2019 Topa Mountain Winery Blend 150 Santa Ynez Valley 750 ml

Topa Mountain Winery didn’t begin life as a well-planned winery.

“It was really just a hobby that ran amok,” owner Larry Guerra once told the Santa Barbara Independent. Guerra made a little money as a stock broker, but his “hobby” always called to him—he planted his first vines around his home in Ojai, Santa Barbara County, in 2009. Today the winery is well-known in the county for excellent Spanish, Italian, and Rhône-variety wines.

The winemaker here is Dominic O’Reilly, the son of David O’Reilly, the founder of Owen Roe, a superstar of Oregon and Washington wine. Dominic grew up in the family winery, then after attending Aquinas College in Ojai, he further refined his Rhône chops with the legendary Adam Tolmach at the Ojai Vineyard, not to mention Killikanoon in South Australia’s Clare Valley.

Providence Wine Director David Osenbach loves Topa Mountain because he loves showcasing small-production, family-operated wineries that don’t get much exposure outside of California—and because the wines absolutely shine when matched with great food. This one sings with Providence’s Liberty Duck. 

That’s not to say it won’t elevate anything you choose to pair it with. A cuvée of 55% Grenache and 45% Syrah with a super-expressive nose of fresh plums, blackberries, shaved dark chocolate, white pepper, and woodsy herbs, it’s densely packed on the palate, with dried cherries, mixed summer berries, dry roasted spices, licorice, and peppercorn-crusted beef. Elegant yet bold, it’s California Rhône at its best!