J. Lohr Vineyard Series (Single Vineyard Selections)
Reservations Closed
| Course | Pairing / Description | Wine |
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| Hors D’oeuvres |
Mini Crab Cakes with Creamy Orange Reduction
Marinated Lemon Herb Chicken Skewers
The 2016 vintage was a return to normal rainfall during the winter and cool weather during the ripening season. This weather provided enough warmth needed for ripening but also preserved the fresh acidity of this Arroyo Seco fruit. In 2016, J. Lohr continued working with their French viticultural consultant, Xavier Choné, on Chardonnay irrigation in the Arroyo Seco. Moving to more “rainfalllike” - 24 to 36 hour - infrequent irrigation events in the spring with a six to eight week “dry-down” between berry set and veraison before resumption of these longer irrigation events has helped increase aroma intensity and concentration of flavors. Each year, they fine-tune the irrigation decisions during the growing season to optimize the fruit potential. Their 2016 harvest of Clone 809 Chardonnay, the backbone of the October Night Chardonnay, occurred on October 8th at 24.6° Brix. The vineyards for the October Night Chardonnay lie in J. Lohr’s Block 9 plantings in the Arroyo Seco AVA of Monterey County, near the mouth of the Arroyo Seco River, which provides the vines a slightly more wind-protected environment in which to grow. Comprised largely of Dijon Clone 809 Chardonnay - known in some circles as the Musqué Clone - these vines produce a very distinctive and attractive, powerful floral character. The soil is laden throughout its loamy profile with “Greenfield potatoes,” stones that resemble potatoes in size and appearance and which absorb heat during the day and radiate their heat after sunset, enhancing floral character and richness. The 2016 J. Lohr October Night Chardonnay is a pale straw yellow in color, with exotic floral aromas of gardenia, orange blossom, honeysuckle and baking spices. Traditional Burgundian winemaking techniques, such as weekly stirring of the lees in French oak barrels, were used to complement these aromatics, providing creamy palate texture. This unique Chardonnay blend provides balanced and complex flavors of ripe citrus and white peaches and offers a hint of sweet chocolate and toasted oak on the long finish. This wine earned 91 points from Wine Enthusiast. |
J. Lohr Vineyard Series October Nights Chardonnay 2016
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| Pasta Course |
Seafood Risotto
In contrast to the three prior vintages, the 2016 growing season was marked by a return of winter and spring rainfall. The cool weather during the summer provided a slow and even ripening of the grapes, while the afternoon winds in the Arroyo Seco helped to keep the fruit healthy until harvest. Sugars, acids and flavors for J. Lohr’s Block 9, clone 76 Chardonnay - the backbone of the Arroyo Vista blend - were in optimal balance on the harvest date of September 24 at 25.1° Brix. The J. Lohr Arroyo Vista Chardonnay is grown in the heart of the windswept and cool Arroyo Seco AVA of Monterey County. Loamy sand and gravelly loam soils of the Elder series are intermixed and underlain by “Greenfield potatoes” - stones that resemble potatoes in size and appearance and which absorb heat during the day and radiate it after sunset. This underlayment of stone effectively limits root growth to the top three to five feet of soil, harmoniously balancing the fruit and shoot growth of this richly-flavored Chardonnay. Medium straw yellow in color, the J. Lohr 2016 Arroyo Vista Chardonnay exhibits intriguing aromas of lemon cream, white peach, caramel, crème brûlée and toasted hazelnuts. The rich palate texture is derived from the use of classic Burgundian techniques, such as primary and malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels and weekly stirring of the lees during aging. The texture is balanced by fresh flavors of stone, citrus fruit and baked apple, with a long, sweet oak finish. This wine earned 92 points from Wine Enthusiast. |
J. Lohr Vineyard Series Arroyo Vista Chardonnay 2016
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| Seafood Course |
Broiled Salmon, Olives and Orzo
2016 was a moderate vintage in the Arroyo Seco appellation, with cumulative Growing Degree Days falling in the middle of the historical range. This fluctuating growing season began with moderate spring temperatures and was followed by just enough summer warmth to release full-flavored ripeness from the J. Lohr Pinot Noir vineyards. Their Fog’s Reach was harvested on the 23rd and 24th of September, just ahead of an Indian summer heat spike that arrived the following week. The 2016 blend is composed of roughly equal parts of Dijon clones 115 and 777. The J. Lohr Pinot Noir vineyard resides in the cool and windy enclave of the Arroyo Seco appellation of Monterey County. Comprised of multiple early-ripening Dijon selections of Pinot Noir (clones 115, 667, 777), as well as late-ripening Pommard 4, the vines are grown on extremely well-drained, loamy sand and gravelly loam soils intermixed and underlain by large potato-sized cobblestones. The unique combination of soil, climate, and viticulture produces deeply-colored Pinot Noir with elegantly refined structure and flavor. The 2016 J. Lohr Fog’s Reach Pinot Noir expresses the varietal terroir of the Arroyo Seco region as purely as any previous vintage, showcasing blue sage and strawberry fruit on the nose and palate, with dried cherry on the finish. |
J. Lohr Vineyard Series Fog Reach Pinot Noir 2016
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| Beef Course |
Tenderloin of Beef with Blackberry Demi-Glace, Whipped Potatoes and Red Wine Braised Onions
The 2014 vintage was largely defined by the heavy rain events in April that filled the soil moisture profile and were followed by one of the warmest vintages since 2004. Under their new irrigation regime of infrequent, but deep waterings, J. Lohr gave just three applications for the season. They saw a noteable shift in wine quality from the sections of the vineyard with the heavy soils, to the point that those sections produced wine superior in quality to that of the weaker sections that had historically been the source of their best lots. They continue to adore the integration of the Petit Verdot in the blend for its luxurious texture and blue fruit aroma. Carol’s Vineyard lies in northern St. Helena along the Napa River at Pratt Avenue. Comprised of 16.4 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon (Clone 337 on 3309 rootstock) and 4.3 acres of Petit Verdot (Clone 400 on 3309 rootstock), the well-drained, gravelly, sandy loam soil and Bordeaux-like climate of the Napa Valley is ideally suited to producing richly textured, luxury-quality fruit. The 2014 vintage of the J. Lohr Carol’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon expresses this classic valley floor site in an approachable way. Savory fruit elements wrapped in a barrel signature of hazelnut and cocoa powder. Firm and angular in structure with red and blue fruits on the finish. This wine earned 95 points from The Tasting Panel. |
J. Lohr Vineyard Series Carol's Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
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| Dessert Course |
Lava Cake with Crème Anglaise
The 2015 vintage presented its own unique challenges for Tower Road Petite Sirah. Budbreak occurred in mid-March, which is on the early side. Fair weather through April was followed by an unusually cold period for flowering in the first half of May. Berry set was prolonged and varied with Petit Sirah, setting a better crop than most other varieties, but spread out over an extended period of time. Color change occurred in late July under nice warm (not hot) temperatures. Veraison to harvest was characterized by alternating periods of five days or so with temperatures in the 80s and then five days over 100°F. J. Lohr aligned the picking of their three vineyard blocks at the end of each cooling cycle to capture the best flavors in the fruit. In the vineyards surrounding Tower Road, in the Estrella and San Miguel districts of Paso Robles, their Petite Sirah thrives on the well-drained yet heavier clay soils of the area. The rarity of autumn rains in Paso Robles allows this tight-clustered variety to reach full maturity almost every year, without the risk of bunch-rot that exists in damper regions of the state and in Europe. Their ripening program requires that they apply netting to the vines in August to assure that birds don’t overfeed on this especially flavorful grape before harvest. Intense summer sun and very warm daytime temperatures in Paso Robles are balanced by the gentle afternoon breezes that creep in from the Monterey Bay to the north and from the Templeton Gap to the west. These winds cool the area by as much as fifty degrees by early morning, preserving the acidity and bright fruit character of their Petite Sirah. An inviting bouquet of toasted pastry frames the dark fruit characters of blackberry and olallieberry on the palate. J. Lohr’s gentle approach to winemaking delivers a rich and dense tannin structure that doesn’t disappoint. This wine earned 92 points from Wine Enthusiast. |
J. Lohr Vineyard Series Tower Road Petite Sirah 2015
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This very special wine is being offered to our members for an extra $20 "chip" per full pour. J. Lohr’s Signature Cabernet Sauvignon was first produced to honor the 80th birthday of founder Jerry Lohr. This limited release was specially selected and blended from the excellent 2015 vintage in Paso Robles. It is both a tribute to Jerry's pioneering efforts in the region and the J. Lohr red wine portfolio's ultimate expression of Cabernet Sauvignon. The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon is 89% Cab and 11% Merlot. Beck Vineyard, in the Creston District of Paso Robles, is a unique site. It sits at 1,700 feet above the early morning fog. Its calcareous soils and cooling afternoon winds are perfect for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet from this vineyard ripens early with excellent color, purity of fruit and phenolic maturity. Malbec is an ideal addition to the blend, as it complements the fruit component of the savory 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon; it also supplies a gain in color without adding more tannins. The hand-harvested grapes were held separate at harvest and berry-sorted into six-ton open top tanks for fermentation. Maceration took place on the skins for five days, before early pressing to limit tannin extraction. This wine was aged 20 months in 100% new French oak from coopers Demptos, Vallaurine, Dargaud et Jaegle, and Saint Martin. Just 2,008 three-bottle cases were bottled in July 2017. This wine, which will be available by chip purchase, earned 98 points, Award of Excellence from The Tasting Panel and 95 points as well as Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2018 by Wine Enthusiast. In their review, Wine Enthusiast said “the nose on this luxury-level bottling is pure and refreshing, offering aromas of black cherry, loamy soil, dried mint and caramel-laced coffee. The palate is framed by upright tannins, yet is soft enough to enjoy now, showing deep flavors of black currant, dried herb, milk chocolate and toffee.” |
J. Lohr Signature Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 (Chip)
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