our herb-crusted holiday roast—rosemary, thyme, and garlic meet Syrah’s dark fruit and subtle smoked meat notes in powerful, balanced harmony.
Get The Recipe
Ojai Mountain rises at 3,000 feet, just 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The valley's rare east-west orientation opens a direct corridor for marine air, allowing coastal winds to moderate heat and slow ripening. Ancient Monterey shale—fractured rock from a prehistoric seabed—drains quickly and forces shallow rooting, naturally limiting vigor and berry size. Farmed organically, the site produces wines of tension and clarity rather than broad ripeness. Elevation, wind, and ocean influence create a cool-climate profile uncommon this far south in California, yielding concentrated flavors with firm structure and lift.
2021 was a balanced, textbook year on the mountain: no frost, no heat waves, no stress, a vintner's dream. Moderate temperatures and steady winds allowed the red blocks to ripen slowly while retaining acidity. Flowering was smooth, yields were naturally modest, and the fruit arrived with striking clarity. Harvest stretched from late August into early September, with clean clusters, precise flavors, and a cool-toned profile. The wines reflect the season: lifted fruit, bright acidity, and firm, even structure.
Smaller berries with thicker skins produce intense, focused fruit character.
Dramatic day-night temperature swings preserve freshness and balance.
Steep slopes and varied terrain create distinct microclimates in every block.
Poor soils and rocky shale force vines deep, extracting pure terroir expression.
$90.00
Inky, muscular, and deeply expressive — dark blueberry, coffee, cracked pepper, and violets with firm, building tannins. Vinous awarded 96 Points, calling it “a wine that already feels like it has its own voice.” Wine Enthusiast 94 Points Editors' Choice. Drink now–2040.
$85.00
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.
$70.00
Dark fruit, clove, allspice, and mocha — held in check by bright mountain acidity and a finish of smoky sea salt. Vinous, Decanter, and Wine Enthusiast each awarded 93 Points. Open tonight or cellar for 8–10 years.
$60.00
A GSM blend with Tempranillo — our most taut and savory Estate Red to date. Boysenberry, pomegranate, white pepper, and crushed stone on a broad, structured palate. Vinous 94 Points. Structured and drinking well now, with years ahead.
