Ojai Syrah Santa Barbara 2022

Ojai is one of my absolute favorites and the same goes for the Nicholas Wines collective. For years, the reds and whites made here are every bit worth the price of admission.

The winery is led by superstar winemaker Adam Tolmach, who has consistently proven himself to be one of most innovative winemakers in all of California. For decades, Tolmach’s scientific approach and experimentation-driven winemaking style has led to some incredible discoveries and some even better wine!

If you’re looking for rock-solid domestic Syrah, Ojai is the first place I always tell people to look. Their goal with the Santa Barbara County Syrah is to capture the pure expression of the region’s cool-climate vineyards. This wine does that in spades. The 2022 vintage was warm, so there’s a deep and ample ripeness to this bottling, yet the coastal vineyards held onto their earthy and savory Syrah qualities. The varietal fragrance is striking and pungent. The wine is terrific.