(This wine was rated but no tasting note was given.)Over the last several years, there has been considerable evidence that Adam Tolmach's Ojai Vineyard is among the leading candidates for Santa Barbara's top winery. The brilliance of these wines over the last several vintages has been uncontestable. Ojai's new releases include many stunning wines, particularly the Pinot Noir and Syrah offerings. This is not to say the whites are uninteresting.Tel. (805) 649-1674

A delicious palate cleanser, or refresher, depending on your point of view, is Ojai's rose, which is seemingly made from bleeding tanks of Syrah in order to obtain more concentration. The 1996 Vin Gris offers up a textbook Syrah-like, strawberry, peppery-scented nose, medium body, outstanding purity, and a clean, refreshing finish. Drink it over the next 6 months. The Ojai Vineyard has been producing excellent to outstanding wines over recent years, and they seem intent on climbing to the top of California's qualitative pyramid. Their new releases are - at the minimum - distinctive, delicious, and impressive.Tel. (805) 649-1674