2021 J. Lohr Pure Paso® Proprietary Red Wine
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Wine Enthusiast, November 2023
Savory varietal notes of Cabernet Sauvignon are layered with the dark fruit character of Petite Sirah. The bouquet of cocoa powder, caramel, and anise works in harmony with the black cherry fruit signature of this wine. Bright and focused on the palate, with a firm and appetizing finish.
— Brenden Wood, red winemaker & Steve Peck, vp, winemaking
Wine Details
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Composition Blend
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64%
Cabernet Sauvignon
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31%
Petite Sirah
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2%
Malbec
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2%
Saint Macaire
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1%
Merlot
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Origin
Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo County, California
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Cellaring
This Pure Paso Proprietary Red Wine highlights J. Lohr’s acclaimed house- style: a dense and focused fruit signature coupled with a soft, approachable palate. Best from 2024 to 2028.
7 Years -
Maturation
Aged 18 months in American and Hungarian oak cooperage
Barrel Type: 60-gallon oak barriques, 10% new
Coopers: Heinrich, Nadalie, Trust
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Food Pairings
Serve with Santa Maria-style grilled tri-tip seasoned with a simple garlic, salt, and pepper rub, along with grilled French bread, fresh salsa, and stewed pinquito beans for a classic coastal California feast.
An historic, artful blend of Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah wines – two J. Lohr benchmark varieties in the central coast.
Vineyards
The Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced largely from our Shotwell Vineyard in the cooler Region II El Pomar District of Paso Robles, where the climate is strongly influenced by marine air drawn in from the Pacific Ocean just 17 miles away. This ranch is predominantly planted to ENTAV clone 169 Cabernet Sauvignon on calcareous Linne-Calodo soils with slopes reaching a challenging 25%. The Petite Sirah is from the warmer Region III Estrella and San Miguel Districts. This warmer climate is ideal for heat-loving Petite Sirah. We have manicured our east to west oriented plantings to capture sunlight on the leaf’s surface. This practice allows the grape clusters to reach a luxurious level of maturity in the dappled sunlight below the vine canopy.
Vintage
The 2021 vintage delivered unparalleled quality to the Paso Robles region. We received generous preseason rainfall during the month of January 2021 but an especially dry spring followed. Overall rainfall for the 2021 vintage in Paso Robles was only 75% of the 25-year historical average. The dry conditions in 2021 forced vines to produce small but concentrated berries, typical of drought years. Happily, consistently mild daytime temperatures and cool nights kept berries fresh and allowed us the the luxury of patience to harvest grapes at optimal ripeness. As a result, 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.
