The Ojai Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley, Bien Nacido Vineyard, Pinot Noir 1998
1.5cm
Adam Tolmach, The Ojai Winemaker
Syrah is fun to make; it's always dark purple in color and has oodles of flavor. The winemaker deals with an abundance of character, and the real work is trying to manage all that is there while having it express itself with some sort of balance. Pinot noir, on the other hand, is vexing. It is all about subtlety and finesse, and not so much about bold, aggressive fruit character. Through the wine-making process, there are all these steps one might take to prevent the wine from getting screwed up (pinot never wants to be easy), yet, paradoxically, the more one does the less likely the wine will turn out well. From our experience with the pinot from this vineyard, we have found a policy of extreme neglect seems to work best. It is risky and worrisome; that is why it is so satisfying when things work out well.
The vineyard comes first with pinot noir; you cannot even make modestly good pinot without particularly good fruit from a special source. Bien Nacido is just that, situated in the cool Santa Maria Valley. Our vines are located on the east end of Q block, and in 1998 that spot produced 2.4 tons to the acre. From that small yield we got a wonderfully intense, smoky, spicy wine that reveals great depth as it opens up. It is rare to have a wine that is so complex and yet young. It beckons you to try another sip, intrigues the palate, and is very accessible today.
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