When Adam Tolmach parted ways with Au Bon Climate in the early 1990s, he committed himself entirely to the Ojai Vineyard, discovering the budding Santa Barbara County, experimenting with new plantings, new vineyards, and developing progressive farming practices like drip irrigation and vertical trellising to improve wine grape quality. As he planted vineyards of his own, he also sought out small vineyards of exceptional quality, sites that expressed the compelling soil composition and growing conditions that make this among the most captivating regions in the state.
Adam recognized the potential of the Sta. Rita Hills early on. He established a long-term contract with Clos Pepe in the mid-1990s developed a near obsession with the vibrant fruit and bright acidity that the sandy loam soils and especially cool climate the western side of Sta. Rita allows. He later jumped at the invitation to start working with the neighboring vineyard (owned by his son’s drum teacher’s father-in-law - how's that for kismet?) - the now iconic Kessler-Haak. Similarly, the fossilized, ancient sea bed of the low-lying Santa Maria Valley caught his attention, as did the vineyards he found there, sites that are now among the most coveted in California (Presq'uile, Solomon Hills, and the legendary Bien Nacido). If these valleys already have a long harvest season, the 2023 vintage was that amplified - a cool, balanced ripening throughout the summer, a stretch of mild temperatures through the early fall, a short burst of late season heat, and a harvest that stretched into November. To Adam, it was the perfect inaugural vintage for his Clima Frio Pinot Noir, drawing fruit from the coolest sites in both valleys, highlighting the benefit of the long ripening season. The fruit developed profoundly in 2023 (in Adam's words, "the stuff of winemaker’s dreams"), with cool mint and eucalyptus tones melting into fleshy ripe berries and cherry and streaks of citrus and spicebox aromatics. It's a wine full of substance, one that will certainly develop with some time in the cellar. But it's a wine that's a joy to drink now, inviting and bursting with character from the moment you pull the cork.
