2017 J. Lohr Gesture Syrah
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California Grapevine, July 2020
- Medium-dark to dark ruby; attractive, ripe, plummy, blueberry and blackberry fruit aroma with hints of tea leaf, bacon fat, cardamom, cinnamon, and black pepper; full body; forward, deep, rich, rounded, dark berry fruit flavors with hints of mocha and toffee, and a plush mouthfeel; full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Appealing to drink now, though best to give it several more years of bottle aging.
Our 2017 J. Lohr Gesture Syrah shows aromas of black plum and blood orange with a touch of cardamom spice. The bright palate is laden with bushberry and ample torque to carry this release for a decade in the cellar.
— Steve Peck, director of winemaking
Wine Details
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Composition Blend
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100%
Syrah
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Origin
Paso Robles AVA, San Luis Obispo County, CA
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Cellaring
Richest fruit within the first 5 years; maturing tannins to 12 years of bottle age.
12 Years
Vintage
Generous rains returned to Paso Robles in 2017, with the Gesture Syrah blocks receiving over 40 inches of precipitation prior to bloom. Cooler than normal temperatures prevailed in the spring, but were offset by high heat accumulation in the months of August, September and October. This warming trend included a 10-day period above 100 degrees and was sufficient to place 2017 with the highest number of growing degree days we have seen in Paso Robles in over 20 years. Syrah is prone to early sugar accumulation prior to true phenological ripeness. We saw daily temperatures seesaw between the mid 70s to over 95 degrees, over several 5-day periods from late September into early October. We made each of our two picking decisions to coincide with the cool cycle between heat spikes to best preserve the fresh fruit character of these blocks.
Vineyard
The two vineyard sources for the 2017 Gesture Syrah are the Terra Bella vineyard and the G2 vineyard. The Terra Bella planting is in the Adelaida district on an east facing slope at an 1,800 foot elevation. The G2property that we have sourced from for over a decadeis in the center of the Willow Creek District. The calcareous soils and steep slopes on these properties are ideal for producing intensely concentrated flavors in our favorite Syrah clone, 877.
