History
Adam Tolmach went to UC Davis and studied viticulture and enology, and after graduating in 1976 he settled down on the property his grandfather bought in the Ojai Valley in 1933 to farm sweet corn and melons, selling them at a roadside stand. With degree in hand he found work at Zaca Mesa in Santa Barbara County. Before long he decided to follow his own vision and started a winery with fellow employee Jim Clendenen in 1982. The winery, Au Bon Climat, was an overnight success, but after nine years together Jim and Adam realized they had to follow separate paths. Jim bought the business in 1991 and went on to further glories. Simultaneous to all this, Adam had planted a vineyard in Ojai to syrah and sauvignon blanc and had begun producing wine from that fruit in 1983. When the collaboration with Clendenen ended he concentrated all his attention on The Ojai Vineyard to further his craft.
Specialties
The Ojai Vineyard is crafting distinctive California wines since 1983 using traditional wine making practices learned in Burgundy and the Rhone valley. Adam Tolmach pursues the craft at his artisanal winery in Ojai, California, purchasing grapes from the finest terroirs in the coolest districts of northern Santa Barbara County. His quest is to bring together European sensibilities of balance and finesse with the exuberant fruit from coastal California vineyards. Today he makes 21 different wines including the varietals that made him famous like Syrah or Pinot noir to the lesser known Grenache and a wide selection of very successful whites like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Viognier.