2020 J. Lohr Estates Wildflower Valdiguié
The 2020 Wildflower Valdiguié has a lively deep magenta hue. Fresh raspberry, cranberry, and pomegranate aromas are accented by a touch of cracked black pepper and floral hibiscus notes. Brambly, bright red berry flavors play on the palate, leaving a succulent, mouth-watering finish .
— Brenden Wood, red winemaker and 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
Serve on the patio with a charcuterie plate or during your favorite holiday with roast turkey or glazed ham.
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Vinification
Fermentation: Stainless steel fermented with 75% destemmed and 25% whole cluster
Maturation: Aged 8 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 late ripening variety - it requires extra vigilance from our Arroyo Seco vineyard crew to prune and thin to allow the fruit enough time to mature on the vine prior to harvest. Our goal is to preserve the natural acidity and wonderful fresh fruit character of this grape. We incorporate two different fermentation techniques to achieve this. During our last picks of 2020, we hand-harvested roughly one-quarter of the Valdiguié and added those whole clusters directly into the fermentation tanks in a winemaking process called carbonic maceration – no crushing or punching down for the first 2 weeks. The balance of the fruit was fermented by the more conventional technique of gently de-stemming to the fermenter, pumping over, and extracting with a fairly short, warm fermentation. Combining these two processes creates a wine with great similarity to the best “Crus” of Beaujolais, with enticing berry fruit flavors, a vibrant color, and soft tannins.
Vineyard
Our Valdiguié is grown on Chualar loam soil in the Arroyo Seco appellation of Monterey County. Originally thought to be the Gamay Noir variety of France’s Beaujolais winegrowing region, U.C. Davis has since identified this grape to be Valdiguié from southwest France. Regardless of its origin and identity, Valdiguié grown in the windy, cool Arroyo Seco produces a wine reminiscent of the “Crus” of Beaujolais - Morgon, Fleurie, and Moulin-à-Vent.
