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J. LOHR BEGINS YEAR WITH BIG WINS AT 2023 SF CHRONICLE WINE COMPETITION
J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines has once again received impressive accolades at the annual San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. The 2021 J. Lohr Arroyo Vista Chardonnay and 2019 J. Lohr Signature Cabernet Sauvignon were recognized with Double Gold Medals. The J. Lohr 2021 Fog's Reach Pinot Noir was awarded Best in Class for its third consecutive vintage. Eight other J. Lohr wines received Gold Medals and six releases received Silver Medals.
These outstanding achievements celebrate two generations of winemaking, an enterprise that began in the early 1970s when Jerry Lohr first recognized the Central Coast’s winegrowing potential. While J. Lohr is well-known today for its Paso Robles reds, the cool climate of Monterey is where it all started for the Lohr family’s vineyards. J. Lohr helped establish Monterey’s reputation for world-class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Jerry’s agricultural prescience came from a surprising place - the South Dakota farm where he grew up. After earning a Ph.D. from Stanford in civil engineering and serving in the U.S. Air Force, Jerry utilized his knowledge about the relationship between climate, soil, and location to identify a new winegrowing region. When Jerry arrived in Monterey, he found a landscape where he could grow outstanding wines.
Others appreciated the favorable Monterey Bay-influenced climate at the time but the region was still fairly untapped for winegrowing. Jerry spent years seeking out what he believed to be the perfect terroir. In 1972 and 1973, he planted 280 acres in the heart of what would become Monterey County's Arroyo Seco appellation. The fog-swept, windy environment proved ideal for growing and crafting compelling Chardonnay and complex Pinot Noir.
Ten years later, Jerry believed Paso Robles would prove an ideal growing region for Cabernet Sauvignon and other reds. In 1986, he began purchasing vineyards and planting Cabernet and other Bordeaux-style varieties among the rolling hills of San Luis Obispo County. J. Lohr’s Paso Robles barreling of award-winning Cabernet began in 1988.
Today J. Lohr remains a family-owned and operated winery as Jerry’s children Steve, Cynthia, and Lawrence have joined their father as co-owners. The Monterey and Paso Robles regions are now considered superb wine producing regions that yield some of the world's finest Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. The first and second generation of Lohrs are thought leaders in sustainable winemaking techniques. J. Lohr was a pilot winery for the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance’s earliest certification efforts.
Wines from each of J. Lohr’s seven tiers received awards in San Francisco this year. The 2021 J. Lohr Estates Falcon's Perch Pinot Noir, J. Lohr Bay Mist White Riesling and 2020 J. Lohr Estates Los Osos Merlot each won Gold Medals. They are also distinguished as exceptional values at less than $20 per bottle.
Two J. Lohr Vineyard Series wines from the winery’s cool climate vineyards in Monterey received Gold and Double Gold Medals. The J. Lohr Arroyo Vista Chardonnay and the J. Lohr Fog’s Reach Pinot Noir are limited releases drawn from small, special vineyard sites. Both are available for sampling at the newly remodeled J. Lohr Wine Centers in Paso Robles and downtown San Jose.
The J. Lohr Paso Robles Wine Center offers views of the winery’s Home Ranch vineyards to accompany the J. Lohr Seasonal Tasting and J. Lohr Legacy Tasting in a quaint, farmhouse setting. The tasting room and adjacent veranda offer wonderful seated areas to explore J. Lohr wines. Reservations are recommended for the seated experiences; walk-in guests are accommodated on a space-available basis.
The historic J. Lohr Wine Center in downtown San Jose is also open seven days a week, excluding major holidays; reservations are recommended for seated sessions. Guests may choose from Seasonal Tastings or, like Paso Robles, enjoy rare wines selected from library vintages for the Legacy Tasting. The Paso Robles and San Jose Wine Centers offer the best opportunity to sample and purchase J. Lohr’s many 2023 SF Chron Wine Competition medalists.
By StoryStudio on March 15, 2023 11:19AM
SPONSORED BY J. Lohr
SHOP THIS YEAR's WINNERS
2020 J. Lohr estates Los Osos Merlot
2018 J. Lohr Signature Cabernet Sauvignon
2021 j. lohr ESTATEs Falcon's Perch Pinot Noir
2021 j. lohr Bay Mist white Riesling
From the vineyards to the cellars to the tasting rooms, the J. Lohr team is known throughout the wine industry for expert pairing of traditional technique with cutting-edge innovation. Far from resting on past laurels, this family’s pioneering spirit remains on full display daily in the form of their latest and greatest releases. There is always something new to admire and explore when visiting J. Lohr. Click on the J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines website to learn more and to reserve your tasting experience.
Shop more J. Lohr wines
J. Lohr, Arroyo Seco AVA, Monterey Co.
J. Lohr Chardonnay
J. Lohr Paso Robles Wine Center
Jerry Lohr, Founder, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines
J. Lohr, Paso Robles AVA
J. Lohr Chardonnay
J. Lohr Paso Robles Wine Center
Jerry Lohr, Founder, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines
J. Lohr, Paso Robles AVA
Second generation Steve, Cynthia, and Lawrence Lohr