点评:First rule of being an Ojai local: don't talk about Ojai on social media. I'm going to break that rule for this one.
I live in LA but have a home in Ojai. I'm also a sculptor, so perhaps I'm particularly drawn to the landscape, the changing light and those crazy sunsets. Ojai Mountain is one of those places that makes you stop and look.
I come from a wine family and have been drinking and learning about wine for most of my life. I have to admit, I was surprised by how good these wines are. You don't necessarily expect to find wines with this kind of freshness and cool-climate character this far south in California. But at nearly 3,000 feet, with the elevation, cool nights and influence from the Pacific, this vineyard is a very different environment from the Ojai Valley below.
My family became club members, and these are now wines we regularly open at home. Even the in-laws from the East Coast have gotten into them. The Syrah in particular is serious, but the Rhône blends and whites are excellent too. The recent Mourvèdre addition was a great surprise, and we're hoping they can produce more of it. Across the wines, there's freshness, structure and a real sense of where they're grown, rather than the heavier style you might expect from Southern California.
And then there is the experience of actually drinking them up there. If you can get a late-afternoon tasting, do it. Watching the sun go down over the mountains with a glass of wine is quite a treat. The sunsets can be crazy.
So I'm reluctantly sharing an Ojai secret with the LA crowd. You have a little wine-country gem surprisingly close to home. No drive to Paso. No flight or long weekend in Napa. Just head up the mountain.
Maybe don't tell too many people.
翻译:作为奥海当地人的第一条守则:绝对不要在社交媒体上谈论奥海。不过这次我打算打破这条规矩。
我住在洛杉矶,但在奥海也有一处住所。我是一名雕塑家,或许正因如此,我特别被这里的自然景观、变幻莫测的光线以及那些绝美的日落所吸引。奥海山就是那种能让人驻足欣赏的地方。
我出身于一个酿酒世家,大半生都在品酒并学习有关葡萄酒的知识。必须承认,这些葡萄酒的品质之佳着实让我惊喜不已。你未必会指望在加利福尼亚这么靠南的地区能找到具有这种清新特质且带有凉凉气候特征的葡萄酒。不过,这片葡萄园海拔接近3000英尺,加上凉爽的夜间气温以及太平洋气候的影响,其环境与下方的奥海谷截然不同。
我们全家都成为了该酒庄的会员,如今这些酒成了我们家中常喝的佳酿。就连来自东海岸的姻亲们也喜欢上它们了。尤其是西拉葡萄酒,品质极为出色。不过罗讷河谷的混酿酒和白葡萄酒也同样出色。最近推出的慕合怀特葡萄酒着实令人惊喜,我们希望他们能多生产一些。这些葡萄酒都具备清新感与良好的结构,能体现出产地的特色,这与人们对南加州葡萄酒的厚重风格预期截然不同。
另外,亲自在产地品饮这些酒也是一种难得的体验。如果能在傍晚时分参加品酒活动,千万别错过。一边品着葡萄酒,一边欣赏群山间的日落,真是一种享受。那里的日落景象简直美得不可思议。
因此,我虽不情愿,还是想把奥海的这个秘密分享给洛杉矶的朋友们:就在离家不远的地方,有个宛如宝石般璀璨的葡萄酒之乡。不必驱车前往帕索罗布尔斯,也无需飞往纳帕或特意度个长周末。只需要上山即可。
不过,还是别告诉太多人为好。