Ojai Chardonnay Puerta Del Mar 2018

95 Pts, Antonio Galloni- Vinous

One American winemaker that I’ve always admired whose Chardonnays are cut from the French cloth is Adam Tolmach at Ojai. I’ve known Adam and his Assistant Winemaker, Fabien Castel for over a decade and over that time I’ve tried a lot of their wines. The Chardonnays are always impeccably balanced, with tremendous acidity and minerality that I love. He’s a boundary pusher, constantly tinkering, never following rules and experimenting with sugars, acidity, pick dates, barrels and everything else under the sun.

Perhaps their greatest white wine release to date is the 2018 Chardonnay from the Puerta del Mar Vineyard. PDM or the “door to the sea” is the perfect vineyard to challenge the classically trained winemaker. Perched on the very edge of where grapes can actually get ripe, just a ridge away from the Pacific. The vines struggle mightily – which in excellent vintages means a concentration of flavor and minerality that is absolutely remarkable. 2018 is one of those vintages. Incredibly aromatically complex with a concentration of fruit and mineral backbone generally reserved for Burgundy three times the price. 

Read Galloni’s rave review below where he calls the wine, “positively stellar”.

$37.00

Out of stock

95 Points, Antonio Galloni- Vinous
The 2018 Chardonnay Puerta Del Mar is bright and finely sculpted. Lemon oil, white flowers, mint, and a range of saline-infused overtones all grace the 2018. Weightless and yet full of flavor, the 2018 is positively stellar. It is yet another fabulous white in this range of new releases from Ojai and a terrific example of the far western edge of Santa Barbara County that is outside of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation.

95 points, Vinous

Perhaps Ojai’s greatest white wine release to date is the 2018 Chardonnay from the Puerta del Mar Vineyard. PDM or the “door to the sea” is the perfect vineyard to challenge the classically trained winemaker. Perched on the very edge of where grapes can actually get ripe, just a ridge away from the Pacific. The vines struggle mightily – which in excellent vintages means a concentration of flavor and minerality that is absolutely remarkable. 2018 is one of those vintages. Incredibly aromatically complex with a concentration of fruit and mineral backbone generally reserved for Burgundy three times the price. 

Poached lobster is a perfect match

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