Wine Each Week – J. Lohr’s Cabernet Sauvignons

Jerry Lohr is considered one of the pioneers of the Paso Robles wine industry. Located in Northern San Luis Obispo County, the trajectory of the Paso Robles region is nothing short of astounding. Beginning in 1972 Jerry began planting grapes, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon. J. Lohr has gone on to be a powerhouse winery with their wines in all 50 states, a broad portfolio and a commitment to sustainability including extensive use of solar and dramatic water reduction. But ultimately it’s about the wines and these two diverse Cabernet’s best showcase their range. I have tasted these two wines through many vintages and frankly these are the cleanest and best iterations that I have experience from them. Both are worth seeking out, depending on your wallet. J. LOHR

2016 Cuvee PAU

This is a wine meant to pay respect to the blends of Bordeaux of the Pauillac region in France. It is however, decidedly American. Comprised mainly of Cabernet Sauvignon (69%) there is also Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot and a dash of Malbec. It starts with a silky smooth texture on the pallet. Then the notes of subtle black cherry, current, blackberry, blueberry with back notes of red cherry, raspberry overtake you. The oak and acidity are both mild, almost muted, and not pulling focus from the sheer tactile experience of drinking this wine. It is pleasurable but also comforting. 18 months in barrel, then 20 months of bottle aging ensures this has hit its sweet spot.

509 cases.

ORIGIN: Paso Robles, California

ALCOHOL: 14.9%

PRICE: $60 (750ML)

SCORE: 92 POINTS

2018 Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon

The major complaint of most Cabernet Sauvignon is that it is too expensive. It can reach stratospheric heights in the Napa Valley and elsewhere. But when you just want a Cabernet Sauvignon as a weekly wine for your dinner the J. Lohr Seven Oaks fits that bill very nicely. Priced at a mere $19 this delivers exceptional quality for the price. Made up of mainly Cabernet Sauvignon (88.5%). There is also Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Black cherry, blueberry, red raspberry, surprisingly tight tannins and mild acidity along with a judicious use of oak makes this wine a very enjoyable and very easy to drink Cabernet. You’ll be hard pressed to find this kind of quality for this price most anywhere.

ORIGIN: Paso Robles, California

ALCOHOL: 13.9%

PRICE: $19 (750ML)

SCORE: 90 POINTS

The Right Bank of Paso Robles

The 2014 J. Lohr Cuvee St. E called the Cuvee St. E (for “Saint Emilion” on Bordeaux’s right bank) is, interestingly, all culled from J.Lohr’s “right bank” of Paso Robles since Highway 101 essentially divides Paso Robles into an Westside (left) and Eastside (right) as it’s been known for decades - notwithstanding the relatively new sub appellations formed in 2014.

When you break away from mass-produced wines you understand that every vintage offers you, the consumer, a unique snapshot into that vintage: the weather, those months when grapes on the vine grow into wine. I’ve tasted J.Lohr wines for years, written about them often and had the Cuvee St. E many times over many vintages. But the 2014 rises above the others. This Cuvee is the most balanced of their cuvee offerings with subtle fruit, oak treatment and acidity all sharing a focused goal - to make a wine worth of anyone’s dinner table.  You easily pick up black berry, blueberry, boysenberry, lingonberry and raspberry notes, but the fruit is muted, not being “fruity” meaning it’s not a candy apple one-trick pony. The acidity maintains itself through the glass - from the moment it enters your mouth - to the lingering moments after you’ve swallowed it. And the oak, while being evident, does not mask the fruit instead, like a proper scaffolding, supports it. 65% new French oak was the order for aging the wine, comprised of Cabernet Franc with some Cabernet Sauvignon (33%), Malbec (7%) and a wee bit of Petite Verdot (1%).

ORIGIN: Paso Robles, California

PRICE: $50/ 750ML

ALCOHOL: 14.7%

SCORE:  92 POINTS

I’m Calling PS! I Love You, Wine

For the literally challenged P.S. means “post script.” For example, you finished hand writing a letter then went, oops, forgot to tell you something. Back in the day, you know before computers, you couldn’t cut and past, you added a note at the bottom on the page.

Probably for many people P.S. is the 2007 movie P.S. I Love You.

Or the novel-turned-play-turned-movie, P.S. Your Cat is Dead

Or perhaps the 1963 Beatles’ song, P.S. I Love You.

But for me, and many others like me, PS is only ONE thing – Petite Sirah, a wine often ridiculed, misunderstood and oftentimes avoided, simply because it's hard to pigeon-hole. With J. Lohr’s 2015 Tower Road Petite Sirah from Paso Robles, you’ll be able to discover the beauty of PS.

Yes, the first whiff of this wine suggests oak, not uncommon for PS. As with any wine there are good and bad examples, and Jerry Lohr and his team do right by Petite Sirah. This wine is altogether enjoyable with a brambly quality, boysenberry, slightly tart blackberry compote, and blueberry pie. But there’s also enough acidity to work with food, though I’d veer towards cream based dished not grilled meats. Even the following day, about 20 hours after opening, this still offers rich fruit, a creamy texture (in part because of the full malolactic fermentation) and yes, it’s still just as enjoyable, and a wee bit softer. As you delve into PS even more you might consider the group PS I Love You, the wine organization. Yes, there are dedicated hard core PS-heads out there. Who knows, with this J. Lohr iteration, you might become one too.

P.S. I did not use the word “inky.”

ORIGIN: Paso Robles, California

PRICE: $35/ 750ML

ALCOHOL: 15.1%

SCORE:  90 POINTS

Conspiracy Theories – Unmasking Malbec

The beauty (and sadness) of the wine world is that are far too many wines you will never try, which means there is so much to discover, you could literally have a new wine every night of your life and never repeat yourself. Sure, it’s safe to stay with Cabernet or Chardonnay from wineries you know…but why? The 2013 Cloak & Dagger Espionage Single Vineyard Malbec, 100% Malbec by the way, is made in Paso Robles and they made a measly 75 cases, but they should have made much more. If you think you know Malbec, you’d better think again. A seamless combination of boysenberry, black berry, pomegranate, black cherry, cedar and a back note of eucalyptus, sweet coffee and a mild acidity complements this rich, deep and wonderfully sumptuous red. Even two days after opening it still retains its structure, though admittedly with a more noticeable pomegranate and tart cherry notes. For wine geeks this translates to a 2 hour cold soak, 18 days on the skins, 20 months in barrel (1/3 new French oak, 2/3 neutral American oak). The wine was awarded a Gold Medal at the 2016 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition – and that’s well deserved! For anyone who loves wine (and I sincerely love this wine), this is one to try. Hard to find? Yep, and that’s not a conspiracy. Happily, and unashamedly I carry it at my wine department in the Upper Village at Montecito Village Grocery in Montecito, so while not easy to get a hold of (the winery or me unless I’m mistaken), it’s around, but like so many conspiracy theories it may vanish as fast as it came. CLOAK AND DAGGER

ORIGIN: Paso Robles, California

PRICE: $32/ 750ML

ALCOHOL: 15%

BOOZEHOUNDZ SCORE:  91 POINTS

Merlot Me, Maybe

“Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy,

so here’s my number, Merlot me maybe.”

Okay, so you might be now singing that pop song in your head. Sorry about that. Anyway…October is the self proclaimed Merlot Month. Really? Does a wine need 30 days in which to prove itself? Ah…with Merlot, yes it does. Merlot has been maligned ever since the film Sideways unapologetically voiced the main character’s opinion, “I’m not drinking any fucking Merlot!” Ouch. It’s not that Merlot was a crappy grape, but that in California, back then in the early 2000s, it was overplanted creating not only glut, but lousy grapes. I love Merlot. Truly, there are some terrific examples, including Lava Cap (Sierra Foothills), and Robert Hall (Paso Robles) and a host of others. So, may I present a Merlot sampler - a range of wines worth considering this month of October that might reinvigorate your red wine consumption. At the very least, try a new Merlot, even one not on this list.

From Sonoma is the inexpensive 2014 Cannonball SonomaCounty Merlot ($14.99), a nifty little number that is a great entry Merlot for those who like more ripe frit and fewer tannins and change in your pocket. It offers rich jammy boysenberry, black berry, a little black cherry and huckleberry, a sweet oak and a pleasant personality - easy to drink, easy to love, easy on the 401k.

Moving up the scale is Peju’s 2013 Napa Valley Merlot ($38), from a certified organic vineyard in the Rutherford area of Napa, which offers more acidity, tighter tannins and more subtle fruit with notes of blackberry, boysenberry, dark plumb and raspberry, hints of sweet cedar and black cherry.

Then we come to the Duckhorn 2013 Napa Valley Merlot ($54) which is the gold standard of Merlot in California. Routinely Duckhorn Merlots provide a tactile, sensory experience with dark fruits of blackberry, boysenberry, huckleberry, pomegranate, charred resin, seamless oak integration and a constant stream of acidity working through the wine making this ideal with food.