2021 J. Lohr Gesture Mourvèdre
This 2020 vintage of J. Lohr Gesture Mourvèdre displays aromas of red berries and ripe black cherry, accented with earthy notes and dried herbs. The palate has a juicy red berry core and smooth, evolved tannins. Black pepper and fresh raspberry linger on the finish.
— Brenden Wood, Red Winemaker and Steve Peck, VP, Winemaking
Wine Details
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Composition Blend
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99%
Mourvèdre
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1%
Syrah
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Origin
Paso Robles AVA, San Luis Obispo County, CA
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Cellaring
Delicious now, but will age gracefully for up to 10 years.
10 Years -
Food Pairings
This wine is excellent with many of the specialties of southwestern France and Catalonia, such as pork roast or a platter of prosciutto tapas, Marcona almonds, fresh figs and aged cheeses.
Vineyard & Vintage
The J. Lohr Gesture Mourvèdre comes from plantings at our J. Lohr Stairway Vineyard, located on the southeast border of the the Adelaida District. Slopes can be as much as 50% to 75% at this ranch. This part of Paso Robles is an ancient uplifted sea bed so fossilized that sea shells are often found in the ground, even though the vineyard is perched at 1,500 foot average elevation. Weather at Stairway is ideal for growing red Rhône varieties. The farming plan for Mourvèdre brings the crop to just one cluster per shoot prior to veraison; to intensify flavor, these large-clustered varieties require trimming the wings and shoulders off the clusters as well.
Paso Robles experienced generous preseason rainfall during the month of January 2021 but an especially dry winter and spring followed. Dry conditions that year forced vines to produce small but concentrated berries, typical of drought years in Paso Robles. However, mild daytime temperatures paired with cool nights kept berries fresh and allowed Paso Robles winegrowers the luxury of patience to harvest grapes at utmost optimal ripeness. Extractable anthocyanin content from red grapes in Paso Robles reached an all-time high in 2021, with resulting wines eclipsing color density levels of the acclaimed 2007, 2013, and 2019 vintages. This Mourvèdre was meticulously farmed by expert vineyard manager Will Roddick and his team on the steep, craggy slopes at Stairway. Clusters were hand-picked on October 14th and immediately destemmed and sorted into a small 6-ton open-top tank.
