The 2013 Pinot Noir Solomon Hills is the star of the show in 2013 and is possibly the finest Pinot Noir I've tasted from this estate. All about its incredibly pure core of fruit, it still stays balanced, seamless and layered, with no hard edges and perfect integration of its fruit, acidity and tannin. Giving up lots of black raspberry, strawberry, Bing cherry and floral notes, this is one Pinot Noir to not miss!

Coming from a vineyard that lies within sight of the Pacific Ocean, the 2012 Pinot Noir Solomon Hills is a pretty, perfumed and elegant Pinot Noir that offers plenty of rose, violets and spice to go with light raspberry and red berry fruit. As with just about all of these 2012s, it has medium-bodied richness, vibrant acidity and a seamless, lightly textured profile on the palate. Picking up a slightly salty mineral-like quality with time in the glass, it’s an outstanding effort that will drink nicely for 5-6 years. 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

Totally stunning, the 2010 Pinot Noir Solomon Hills has brilliant cut and definition, with vivid black cherry, earth and superb underlying minerality flowing to a medium-bodied incredibly pure Pinot Noir that has knockout class and poise. Showing solid concentration through the mid-palate, it should age gracefully through 2022. Drink 2015-2022. This was one thrilling lineup of wines by Adam Tolmach and assistant winemaker Fabien Castel and this is always one of my favorite visits during my trip through the region. After making wine for close to 30 years, Adam continues to push for improvement and is subtly tweaking his wines to get more freshness, focuses and elegance out of them. Minimal new oak, low SO2 and few rackings are all the norm here, and these 2009s, 2010s and 2011s are some of the strongest wines I’ve tasted from this estate. They’re all highly recommended. Tel. (805) 798-3947; www.ojaivineyard.com

The 2008 Pinot Noir Solomon Hills presents a more balsamic profile. Menthol and sweet spices wrap around a core of black cherries in this muscular, broad-shouldered Pinot. This is a fairly intense style for Ojai in this vintage, and it works beautifully. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020. I admit I have mixed feelings about the wines I tasted at Ojai with proprietor Adam Tolmach and winemaker Fabien Castel. On the positive side, the wines are classy, elegant and also very fairly priced considering the quality of what is in the bottle. At the same time, it is obvious yields aren’t particularly low, which is somewhat mystifying considering Tolmach works with first-rate sites and is clearly getting pristine fruit. Don’t get me wrong, these are excellent wines?but they could be truly great, and maybe beyond great. The cellars are kept cold year-round, while the approach to winemaking remains quite minimalist. All of the whites are fermented in barrel, with full malolactic fermentation and very low levels of new oak. The Pinots are aged on their lees and are racked only before bottling. The Pinots see 25-35% new oak, while the Syrahs see even less. In recent years Tolmach has begun experimenting with whole clusters for both his Pinots and Syrahs. Tel. (805) 649-1674; www.ojaivineyard.com