J. Lohr cab takes top prize in rodeo contest
To celebrate his 80th birthday last year, half a century after he became a pioneering vintner in central California, Jerry Lohr launched a flagship cabernet sauvignon with his signature on the label, replacing the familiar “J. Lohr” in block letters. The 2013 cabernet was met with a measure of critical acclaim, hardly a surprise from a winery that manages to offer a quaffable Paso Robles cab for about $12.
Lohr’s 2014 Signature Cab is already turning heads, too. In fact, it turned enough of them in the 2018 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo International Wine Competition to earn Grand Champion Best of Show honors, only the second entry from the Paso Robles AVA to prevail in the event’s 15 years.
There was nothing unusual about a cabernet reigning as king of the rodeo wines, however. Since judging began in 2004, just two noncab-centric bottles have been Grand Champions, and 11 winners have come from California AVAs. The grape clearly has a flavor profile dear to the taste buds of Houstonians, and most of the folks who spent their weekend at NRG Center blindtasting their way through the record number of submissions — 3,188 — were locals, of course.
The J. Lohr Signature is 100 percent Clone 337 cabernet, all of which was grown in the Beck Vineyard 1,700 feet above sea level and, importantly, above the fog line in Paso’s Creston District. Hand-harvested, the grapes were berry-sorted into 6-ton open-top tanks for fermentation with maceration on the skins lasting six days before an early pressing was done to restrict tannin extraction. The juice aged for 17 months in allnew French oak sourced from four of France’s leading barrel makers.
It’s a very serious wine indeed and, at $100 from jlohr.com, is priced accordingly. About 8,000 bottles, the equivalent of 667 cases, were made. But, again, the J. Lohr Seven Oaks Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon, at about $12, doesn’t disappoint.
J. Lohr also claimed the rodeo’s Top All-Around Winery honors for a variety of medalwinning wines. Both the 2016 Flume Crossing Sauvignon Blanc from Arroyo Seco and the 2014 Tower Road Petite Sirah from Paso Robles also earned double-golds and class championships. By my count, J. Lohr offers 31 wines on its website, including three intriguing Cuvée Series wines that have done well in Chronicle blind tastings and are intended to emulate those made in Bordeaux’s famous appellations of Pauillac (Cuvée Pau), Pomerol (Cuvée Pom) and Saint-Émilion, (Cuvée St. E) at $50 each.
Another personal favorite is the Wildflower Valdiguié ($18). You’ll note that Peter Schreurs, who oversees the food and beverage program at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, likes it enough himself to have chosen it for our Sommelier’s Pick this week.
The 2013 Ram’s Gate Chardonnay, made from grapes grown in Carneros’ Hyde Vineyard, was the Reserve Grand Champion Best of Show. A year ago, it was a Spanish chardonnay, the 2010 Arinzano Gran Vino Blanco, that broke an 11-year run of Grand Champion cabs and cab blends.
The competition included wines from 18 countries, and some 212 entries came in from the featured region, northern Spain. The 2009 Ramon Bilbao Gran Reserva Rioja won out.
Llano Estacado’s 2015 Viviano Cabernet Sauvignon-Sangiovese was voted the top Texas wine from among 420 entries, with Bending Branch claiming topTexas-winery honors for its overall showing.
All the champion wines will be paired with dishes from top Houston-area chefs at the Rodeo Uncorked! Roundup and Best Bites Competition on Feb. 18, and sold at the Rodeo Uncorked! Champion Wine Auction and Dinner on Feb. 25. Rodeogoers also can try the wines by the glass or bottle in the wine garden at NRG Park.