Micah Gustavson at Majestic Oak Vineyard
Sometimes life’s little events happen for a reason. Or at least we hope they do. My wonderful camera man got lost on his way to film Micah’s interview at the Majestic Oak Vineyard Estate in Ojai. This turned out to be not such a bad thing. Mackenzie, my first employee, and I were forced to stroll around the charming small boutique winery at sunset with Micah. “What else were we to do”, I ask?
Upon entering this gorgeous piece of Ojai paradise you notice right away how Majestic Oak got it’s name. A very old perfectly symmetrical oak tree with a cascading canopy is staged front and center of the vineyard. The perfect back drop for a late day glass of wine at sunset. Micah was born and raised in Ojai and loves it for it’s peaceful serenity, Pink Moment’s and winter sunsets.
Micah loves making wine because every year is different and present’s it’s own challenges. “The fun is dealing with those challenges, adapting and learning. Every year I learn something new, about every facet of wine-making. Whether it’s the trimming of the vines, the fermentation, or the bottling process, we are continually honing and refining our wine and our knowledge.”
“It’s a great process and is one that has brought my family closer together. When we started, none of us knew a thing about wine-making. We have grown many different types of fruits and vegetables over the years on the ranch, so growing was not new, but the actual wine making process was something completely foreign to all of us. And it has been a lot of fun to learn.” Micah states.
Micah declares, “My father and I have taught EACH OTHER actually!” “My father is a doer. He likes to jump into things head first, sometimes with reckless abandon, which is a great trait for getting things done. But wine-making is an exercise in patience, precision and documenting. Which are things I excel at. So he is learning patience and I am learning to be more fearless.” A great combination!
Majestic Oak Vineyard Syrah won 1st place this year at the Ventura County Fair, and they are very proud of that. Their goal is to continue that tradition and produce increasingly better wines and serve them in local restaurants and wine shops. We are also discussing a wine club, and since our production is small, it might be a good way to ensure you get your hands on a couple of bottles…
Good luck Micah on your family wine making endeavor. The wine was fabulous.