“When we first stood on the ridge and looked out to the Pacific on one side and the Topa Topa Mountains on the other, we knew it was something extraordinary,” says Olga Chernov about the land at the top of Sulphur Mountain that she and husband Mike purchased in 2015. But it wasn’t until a few years later that the magic really began.
“This is one of the most exciting new projects I’ve encountered in California in some time. I found myself thinking about these wines weeks after I tasted them,” says Vinous critic Billy Norris in a review of the Ojai Mountain Wines now coming out of the Chernov’s property.
“Situated at 2,800 feet of elevation with a direct line of sight to the Pacific Ocean, Ojai Mountain Vineyard was planted on virgin land in 2018 by Phil Coturri and Martin Ramirez. Soils are rocky and very shallow with plantings comprising a smattering of red and white Rhône varieties, among other odds and ends,” he continues.
“Sustainability and biodynamic principles are foundational here. Soils are no-till, harvest is done by hand and fermentations are all native. Erich Bradley makes the wines, aging the whites for 8-10 months and the reds for 18-22 months in neutral French oak. The results are stunningly singular out of the gate. The first crop off these vines was only 2020. How the wines can already express such a distinct, confident sense of terroir is beyond comprehension,” he says.
Erich Bradley, renowned winemaker and owner of Sojourn Cellars in Sonoma, also has a lot to say about the vineyards on the rocky shale mountaintop. “What keeps standing out to me from this vineyard is the freshness. It’s vivid, almost electric. You don’t find that kind of lift, even in other high-elevation sites.”
Since the planting of the vines, Ojai Mountain has seen some of the most harsh conditions: the second driest year in Ventura County in 120 years in 2021, followed by the fifth wettest in 2023. “Growing grapes at nearly 3,000 feet with coastal winds and rugged terrain has tested us constantly, but it’s also been an immense area of growth and an intellectually satisfying challenge,” says Olga.
“This vineyard is tough. It’s raw. No real soil yet—just fractured rock and time. And out of that struggle comes wines with a kind of natural tension I find really compelling,” says Erich. “These wines don’t just hit the bass notes. They reach for something higher—and they land it. As I get older, I find myself chasing tension in wine. Not weight. Not volume. Tension. And that’s exactly what this place delivers.”
Critic Norris agrees, “Tasting the 2020s, 2021s and 2022s showed an almost exponential deepening of character year over year. Syrah looks to be a potential superstar here. Without tipping into hyperbole, Ojai Mountain may be the next great vineyard in California.”
Farming Wines
The team views the vineyard as a living ecosystem. Chickens work as “employees,” and their manure, combined with pine shavings, is turned into nutrient-rich compost on site. Horses from Peppercorn Ranch add further natural fertilizer.
“We farm without chemicals, instead relying on compost, cover crops, beneficial insects and native plants to keep balance in the vineyard,” explains Olga. “Bees are another important part of the cycle, pollinating our cover crops and the wildflowers we seed between the rows. We’ve planted large blocks of native buckwheat, lacy phacelia, lupins, and sage to support them and create habitat.”
Raptors and snakes provide natural pest control—you’ll see kestrel boxes in the vines, larger boxes for owls in the surrounding oaks, and perches for red-tailed hawks to rest and hunt.
Coyotes and foxes are welcome, as they help keep squirrels and gophers in check. To support them, refillable waterers are set out, and in one case even scattered squeaky dog toys were used as an attempt to stop them from chewing irrigation lines. These interconnected practices foster healthier vines and a thriving landscape, which ultimately deepens the character of the wines.
A Celebration
“Five years is both a blink of an eye and a lifetime when it comes to farming. To see the vineyard not just survive but truly thrive—and to share those first wines with people who connect deeply with them—feels like a milestone worth honoring,” says Olga.
“Along the way, we’ve had the privilege of working with wine legends like Phil Coturri and Jacopo Miolo of Simonit & Sirch, and we continue to learn daily from Martin Ramirez—our ‘Mr. Grape Guy’—who has farmed nearly every vineyard in Ojai for more than 30 years.”
Olga continues, “Looking ahead, we’re excited to celebrate this milestone and introduce the vineyard to more people. Our team is deeply proud not only of what we’ve accomplished, but of how we’ve done it—with the utmost care for the land, enhancing its beauty rather than diminishing it.”
On November 8th, Ojai Mountain Winery is hosting it’s second annual Harvest Dinner, after a smashing success following last year’s inaugural event.
Erich Bradley will be there. “He’s an exceptionally thoughtful and cerebral voice in wine. More than one person has told us in the past, ‘I wouldn’t have discovered wine without Erich,’ which speaks to the way he inspires curiosity and passion in people,” says Olga.
Also joining will be the Ojai Raptor Center, with the hope that they can release a couple of rehabilitated birds back into the wild during the evening.
The chef this year is Bryan Wang. He will be preparing a French-inspired menu that reflects the origins of many of the wine varieties. All ingredients are sourced locally, with charcuterie and cheese from Paradise Pantry in Ventura and fresh sourdough from The Dutchess in Ojai.
Each dish will be paired thoughtfully with the estate wines to highlight both the season and the vineyard.
If there are still tickets available for the Harvest dinner celebration, you can find them here.
