2019 J. Lohr Estates Wildflower Valdiguié
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San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, 2021
We achieved a higher degree of ripeness in 2019 with Valdiguié, which resulted in exceptional flavor development for the J. Lohr Estates Wildflower. Bright and youthful red hues and profuse brambly fruit aromas are accented by black pepper notes. On the palate, a zesty attack of pomegranate and blueberry leaves crisp, fresh fruit and a touch of spice on the finish.
— Steve Peck, director of winemaking
Wine Details
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Composition Blend
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100%
Valdiguié
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Origin
Arroyo Seco AVA, Monterey County, CA
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Cellaring
Best enjoyed within four years of bottling.
4 Years -
Food Pairings
Served lightly chilled; a great complement to a charcuterie plate of country paté, greek olives, cornichon and hard cheeses.
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Vinification
Fermentation: Stainless steel fermented with 83% destemmed and 17% whole cluster
Maturation: Aged 4 months in stainless steel tanks prior to bottling
Crafted in the style of Beaujolais wines. This light-bodied red wine from Monterey is perfect when served chilled and can pair with a wide variety of foods.
Vintage
Valdiguié is a very large-berried, late maturing variety; it requires vigilance from our vineyard crew to prune to only one bud per spur to aid ripening. In the cellar, the goal is to preserve Valdiguié’s wonderful natural acidity and fresh fruit character. We use two different fermentation techniques to achieve this. On our last pick of 2019, we hand-harvested roughly one-quarter of the fruit and put those whole clusters directly into the fermentation tanks for ‘carbonic maceration’ – no crushing or punching down for the first two weeks. The balance of the fruit went through the more conventional technique of gently de-stemming, pumping over, and extracting with a fairly short, warm fermentation.
Vineyard
Our Valdiguié is 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 region, U.C. Davis has since identified this grape to be Valdiguié, originally 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-à-Vent.