quicksearch
California's J.
Lohr Winery will soon mark 30 years of production in Monterey County, which makes owner Jerry Lohr a certified pioneer on the state's Central Coast. Lohr's farming background led him to investigate numerous viticultural areas before settling on the soils and climate of the Central Coast, where in 1972 and 1973 he planted 280 acres of grapes at Greenfield Vineyards. By 1974 he had retrofitted an old San Jose brewery into a winery and J. Lohr Wines was up and running.
After a decade and half of success he confidently expanded the original 240 acres at Greenfield to some 750 acres, adding more chardonnay and other cool-climate varietals such as riesling, pinot blanc and valdiguie (a gamay/beaujolais-style red grape). He also turned to the warmer climes of Paso Robles, about 150 kilometres to the south, to plant another 800 acres -- primarily cabernet sauvignon, with patches of syrah and merlot. Given the current rush to red wines, that made Lohr look downright prophetic. His wines have never been wallflowers, thanks to a style that is focused on flavour, and in the early years, had a rather large helping of oak.
As with most California wineries, that in-your-face style has been refined over the years as Lohr trimmed back the oak, improved the acidity and finally separated out grapes from individual sites to be bottled as estate and single-vineyard wines. Today's column looks at several J. Lohr offerings, including two wines bearing its Painter Bridge label. A strong U.S. dollar and a very competitive market have forced American producers to look hard at what sells here for $12 to $20. I'm betting the Painter Bridge series (all priced at $15.95) is only the beginning of a big rush back to sensible wines at a sensible price. Painter Bridge was developed by winemaker Jeff Meier and owner Lohr utilizing what is becoming a mammoth supply of grapes from California's Lodi Delta region. The wines are aged in neutral cooperage -- older barrels that impart little or no oak character, thus emphasizing the fruit aromas and flavours of each varietal.
Painter Bridge Chardonnay spends six months in the neutral oak barrels and the effect is easily noticed in its bright, fresh, floral/peach-fuzz and McIntosh apple nose. The structure is light and lean on entry, with butter and spiced apple flavours and a touch of honey. A solid, if simple, everyday chardonnay. The
Painter Bridge Zinfandel-Shiraz gets 12 months of wood aging to help it mellow, but like the chardonnay there is minimal dampening of the fruit. I really enjoyed the big fruity aromas and crushed-jam berry-fruit flavours. An undercurrent of licorice, spice and earth pulls it all together. Soft, round and easy to sip now, it represents fair value.
The Cypress Chardonnay opens with bruised apple and citrus aromas, with streaks of toasted lees (bread dough) in the background. Tropical flavours of tinned pineapple and honey finish up round and soft. This one is sold only in private wine shops. The Cypress Cabernet Sauvignon has a medium colour and a strong vegetative/cassis and coffee character, with a touch of tobacco. Its dry, lean character and briary cassis-flavoured fruit reflect the cool, damp 1998 vintage, which left many reds underripe and lacking warmth. It's not particularly rewarding for the price. (Also available only in private wine shops.)
The Riverstone Chardonnay is from the original Greenfield Vineyard at Arroyo Seco, Monterey County. It's a wine in evolution. This chardonnay is all barrel-fermented and half of it goes through secondary fermentation to soften the acidity and add complexity to the flavours. It has an open, fresh, spicy lees nose with toast and baked apple scents. The structure is lean, with citrus flavours, and more toasted lees notes in the finish. This one's well balanced and elegant.
The Seven Oaks Cabernet is grown at Paso Robles and comes with a deep, dark, brooding colour. The nose is a mix of smoky, roasted bell-pepper characters, while the flavour is intense blackberry sprinkled with a peppery/smoky/leather aspect and a dusting of tannin in the finish. It's angular and lacks a bit of polish at this point, but should pull together nicely over the next 12 to 18 months. Note that both the Seven Oaks and the Riverstone wines also sell in handy half-bottles.
