2007 J. Lohr Tower Road Petite Sirah

VINTAGE

The 2007 vintage offered up some stellar wines from our Paso Robles vineyards including the second release of J. Lohr Tower Road Petite Sirah for limited national distribution. Originally created as a wine for our two J. Lohr Wine Centers in San Jose and Paso Robles, the Tower Road Petite Sirah quickly became a favorite of our visiting distributors, often requesting it for their respective markets. It is built on a backbone of Petite Sirah, which is in many ways not petite at all. In fact, it is the largest-berried and largest-clustered variety we grow in Paso Robles, and amazingly, it is also the variety with the greatest phenolic content, with gobs of color and tannin. In most years with Petite Sirah, it is more an exercise in restraining the extraction rather than trying to maximize it. The 2007 vintage includes our block 64 Petite Sirah vineyard bounded on its southern end by Tower Road. The vintage was outstanding for Petite Sirah, producing jet-black fruit with tremendous berry fruit flavors. Although the wine is made to showcase Petite Sirah, the blend is supported by some other Paso favorites, including Grenache and Syrah, which lengthen palate and brighten fruit expression. This is a big, beautifully-colored and extracted wine, sure to please those who enjoy big reds.

TECHNICAL DATA

Origin:	Paso Robles AVA, San Luis Obispo County
Composition:	91% Petite Sirah, 6% Grenache, and 3% Syrah
Harvest Dates:	September 19th thru October 12th, 2007
Process:	Hand-harvested early morning, destemmed and crushed to twelve and twenty-four ton stainless steel fermenters
Harvest Numbers:	27.0° Brix average, pH=3.65, Total Acidity 0.45 g/100 ml
Vinification:	Yeast: Pasteur Red Fermentation: Stainless steel fermented with punchdowns and manual pumpovers Temperature: To 92°F Maceration:5 days Maloactic: Inoculation in stainless steel and completion in 60% new French, Hungarian and American oak barrels Maturation: Fifteen months in oak barrels; 60% new oak Barrel Type: 30% new French, 15% new Bulgarian and 15% new American oak Forests: Nevers, Center of France, Bulgarian, Missouri Coopers: Francois Frères, Desrieux, Meyrieux, World Cooperage
Post-Maturation:	Rack from barrels, egg white fine and bottle
Bottling Numbers:	pH: 3.65 Total Acidity: 0.66g/l00ml Alcohol:14.8% by volume Res. Sugar: 0.31 g/100ml

Winemaker's Comments

An opaque blackness fills the glass and is surrounded by a ring of youthful magenta. The 2007 J. Lohr Tower Road Petite Sirah has dark, brooding aromas of blackberry pie and black currant with a bouquet of dark chocolate, hazelnut and cedar. The flavors are reminiscent of the aromas, with dark chocolate taking the fore, a plush mid-palate, velvety mouthfeel and a long, savory finish. Tower Road Petite Sirah, given its size and structure, would pair well with roasted venison, elk or beef with a lingonberry reduction sauce.

Steve Peck, red winemaker

Price: $35.00 750ml