2022 J. Lohr Fog’s Reach Pinot Noir
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Wine Enthusiast, March 2024
Expresses the cool-climate character of the Arroyo Seco region with bing cherry, strawberry compote, and dried sage on the nose. Bright red cherry flavors wash across the palate and leave peppery spice on the lengthy finish.
— Brenden Wood, red winemaker
Wine Details
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Composition Blend
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100%
Pinot Noir clones 667 and 777
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Origin
Arroyo Seco AVA, Monterey County, CA
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Cellaring
5-plus years properly cellared aging potential with the greatest evolution of complex aromas within the first year in bottle.
5 Years
Our most coveted blocks of Pinot Noir are touched by fog from the nearby bay. Classic Monterey Pinot Noir flavors of ripe cherry and spice backed by food-pairing acidity in this wine.
Vineyard
Our CSWA Certified Sustainable Pinot Noir vineyard resides in the cool and windy enclave of the Arroyo Seco appellation of Monterey County. The property is planted to two early-ripening Dijon selections of Pinot Noir (clones 667 and 777), as well as late-ripening Pommard 4. The vines are grown on extremely well-drained, loamy sand and gravelly loam soils intermixed and underlain by large potato-sized cobblestones. The unique combination here of soil, climate, and advanced viticulture produces deeply- colored Pinot Noir with elegantly refined structure and flavor.
Vintage
The 2022 vintage in the Arroyo Seco experienced a relatively dry winter and cool spring. During most of the summer, we enjoyed mild daytime highs, which proved ideal for berry flavor and phenolic development. However, in early September, a 10-day heatwave hit the Arroyo Seco, as well as much of California, hastening ripening. For this bottling, Clones 667 and 777 were hand-harvested on September 17th and 24th, respectively. Our 2022 Fog’s Reach Pinot Noir underwent 8 months of aging on light lees - 35% of the blend in new French oak barrels and the remaining in 4th-fill French cooperage. This imparts subtle oak notes and viscosity on the palate while maintaining the refined fruit signature of this terroir-driven Pinot Noir.
