Juicy and slightly tangy, with ripe citrus blossom, candied lemon rind, white flowers and hints of salty minerality, the 2011 Chardonnay Solomon Hills Vineyard is medium-bodied, nicely textured and decidedly fresh, with racy acidity coming through on the finish. Benefitting from a decant and in no mood to be consumed today, it needs another a year or so in the cellar and will drink nicely through 2019.
This was a mammoth tasting with winemaker Adam Tolmach and assistant Fabien Castel. While I had a number of these shipped to my office in Colorado (where I was able to follow the wines for multiple days), there were still upward of 30 bottles to taste through when I showed up at the estate. Adam continues to pull in his harvest dates, and in a number of cases, has released two cuvees from each vineyard, one harvested early (the Special Bottling) and one harvested later, which is still on the early edge. I have mixed feelings about the new style here, and while these early pick dates give his wines beautiful tension, acidity and energy, it comes at the expense of texture and richness, and the wines have a sappy, resinous, if not green, character that won’t be for everyone. Nevertheless, there are certainly some outstanding wines here.
Tel. (805) 649-1674; www.ojaivineyard.com
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