J.Lohr Vineyards & Wines: Wines

2007 J. Lohr Estates Wildflower Valdiguié

VINTAGE
The 2007 vintage got off to a late start due to extremely cold weather in January which put our vines into a deep dormancy. Bud break occurred at the end of March – very unusual for Greenfield--and with the relatively mild spring and summer, harvest began at the end of October with the last Valdiguié harvested on November 1st. In our winemaking, our goal is to preserve Valdiguié’s wonderful natural acidity and fresh fruit flavors. We incorporate two different winemaking techniques to achieve this. First, we hand pick roughly 19% of the fruit and put these whole clusters directly into the fermenters in a winemaking process called carbonic maceration – no yeast or pumping over of the fruit is done. The other technique is to warm the destemmed fruit going to the fermenter and pump over and extract with fairly short, hot fermentations. These processes give the wine a remarkable similarity to the wines of the famed Beaujolais region with enticing berry fruit flavors, a vibrant color and soft tannins.

VALDIGUIÉ
Our 2007 J. Lohr Estates Wildflower Valdiguié was grown on Chualar loam soil in the Arroyo Seco appellation of Monterey County. Originally thought to be the Gamay Noir grape of France’s Beaujolais winegrowing region, U.C. Davis has since identified this grape to be Valdiguié from an area in the southwest of France. Regardless of its origin and identity, Valdiguié grown in the windy, cold Arroyo Seco produces a wine reminiscent of the ‘Crus’ of Beaujolais – Morgon, Fleurie and Moulin-a-Vent.

TECHNICAL DATA

Origin: Wildflower, Arroyo Seco Vineyard, Monterey County
Composition: 100% Valdiguié
Harvest Date:October 30 to November 1, 2007
Brix at Harvest: 22.6° Brix average
Total Acidity: 0.66 g/100 ml
pH at Bottling: 3.48
Alcohol: 12.9% by volume
Residual Sugar: 0.68 g/100 ml
Vinification: Stainless steel fermented
19% Carbonic maceration (whole cluster fermented)
81% Traditional red wine fermentation. Fermentation to 85°F
Bottling Date: December 2007

WINEMAKER’S COMMENTS

Vibrant purple-red in color with youthful hues, our 2007 J. Lohr Estates Wildflower Valdiguié has intense varietal aromas of boysenberry, bing cherry, cranberry and banana. The fruit complexion on the palate is slightly darker, favoring blackberry and black cherry fruits. The luscious fruit and lingering acidity make this wine ideal as an aperitif. Serve chilled or try it with grilled salmon. Drink your last bottle just in time for the release of the new vintage.

Jeff Meier, winemaker

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