2014 J. Lohr Cuvée Series Cuvée St. E Red Blend
Available for purchase with your Spring Wine Club Allocation.
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Wine Review Online
- “The Cuvée series from J. Lohr continues to impress with value for your dollar. If you are looking to build a cellar of serious California gems, the Cuvee trio is a great place to start. This year’s St. E is very generous in its youth, but promises to be even better five years down the road. Rich cherry fruit, dried herbs, white pepper and well-integrated oak spice satisfy the nose and the mouth, finishing with a touch of oak char forward. As the char integrates fully, you’ll have another treasure that will seem like a bargain down the road.” -Rich Cook
Cuvée St. E captures the ripe, but savory side of Bordeaux style. The 2014 is dark in color with a bright garnet hue. Aromas of red currant, hibiscus, espresso bean and dark chocolate lead to ripe plum on the palate. Tighly wound tannins are typical in Cabernet Franc and present the greatest reward after a few years of bottle age.
— Steve Peck, Director of Winemaking
Wine Details
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Composition Blend
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59%
Cabernet Franc
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33%
Cabernet Sauvignon
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7%
Malbec
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1%
Petit Verdot
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Origin
Paso Robles AVA, San Luis Obispo County, California
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Cellaring
Structure to improve over the next 8 to 12 years.
10 Years -
Food Pairings
A perfect pairing for filet mignon with a shallot cream sauce or Osso Bucco (braised veal shanks) over a bed of polenta.
Vintage
Every vintage has its own personality; a unique history of climatic experience that shapes the flavor of the wine we taste in the glass. 2014 was the third in a trio of strong vintages for Paso Robles. The wines are dense and aromatically expressive, and are reminiscent of 2004. With less than half of the usual winter rainfall in the ground, spring growth rocketed as degree days racked up at a faster pace than we’ve seen in a decade. A somewhat warm veraison period at the end of July pushed tannin levels upward, and led to the earliest picking dates on record for Cuvée St. E. Achieving sugar ripeness was never in question during this warm vintage, but we certainly benefited from the J. Lohr “early water deficit” farming practices that hasten seed ripeness and achieve early phenolic maturity.
Cuvée St. E
The inspiration for our J. Lohr Cuvée St. E comes from the Grand Cru wines of St. Émilion from the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These memorable wines are composed primarily from Cabernet Franc and Merlot, with rare 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.
