2006 J. Lohr Cuvée St. E

The inspiration for our J. Lohr Cuvée St. E comes from the Grand Cru wines of St. Emilion from the Right Bank of Bordeaux.  These memorable wines are composed primarily from Cabernet Franc and Merlot with touches of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot.  We are given the freedom to emulate these great wines without the restrictions of varietal percentages, instead keenly focusing on the texture and complexity of the blend that nature delivers with each vintage.

VINTAGE
The 2006 vintage saw a return to below-average rainfall for Paso Robles, and with it came smaller vine canopies, smaller clusters and smaller berries.  Unlike the previous three growing seasons, once veraison started, we had very mild weather conditions straight through to harvest, allowing color, flavor and fragrance ripeness to come together simultaneously. Cabernet Franc is one of the first Bordeaux varietals to ripen, and although finicky, continues to surprise us with its consistent finish each year as one of our top wines. The distinctive Franc is a mixture of two fermentation lots offering coffee, raspberry and chocolate flavors.  Our 1991 planting of Cab Franc was harvested at 27.3° Brix on October 10th, and two days later, we harvested our newer plantings of clones 214, and 327 at 24.5° Brix.

TECHNICAL DATA

WINEMAKER'S COMMENTS
The 2006 J. Lohr Cuvée St. E is dark red-purple in color with aromas of black plum, blueberry and violet, with touches of chocolate, vanilla and toasted oak from twenty-one months aging in new French oak barrels. The wine displays the true varietal nature of Cabernet Franc, with fine-grained tannins and mid to rear structure from both the fruit and maturation time. Palate weight is quite dense due to the generous contribution of Cabernet Sauvignon in this year’s blend. On release, this wine will already have one year bottle age but will develop additional complexity well into the future.  In its youth, Cuvée St. E should be enjoyed with pan-seared filet mignon, or ribeye steak with a berry-infused reduction sauce.  We recommend decanting one hour prior to serving.

Price: $50.00 750ml

Wine Fact Sheet: 

2006 J. Lohr Cuvée St. E Short Wine Fact Sheet

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