Cuvée POM

The third in a trio of strong vintages for Paso Robles, the wines of 2014 are showing 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. Cropload was reduced to one cluster per shoot for Cuvée POM at the end of July, just prior to veraison, where we saw elevated temperatures push tannin levels upward. Continued warm weather led to the earliest picking dates on record for our vineyards. 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 assure complete phenolic maturity, even in an early vintage.

CUVÉE POM

The inspiration for J. Lohr Cuvée POM comes from the Grand Cru wines of Pomerol on the Right Bank of the Dordogne in Bordeaux. These legendary wines are traditionally composed of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with sparse additions of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Winemaking is 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.