Product details

Ojai Mountain

2022 Estate Red

PomegranateWhite PepperTaut

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.

Top Review

94Vinous

Drinking Window

2027-2042

Production

268
cases

2022_Estate_Red_01
2022_Estate_Red_02
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Red2022

Harmony between fruit, spice, and minerality

The 2022 Estate Red captures a season that naturally favored Grenache and Mourvedre, with a small addition of Tempranillo adding subtle depth. Aromas of lilac, red, and dark berries introduce a palate of pomegranate, blood orange, white pepper, and crushed stone.

Billy Norris awarded 94 Points, calling it taut and structured, a baby by all measures, but undoubtedly a bellwether of very exciting things to come. Decanter praised its freshness and seamlessly integrated tannins. Vibrant, savory, and beautifully balanced, it promises many years of evolution.

Download Tasting notes

Critic Reviews

94

“Eschewing Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in favor of more Mourvèdre and a dollop of Tempranillo from embryonic vines, the 2022 Red Blend is a much richer, spicier wine off this fledgling site. It's taut and structured, a baby by all measures, but undoubtedly a bellwether of very exciting things to come. Pomegranate, blood orange, lavender, crushed rocks and iodine lead to a ferrous, floral finish. On the lighter side of medium in body, the structure here is certainly not shy. I cannot wait to taste this in future vintages. ”

Billy Norris, Vinous

93

“There's a lovely combination of berry sorbet, lilac and peppercorn on the nose of this bottling from a mountaintop vineyard high above Ojai. The palate is zesty with boysenberry candy and strawberry flavors that are cut by a crushed stone earthiness.”

Matt Kettmann, Wine Enthusiast

91

“This predominantly Grenache and Mourvèdre blend, with a touch of Tempranillo and Syrah, is a fresh and approachable daily drinker. The nose offers dark fruits and warm baking spices, while the palate is easy-drinking and balanced with well-integrated tannins—a versatile choice for any occasion. ”

Brianne Cohen, Decanter

Harvest Notes

2022 arrived nearly a month earlier than 2021, driven by La Niña and a fast summer ripening curve. The team picked ahead of an intense Labor Day heat wave to preserve balance across the vineyard.

The 2022 Estate Red was harvested in two passes, August 15 and August 27, before the Labor Day heatwave. Grenache, Mourvèdre, Tempranillo, and Syrah came in during a compressed season shaped by La Niña. The staggered pick brought together brighter early fruit and a second layer of depth from the later lots.

La Niña year. Early, compressed harvest picked ahead of a Labor Day heat wave.

Rainfall18.64 in
DrierWetter
Peak Temperature92.1°F
MilderHotter
Crop Size9.6 tons
LighterLarger
Vintage Total, All Wines612 cases
FewerMore
Selected vintage Other vintages

From Our Journal10 min read

2022 Harvest at Ojai Mountain: Racing the Heat

How a La Niña season and a Labor Day heat wave produced the estate's largest production since planting.

Two workers carrying buckets and supplies through the vine rows during the 2022 harvest at Ojai Mountain.

Composition

The 2022 Estate Red marks the blend's turning point: Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are gone, replaced by a near-equal Grenache-Mourvèdre core with a first addition of Tempranillo from newly re-grafted vines. Every vintage since has continued this Rhône-only direction.

Vintage2022
Blend45% Grenache · 44% Mourvèdre · 6% Tempranillo · 5% Syrah
Rootstocks1103P (Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah); 1103/SO4 (Tempranillo)
ClonesNoir Lewis (Grenache); FPS 02.1 (Mourvèdre); Estrella (Syrah); FPS (Tempranillo)
Estate Fruit100%
AppellationVentura County
Ojai Mountain 2022 Red Blend bottle surrounded by branded corks
3D by Anna Yakovenko

Vinification & Aging

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 Soak5 days
Fermentation VesselOpen-top fermenters
YeastNative yeast
Oak Aging20 months in neutral French oak barriques
Fining & FiltrationUnfined, unfiltered

From Our Journal10 min read

A Master of Terroir: Erich Bradley's Winemaking Philosophy

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.

Winemaker Erich Bradley nosing a glass of red wine against a dark backdrop

Chemistry

A hot, compressed season delivered ripeness, but early picking preserved the acid line: the 2022 carries its 14.1% alcohol on a low pH and taut structure rather than weight. Twenty months of élevage kept the fruit vivid.

Riper than the 2020 but with nearly the same firm pH; taut, savory, and structured rather than broad.

Alcohol
14.1% by volume
LighterRicher
pH
3.48
BrighterSofter
Titratable Acidity
6 g/L
SofterFresher
Selected vintage Other vintages

Taste Profile

Taut and savory. Dark and red fruit, lilac, and peppercorn open into boysenberry, pomegranate, blood orange, and white pepper, with crushed stone earthiness carrying to a ferrous, floral finish. Structured but drinking well now.

Wine Characteristics

Body
Medium-Full
Sweetness
Dry
Acidity
Bright
Tannin
Firm
Fruitiness
Forward

Aromatic Descriptors

  • Boysenberry
  • Pomegranate
  • Blood orange
  • White pepper
  • Crushed stone
  • Lilac
  • Lavender
  • Iodine
  • Berry sorbet
  • Baking spices
Close view of red wine surface with fine bubbles at the rim
“I have to trust my palate, my point of view. The project's based on that — it's based on a place, a vineyard that's very much alive. I'm the interpreter, effectively, of that site and whatever vintage it is.”
Erich BradleyWinemaker

Production Timeline

Production Count268 Cases
Harvest DateAugust 15 & August 27, 2022
Élevage20 months
Bottled DateApril 26, 2024
Released DateFebruary 2025

Food pairing

A classic Southern Rhone pairing built around Mediterranean herbs and savory freshness. Grilled lamb chops with rosemary, olives, and roasted peppers are the definitive match, with Moroccan lamb tagine and duck confit echoing its pomegranate and white pepper spice. Ratatouille with grilled sausage or a wood-fired fennel sausage pizza play to its vibrancy, while Manchego or Ossau-Iraty finish the table.

How This Wine Is Made

Ojai Mountain terroir

Terroir

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.

Explore Ojai Mountain terroir
Viticulture at Ojai Mountain

Viticulture

Hand-farmed block by block on steep mountain terrain. Organically grown, regeneratively farmed, planted at 1,800 vines per acre to keep yields low.

See how we farm the vineyard

More to Discover

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2020 Estate Red

$85.00

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Your Questions, Answered

Storage, serving, and what makes this wine what it is. For visiting, booking, and policy questions, see our full FAQ.

The 2022 moved to a Rhône-only composition for the first time, dropping the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc of the 2020 and 2021 vintages in favor of a near-equal Grenache-Mourvèdre core and a first addition of Tempranillo. Every vintage since has continued this direction.

Structured and drinking well now, with years ahead, consistent with the drink now through 2040 window above. Taut tannins and a firm acid line support long development. 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. A short decant of 30 minutes lifts the lilac and peppercorn aromatics; the wine's tension does the rest.

Bold preparations with Mediterranean herbs: herb-roasted lamb shoulder, grilled duck with citrus and spice, mushroom risotto with thyme, aged Manchego. Taut tannins and bright acidity keep rich dishes from becoming heavy.

More answers