Owen Bargreen: “Brilliant” 94 Points for J. Lohr Signature and 92 Points for J. Lohr Carol’s Vineyard Cabernets
Owen Bargreen Blog, April 8, 2022
“One of the longstanding producers of value California wine, J. Lohr dates back to the 1960s. Jerry Lohr began searching for a great location plant his first vineyard. Originally raised on a South Dakota farm, Jerry had a background in agriculture and chose the Central Coast, which was an experimental region at the time. Jerry has created an amazing success story with his winery, J. Lohr. J. Lohr offers a unique range of really well-priced wines, from limited production wines to 8,000 case production wines. I love the current offerings by them which impress and offer seriously good value.”
“I love the new top Cabernet Sauvignon bottlings by J. Lohr. These are powerful wines with good acidity and aging potential. One of the best wines I have tasted from this winery, the 2018 J. Lohr ‘Signature’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 94) shows massive cellaring potential. This beautifully textured wine is not for the weary and has generous oak and deep dark fruit flavors. Check out more about this outstanding lineup at https://www.jlohr.com Here are the brilliant new top Cabernet wines by J. Lohr.”
2018 J. Lohr ‘Carol’s Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- This deeply concentrated wine was sourced from the ‘Carol’s Vineyard’ which is located in Saint Helena. This has a touch of Petit Verdot blended in as the wine was stored in 60% new French oak before bottling. Black currant liquor and chocolate flavors mingle with shades of loamy soils and black tea on the palate. Not for the weary, this beautifully textured effort will live on for at least another decade. Drink 2022 – 2034. 92
2018 J. Lohr ‘Signature’ Cabernet Sauvignon- First made in homage to Jerry Lohr’s 80th birthday, this new edition is nearly all Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from the Beck Vineyard which is set at 1700 feet. Stored in 100% new French oak from coopers Sylvain, Nadalie, and Taransaud, this is quite inky in the glass with a massive wall of dark fruit flavors alongside espresso bean and loamy, salty soils. Complex and hedonistic to enjoy now, this has both the weight and finesse to cellar well for another decade or more. But why wait? Drink 2022 – 2033. 94