J. Lohr Hilltop Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Founded in 1974, at J. Lohr, the same family has sustainably farmed for decades in the appellations of Monterey, Paso Robles, and Napa Valley. Cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Monterey’s Arroyo Seco and Santa Lucia Highlands. Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux grapes, as well as Rhone varieties from the warmer climes of Paso Robles. And single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.

Made of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec and 1% Cabernet Franc, aged 16 months in 225-liter French oak barrels with a very tight grain, 40% new. This 2021 Cab has ripe blackberry and blueberry aromas are enhanced by crushed violet, herbs de Provence, and spiced tea. On the palate, dense and soft, with finely textured tannins. Juicy layers of black and red currants lead to a bright finish, accented by pastry notes from extended barrel aging. Delicious with rosemary-seasoned ribeye and garlic roasted potatoes with parsnips and fennel. 

In the late 1960s, Jerry Lohr began an extensive investigation of California grape growing regions – searching for the ideal location for his first vineyard. Jerry was raised on a South Dakota farm; his agricultural roots armed him with an innate sense for the relationship between climate, soil, and location. His research and instincts led him to the Central Coast, an area just beginning to explore its potential for winegrowing. Fifty years ago, the California Central Coast had not yet emerged as one of North America’s world-class winegrowing regions. With little history or viticultural precedent, planting on the Central Coast was a gamble. One of a handful of early pioneers, Jerry Lohr was among the first to realize the inherent potential of Monterey and Paso Robles for growing high quality grapes and producing superb wines.

Jerry’s instincts led him to two regions located about 75 miles apart. In the early 1970s, he chose Monterey County’s Arroyo Seco district, with its cool, windy climate and rocky soils, as ideal for Chardonnay. In the 1980s, he recognized the potential of Paso Robles for growing Bordeaux varietals, especially Cabernet Sauvignon – given the area’s rich soils and dramatic diurnal temperature swings between warm days and cool nights.  

After Jerry Lohr’s nearly decade-long search for the right place to plant his first vineyard, he chose a site in Monterey County that was to become the heart of the Arroyo Seco appellation. Jerry originally planted 280 acres in 1972 and 1973 near Greenfield. Monterey County’s Arroyo Seco appellation has proved ideal for growing layered, complex Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Brisk winds and fog off Monterey Bay, stony, well-drained soils, and a lack of damaging fall rains all combine to produce grapes with trademark fruit intensity and balancing acidity. In 1974, Jerry unveiled the first J. Lohr winery in San Jose.

In the early 1980s, Jerry Lohr saw the potential for great Cabernet Sauvignon further south. Borrowing a lesson from the French—that great Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon excel in very different growing conditions—Jerry began planting Cabernet Sauvignon and other red varieties in San Luis Obispo County’s then little-known Paso Robles region in 1986. With the hands-on devotion of an artisan farmer, Jerry tended to the vines while diligently working toward the creation and development of an adjacent winery and barreling cellars; J. Lohr’s Paso Robles production facility was opened in 1988. The rest as they say is history... 

The Hilltop Cabernet's primary source is the J. Lohr Shotwell Vineyard located within the cool, Templeton Gap-influenced El Pomar District of Paso Robles. J. Lohr Beck Vineyard provided 10% of the fruit from its 1,700 foot elevation in the La Panza range in the Creston District. The final 10% of the blend comes from J. Lohr ranches located within the mountainous Adelaida District. As is typical, they added small amounts of estate grown Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc to hone the final wine. J. Lohr's Cabernet vines are naturally stressed in the dry, often very gravelly, and sometimes lime shale-laden soils in the region. Water is at a premium in these vineyards, enabling the viticulturist to fine-tune pruning and irrigation to achieve dark fruit with resolved tannins year after year.