Winemaker Notes
This 2023 Syrah is the This 2023 Syrah is the first of Ojai's new Clima Frío series, and they're thrilled with how this wine captures the region’s specialty for savory, nuanced Syrah. The perfume is gorgeous and super varietal: purple floral aromas emanate out of the glass along with scents of incense, spice-crusted meat, ground pepper, and awhole mélange of red-blue-purple fruit. The palate is richly flavored yet lithe, with an elegance that’s hard to miss. It opens with a blast of ripe berries with balsamic and spicy cherry notes that segue into leather, olive and meaty savor, then chocol then chocolatey and stemmy tannins lend fine clench and flecks of herbaceousness.
Blend: 100% Syrah
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A blend from the Robert Rae and Portico Hills vineyards, fermented with an average of 14% whole clusters and aged 10 months in neutral French oak, the 2023 Syrah Clima Frío has a classic cool-climate nose of crunchy red and black fruits, white pepper, cedarwood, and sappy flowers. It's medium-bodied, fresh, focused, and firm on the palate, with wonderful purity and precision, notable yet nicely integrated tannins, and outstanding length.
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Vinous
The aptly named 2023 Syrah Clima Frío is a fabulous cool-climate wine. A blend of Robert Rae, Portico Hills and Kessler-Haak, it packs an array of black raspberry, black tea, lavender, rosemary and iodine. Measured, salty acids course through this lithe, soft-spoken, impeccably balanced Syrah. Northern Rhône complexity at a far-from-Northern-Rhône price.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Syrah Clima Frío is the introductory Syrah bottling from The Ojai Vineyard, previously labelled as Santa Barbara County. It aptly displays the poised, earthy style of the house, opening with charcoal embers and white pepper aromas against a backdrop of black and blue fruits, featuring a medium-bodied, suave palate and a savory, grippy finish.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
With a dry and mild climate cooled significantly by moist ocean fog and breezes, Santa Barbara County is a grape-grower’s dream. Part of the larger Central Coast appellation, Santa Barbara is home to Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley. The conditions here provide an opportunity for nearly effortless production of high-quality cool-climate Central Coast wines. This is also the site of the 2004 film Sideways, which caused Pinot Noir’s popularity to skyrocket and brought new acclaim to the region.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are the stars of Santa Barbara, producing wines marked by racy acidity. Crisp Sauvignon Blanc and savory Syrah are also important. The region is home to many young and enthusiastic winemakers eager to experiment with less common varieties including Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Trousseau Gris, Gamay and Cabernet Franc, making it an exciting area to watch.