J.Lohr Vineyards & Wines: Wines

2008 J. Lohr Estates Wildflower Valdiguié

VINTAGE
2008 will go down in the record books for the poorest set for red varietals in the last 30 years. Low winter rainfall, very cold (freezing) temperatures in April, record-setting high temperatures in May, and unanticipated June winds created the perfect storm for an unprecedented, low-yielding vintage. Valdiguié is a very large-berried variety requiring extra vigilance from our Greenfield vineyard team to prune to only one bud per spur, and to aggressively thin any extra shoots pushing from the spur area. Otherwise, our yields get too high and ripening becomes difficult for this late-maturing varietal. Despite the poor quantity in 2008, the quality of the Valdiguié is simply stellar. 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 38% of the fruit and put those 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 gently de-stem and crush the fruit going to the fermenter, pump over and extract with fairly short, warm fermentations. These processes give the wine a remarkable similarity to the wines of Beaujolais, with enticing berry fruit flavors, a vibrant color and soft tannins.

VALDIGUIÉ
Our 2008 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, Monterey County
Composition: 90.2% Valdiguié, 6.6% Petit Verdot and 3.2% White Riesling
Harvest Date: October 27th to 29th, 2008
Brix at Harvest: 23.01° Brix average
Total Acidity: 0.65 g/100 ml
pH at Bottling: 3.47
Alcohol: 13.0% by volume
Residual Sugar: 0.66 g/100 ml
Vinification: Stainless steel fermented
38% Carbonic maceration (whole cluster fermented)
62% Traditional red wine fermentation. Fermentation to 85°F
Bottling Date: December 2008

WINEMAKER’S COMMENTS

The 2008 J. Lohr Estates Wildflower Valdiguié is a vibrant, red-purple in color with bright aromas of boysenberry, Bing cherry, raspberry and banana. The fruit complexion on the palate is equally bright, dominated by boysenberry and raspberry. The luscious fruit and lingering acidity make this wine ideal as an aperitif or paired with grilled salmon. Drink your last bottle just in time for the release of the new vintage! Serve chilled.

Jeff Meier, winemaker

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