Ojai, Syrah Roll Ranch, California

Just opened the 2000 Ojai Roll Ranch Syrah. Stored at no more than 58 degrees (my cellar wil drop to as low as 48 In winter here in the Sierra Nevada). What a great surprise! Delicious from the first sip. Robust, fruity, soft and balanced. Have no idea what I paid way back when, but if I had another case it would be at the top of the list in our 2500 bottle cellar.

2000 vintage

Crazy good bottle of syrah. How could this be 17 years old? It was dense, vibrant and exciting. Depth of flavor was awesome. Shy nose and typically fruit driven at this price point but a wonderful QPR.

2003 vintage

Last bottle of a long time purchase for me and still holding on strong. Wouldn't wait if you have others, but still holding on strong.

2003 vintage

From magnum. Beautifully made old California Syrah.

2000 vintage

Fourth blind red wine for our Labor Day get together. Dark garnet red with a hint of ruby. A bit herbal to start on the nose with some savory spices, pepper, plums and some flowers. Medium tannins (5.5/10) and a medium plus finish. Interesting palate with wood, leather, black olives, a bit of cured meat, stones and dark plums. Long finish. Drink till 2021.

2003 vintage

Nose has aome alcoholic heat.

2003 vintage

Deep and dark ruby red with garnet edges. Dark nose with plums and black olives. Some black pepper and spices too. Medium tannins (6/10) and medium plus bodied. Layered palate with notes of cinnamon, dark berries and black olives. Long finish and drinking well. Drink till 2020.

2003 vintage

Light cellar nose - N8 Medium + body with some acidity in the backbone which is nicely integrated and not overpowering. PnP and this is not showing any age really and it probably getting to a peak. Dark black cherry at the end of the mid palate. Richer and fruitier than the 04 Boyd.

2003 vintage

Found this hidden in a corner of the cellar. Modest expectations given age, but this was just as good as when last tasted a decade ago. Perfect cork. Powerful black frit with slightly sweet spice. Very nicely rich, very nicely balanced.

2000 vintage

Properly cellared from birth, this is still fine, although I wouldn't wait to drink. Nice balance of fruit and structure without too much licorice. Easy, full-bodied drinking.

2003 vintage

Corked.

2000 vintage

California Syrah (Webster Wine Bar) : Deep dark ruby. Big black fruit with a touch of distracting volatile acidity. Very ripe and roasted black fruit on the palate. Creosote, smoke and tar add depth. This is opulent with lower acidity. Definitely showed better in its youth as this is now drying out.

2003 vintage

The Rotating Dinners, I.1: California Syrah (Chicago, IL) : A distinct caramel note on the nose. Ripe, sweet, and confected. The palate has a really awful way of being overripe and underripe at the same time. Stewed green fruit is not a very pleasant thing, and while you're at it, throw on some heat from the alcohol.

2003 vintage

Gave 3 hours of air....Dark purple , doesn't look 13 years old. Nose of bitter bleach, mold, wet cardboard (TCA?) and cherries. Olive oil, chocolate covered cherries, kirsch, currants... out of balance. Will wait 2 years before I consume my last bottle.

2003 vintage

Delicious Syrah. Opened up nicely. Big fully integrated red and blue fruit still there. No heat. Drink now.

2000 vintage

(Wine Club Pick-Up Party Tasting) From magnum pulled from the winery's library, this was our wine of the evening and the best Roll Ranch we've ever tasted. Still youthful in color and on the palate, this offers awesome purity and an exciting blend of primary and secondary characteristics. A blender full of blackberries, blueberries and cherries framed up by Asian black tea notes and pinpoint minerals. Creosote and black licorice in the finish. Picks up ever so slight heat in …

2000 vintage

I think the wine was a little off, decanted and let it breathe but seemed to have have some tca taint

2003 vintage

Homemade spaghetti dinner with H visiting. Browning at the disk, but the cork is barely soaked, maybe a half inch. Gritty but solid legs. Bouquet of heavy, black fruit with occasional whiffs of horse blanket. A luscious palate and finish showing considerable secondary characteristics of smoke, black licorice and dusty blackberries. Tannins are considerably resolved, and this offering seems to have peaked. Drink up.

2000 vintage

BIG FRUIT AND WOOD IN THE NOSE WITH BLACKBERRIES, BLUEBERRIES, AND EARTHINESS IN THE FLAVOR. NICE COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH.

2003 vintage

Not as good as the prior bottle which was excellent. Seemed a little cloudy and on the downside. Probably good that this was my last bottle.

2003 vintage

Bricking very dark ruby color; lifted, tart raspberry, light pepper nose; tasty, concentrated, maturing, pepper, tart plum, dried berry, black raspberry palate; long finish

2003 vintage

Very dark in color...essentially ink...but very smooth and overall excellent

2003 vintage

Opaque purple. Sticky aromas of pine, plumb and crushed black pepper. Dense palate with some fruitcake, brown sugar, spice, and a long, balanced finish. As always, Ojai is a good source of American pinot and syrah.

2003 vintage

The last of 6 bottles. Roll Ranch continues to be my favorite Ojai Syrah. This bottle was smooth, velvety and elegant. Simply delicious.

2003 vintage

Heavy; like grape juice the second night.

2000 vintage

Got dark cherry, chocolate, coffee and even some meat on the nose. Very chewy and full in the mouth with a long finish. Good balance. Got this for half off. Very rhone like. Drink up. Don't think this will get much better.

2003 vintage

This seemed over the hill. Not fresh and flavor depth had disappeared. I can only assume it was there at one point.

2000 vintage

A nice wine. I felt that it was a bit hot otherwise I would have rated it higher.

2000 vintage

A bit more tart and out of balance than others I have had. It was a quick PnP

2003 vintage

This is my favorite Ojai from the past 10 years. Incredible depth, complexity and balance. This is what a Cali Syrah should be. I've had about 3 cases over the past 5 years and I wish I could get more, just an incredible effort from a great producer!

2003 vintage

no formal notes taken...based on my memory solid, good balance, complexity of secondary flavors but maybe a bit heavy and lacking that something extra in mouthfeel or energy to be more inspiring

2003 vintage

My favorite Ojai syrah. Had a 2003 tonight, followed by the 2002. The 2003 was quite good. Dark fruits, some tobacco, pepper. Good structure. Long finish. The 2002, however, was a step above. More complexity on the nose. More balance and a longer, smoother finish. Excellent.

2003 vintage

Rich mellow syrah. Dark cherry and blackberry notes

2003 vintage

A high quality wine, well constructed. Worth the price.

2003 vintage

Would think it was from the Rhone if I didn't see the label. Really enjoyed this 7 year old. Great day 1 and day 2. Didn't find a great food pairing for it, but didn't put much effort into that either. It really just tasted like well made, old-school syrah. If I really searched I came up with tamari and dark cherry scents along with a little bit of blueberry or blackberry. As I was finishing it up I even …

2003 vintage

Decanted just before dinner. A good bit of sediment. Exceptional, like a great Cote rotie. Rich dark fruits and pepper notes. We had no trouble polishing it off over dinner. One of the best wines we've enjoyed this year. Glad I've waited, as I have 4 left.

2000 vintage

Impressive. I love the older Ojai. Rich, opulent, my style. Now, Adam makes wines in a more austere style, more true to the vineyard, that's what he thinks is better but I prefer the older, more mature style he used to make them in.

2000 vintage

Ojai Vineyard Tasting Dinner (Chez Christianne, San Francisco, CA) : Dark red violet color; VA, black fruit, mineral nose; deep, black fruit, lavender, black raspberry, menthol and tar palate; medium-plus finish

2000 vintage

rich andfull of red meat. did not decant

2000 vintage

Santa Barbara Dreaming : Moved on to Syrah, with the 2000 Roll Ranch. For me, a small qualitative step up (maybe the age?). We had a brief discussion as to whether CA syrahs have ageing ability, or whether, once the youthful exuberance wears off, they simply fade over time. I don't know enough to comment knowledgably, so defer to more experience. Enjoyed with pre-dinner Cubans.

2000 vintage

Piercing aromas of cassis, musky incense and white pepper with background notes of strawberry and bark. A satisfying mouthfeel that is both plush and fresh. The flavors echo the nose with an added licorice element. Very long, smoky, peppery and slightly bitter finish. Elegant for a CA Syrah but still a little raw. 2-3 years from peak.

2000 vintage

a bit rough around the edges the first night, better the second. I found it somewhat one dimensional, i guess my expectitions were too high. don't know if this will get better

2000 vintage

Tasty black fruit palate 93+ pts.

2000 vintage

Rich black fruit, incredibly powerful and concentrated with very good length and balance. Very impressive, great value wine.

2000 vintage

This wine during the first 24 hours was pleasant, but simple. Alot of lush fruit but lacked the spice and earthiness that I hoped would be there. The next day it was better transitioning to less sweet and cloying and more mature. Continue to hold.

2000 vintage

Served double-blind at Charlie's. Note recorded day after. All right, time for some public embarrassment. After I served a '98 Ojai Bien Nacido to him blind, he retaliated with the '00 Roll Ranch. That's really not fair. My first impression was unquestionably syrah and I said it, but I committed the cardinal sin of reading the server instead of the wine and decided he would never give me the same wine right back. So I blithely dismissed the obvious and …

2000 vintage

A syrah with the delicacy of a pinot. Initially it could be confused with a (bigger) Pisoni Pinot - a nose of dark cherry, blackcurrant liqueur, figs and a hint of damp earth and strawberry. The round, cherry, dark fruit continues on the palate with a little licorice. The finish is persistent with some fine-grain tannin and ample acidity. Over time grilled meat and menthol notes emerged to betray this wine's Rhone heritage. Very drinkable now, but a couple more …

2000 vintage

Flavors of cinnamon and white pepper, but I believe this wine is shutting down. Hold for 2-3 years.

2000 vintage

Still a dark purple/red. Heady aromoas of black fruits. On the palate this wine is full-bodied with tastes of brown sugar, bittersweet chocolate, kirsch and blackberries. There is a little heat on the finish, but the finish is so long and with such great structure that it doesn't distract. This is an in-your-face-style wine, but it is so much fun and so delicious. It is still a bit disjointed and will benefit from 2 years more bottle age.

2000 vintage

James Laube called it “simply delicious.” I’d have to agree. Dark ink in the glass with a fruit nose of plums, berries and moderate alcohol. The plums are evident on the tongue with a mouthful of fruity, peppery flavor that simply coats the mouth with a velvety paintbrush. Sweet, structured tannins promise that this wine is going to get even better. Great now... in 3-5 years... Wow! I’d give it even one better than WS and call it a 94.

2000 vintage

Are you sure?

Ojai, Syrah Roll Ranch, California

Vintages

No vintages

Community Reviews