点评:I came to Ojai Mountain expecting beautiful scenery, but I left feeling like I had discovered one of California's most memorable wine experiences.
Ojai Mountain sits high on Sulphur Mountain, and the setting is unlike anywhere else I've visited. The views stretch across Ventura County to the Channel Islands, with ridge after ridge disappearing into the clouds. I probably took more photos of the wildflowers, native plants, and wildlife than I did of the wine. We even watched a pair of red-tailed hawks soaring and dancing above the vineyard while we tasted. It felt almost unreal.
The wines are every bit as distinctive as the landscape. We brought home a bottle of the 2022 Estate White and later tasted it alongside a 2022 Les Meysonniers Crozes-Hermitage Blanc. I knew going in that the Northern Rhône wine, made primarily from Marsanne, would naturally be a little broader, richer, and less vibrant in style. Even with that expectation, I was genuinely surprised by how much more energetic, fresh, and layered the Ojai Mountain wine showed. During the tasting, they explained how the cool mountain nights slow sugar accumulation while preserving acidity, and how the natural variability of their mountain vineyard creates additional complexity in the finished wines. When we opened the bottle again at home, everything we had learned suddenly clicked. It wasn't just a wine tasting, it was an educational experience that changed the way I think about high-altitude wine.
As if the day couldn't get any better, we spotted a bear on our drive back down the mountain at dusk. It was the perfect ending to an unforgettable visit.
Ojai is already one of my favorite places, and Ojai Mountain made me fall in love with it even more. If you're visiting Los Angeles or Ojai and have even a slight interest in wine, make time for this. It's unlike any tasting we've done before, and it's one of those places we'll be talking about for a long time. Highly recommend.
翻译:我初到奥海山时,只是期待能欣赏到美丽的风景,离开时却觉得自己发现了加利福尼亚最令人难忘的葡萄酒体验之地。
奥海山坐落于硫磺山之巅,其环境之独特令我至今难忘。从这里可以俯瞰整个文图拉县,直至海峡群岛;层层山脊则隐没在云海之中。我拍摄的野花、本土植物以及野生动物的照片,数量恐怕远超葡萄酒的照片呢。我们在品酒时,甚至目睹了一对红尾鹰在葡萄园上空翱翔、盘旋,那种景象简直如梦境般不真实。
这些葡萄酒的独特程度丝毫不逊于这片风土环境。我们带了一瓶2022年份的Estate White回家,后来又将其与同年份出产的Les Meysonniers Crozes-Hermitage Blanc进行对比品鉴。其实我事先就知道,这款产自北罗纳河谷、主要以玛珊葡萄酿造的葡萄酒,其风格自然会更为醇厚、浓郁,但活力感稍弱一些。即便早有这种心理预期……令我真正惊讶的是,这款产自奥海山的葡萄酒展现出如此充沛的活力、清新的风味以及丰富的层次感。品酒过程中,酿酒师们解释道:山区凉爽的夜晚能减缓糖分积累,同时保留葡萄的酸度;而山地葡萄园中存在的自然变异性则赋予了成品酒更多的复杂风味。后来我们在家再次打开这瓶酒时,之前学到的知识顿时有了真切的体会。这已不单单是一次品酒体验了。这是一次极具教育意义的体验,它改变了我对高海拔地区酿酒方式的看法。
天色渐暗时,我们在下山途中偶然看到了一只熊。这为这次难忘的旅程画上了完美的句号。
奥海早已是我最喜欢的地方之一,而奥海山则让我更加深爱上了那里。如果你正打算游览洛杉矶或奥海,又对葡萄酒稍有兴趣的话,一定要抽出时间来体验一下。这种品酒体验绝对与我们以往经历过的任何一次都截然不同。这里是我们会长久谈论下去的地方之一。强烈推荐。