2021 J. Lohr Shotwell Vineyard Malbec

Vineyard

The J. Lohr Shotwell Vineyard is located in the El Pomar District of the Paso Robles AVA. The climate here is a moderate Region II on the Winkler heat accumulation scale, which characterizes it as a quite cool location for late-ripening red varieties. This cordon-trained, spur-pruned planting of Malbec clone 596 is laid out with fairly tight 8’ by 4’ vine spacing; it was planted in 2015 on a steep north-facing slope of calcareous Linne-Calodo soil.

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. We’ve coined the term “friendly blender” for our Paso Robles Malbec because its approachable, high-tone red fruit flavor and soft texture give it the ability to blend with and elevate the quality of many other grape varietals. With this bottling, we are excited to let one of our favorite blocks of Malbec shine on its own. The wine was aged in water-bent French oak barrels that have low oak aroma impact - allowing for full expression of varietal character from our carefully farmed Malbec vines.