2021 J. Lohr Home Ranch Cabernet Franc
The 2021 J. Lohr Home Ranch Cabernet Franc was grown on the hillside across the street from our J. Lohr Paso Robles Wine Center. Fragrant aromas of cocoa powder, berry compote, and espresso give way to more subtle aromas of mint, wild raspberry, and garrigue. The palate is pleasantly pure and plump with a mouthwatering finish.
— Brenden Wood, red winemaking
Wine Details
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Composition Blend
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100%
Cabernet Franc
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Origin
Estrella District, Paso Robles, CA
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Cellaring
This bottling of 100% Paso Robles Cabernet Franc has the phenolic concentration and aromatic finesse to age elegantly for 10 to 15 years.
15 Years -
Food Pairings
Try with filet mignon and mushroom sauce, or with turkey and cranberry sauce during the holiday season.
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Vineyard
Our Cabernet Franc was grown on the J. Lohr Home Ranch in the warmer Region III Paso Robles Estrella District. The block was laid out to an east-west row orientation in 2007 with clone 327 grafted to low-vigor 420A rootstock. The vines are trained to a bilateral cordon and spur pruned, thinning to two shoots per spur annually. The soil is low water-holding, fine loamy Nacimiento - Los Osos complex. Cabernet Franc is an upright-growing variety that is very drought tolerant. Our farming plan includes removing leaves from the fruit zone on the north side of the vine in June, and reducing the crop to one cluster per shoot in late July. This practice assures small, concentrated berries that lead to a luxury level of flavor and color intensity in the wine.
Vintage
The 2021 vintage in Paso Robles, and most of California, delivered unparalleled quality. Despite generous January rainfall, the following winter and spring months were extremely dry. The dry conditions led to small but concentrated berries, typical of drought years in Paso Robles. However, the consistent mild daytime temperatures and cool nights allowed for patience in harvesting grapes at optimal ripeness. As a result, the extractable anthocyanin content from red grapes in Paso Robles reached an all-time high in 2021, producing wines that surpassed the color density levels of acclaimed vintages like 2007, 2013, and 2019. Meticulously farmed by J. Lohr Home Ranch vineyard manager John Pierini and his team, this Cabernet Franc was hand- picked and made in our small-lot winery in Paso Robles. The fruit was sorted and fermented in small open-top tanks with delestage during peak fermentation to maximize extraction. For decades, Cabernet Franc from our Home Ranch has been one of our best kept secrets, utilized as a key component in a number of our top blends.
