THE OJAI VINEYARD, Santa Barbara
Adam Tolmach is one of the original artisans of the Central Coast. After graduating from UC Davis in 1976 with a degree in viticulture and enology, Adam settled on a property his grandfather had been farming in the Ojai Valley since 1933, and planted Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah vines. He co-founded Au Bon Climat in 1982 with Jim Clendenen, and then in 1991, Adam sold his share of ABC to Jim, allowing him to focus on The Ojai Vineyard.
In the ensuing 30 years, vineyard management and winemaking have evolved significantly, following Adam's interest in producing natural, expressive wines with a light touch. He was a pioneer is contracting to buy fruit by the acre, rather than by the ton – allowing him to manage the vineyards himself, and focus on quality over quantity. He converted to sustainable practices, then organics, and manages the crop to achieve full maturity with lower potential alcohol. At the same time, his techniques in the cellar dictated a move to more used / less new oak; minimal then zero fining and filtering; minimizing use of sulphites, and adopting native yeast fermentation. Indeed, Adam refers to his journey as an evolution which is ongoing.
In January 2021, Adam and his wife Helen purchased the highly-regarded Fe Ciega (Blind Faith) Vineyard overlooking the Santa Ynez River in the Sta. Rita Hills of Santa Barbara County. Adam has been producing a Fe Ciega Pinot Noir since 2003, referring to it as a 'luminary planting', comprising 9 acres of vineyard on a 43 acre property. Conversion to organic is underway. An impressive array of vineyards provide fruit for The Ojai Vineyard, including La Côte, Bien Nacido. Antonio Galloni comments, "More than anything else, these wines give consumers a terrific opportunity to explore the personalities of a number of top sites at prices that are exceedingly fair." – August 2020
