Ojai Vineyard 2004 White Hawk Syrah (Santa Barbara County)

Background: Honestly, you can't go wrong with Ojai Vineyard.  There's a wine for every palate among the dozen or more wines produced each year (6,000 cases) by owner/winemaker Adam Tolmach.  Ojai Vineyard sources fruit from the finest Central Coast vineyards (Fe Ciega, Bien Nacido, Thompson, Melville, Clos Pepe, Solomon Hills).  Ojai produces Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Grenache, and Syrah, as well as Red and White blends from barrels that did not make the selection for the single vineyard bottlings.

Stats: Syrah grapes sourced from White Hawk Vineyard in Santa Barbara County.  14.5% alcohol by volume.  Retails for $47, purchased for $26.99 at the Woodland Hills Wine Company.  93 points Wine Enthusiast, 92 points Robert Parker, 92 points Wine Spectator, and 91 points Josh Reynolds (IWC).

Tasting Notes: Dark, elegant, muscular and dense.  A bouquet of blackberry, minerals and jalapeño aromas tingle the nose, while blackberry, dark chocolate and black pepper coax the mid-palate, finishing with a lingering dark fruit finish.  It starts with a bang and ends with an elegant boom.  

The Ojai Vineyard 2004 White Hawk Syrah strikes me as a wine that required very little coaxing in the barrel or bottle.  It seems to have developed its own split personality - monstrous and well-balanced.  Don't get me wrong; this is not a big, bold tannin bomb of a wine.  As far as I'm concerned, this wine offers an abundance of elegance, depth and balance, while leaving a statement. Don't worry; I bought a second bottle of the Ojai Vineyard 2004 White Hawk Syrah.  

The Ojai Vineyard

P.O. Box 952, Oak View, CA 93022

(805) 649-1674

No tours or tasting room