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64 / the tasting panel / july 2017 DEPARTMENT HEADER berries. Its position in Paso also aids in extending harvest, which is key when you're managing roughly 3,000 acres of vines. The next morning, we meet with Vineyard Manager Steve Carter and Perry to check out their plantings in El Pomar and San Miguel. El Pomar District is better suited to varieties such as Merlot due to the marine winds that flow into this area through the Templeton Gap. In addition to Merlot and smaller plantings of other Bordeaux varieties, they plant Cabernet Sauvignon. Carter explains that not only does it spread out the harvest schedule (since the area ripens later for Cabernet), but that in warmer years it would also elevate the wines. The Winery Peck is a craftsman who clearly enjoys his trade. He gives us a tour through the winery and the expansive barrel room. Twenty-four thousand barrels are stored at this facility and another 25,000 in nearby Templeton. Tasting NOTES J. Lohr Estates 2015 Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles ($18) "There are four words I use to describe Seven Oaks: dense, soft and never green," says Steve Peck, J. Lohr's winemaker for red wines. Though Seven Oaks Estates is J. Lohr's entry-level Cabernet, overdelivering in quality for price is always their primary goal. Aromas of roasted coffee, bacon and black currant. On the palate, plush red fruit with nice structure and acidity. J. Lohr 2014 Hilltop Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles ($37) Rounder in both aroma and flavor than the Seven Oaks, with less hickory notes due to the sub- tler influence of French oak. High-toned fruit and silky round tannins with flavors of dark chocolate, black cherry and blueberry with a juicy finish. Hilltop spends 18 months in French oak (60% new) and is intended for a restaurant audience. J. Lohr 2013 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles ($100) The inaugural release of the Signature series marked the celebration of founder Jerry Lohr's 80th birthday. To capture those silkier tannins and plush mouthfeel indicative of J. Lohr Cabernets, they added quite a bit more Merlot (18%) than they normally would have, to round it out. The wine is luxurious with lively aromatics of black fruit and dark chocolate. Mission fig, black plum, cherry and bone broth mingle on the palate with a silky, dense mouthfeel. J. Lohr 2013 Carol's Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, Saint Helena, Napa Valley ($60) Named after Lohr's late wife, Carol, who passed away after a battle with breast cancer. Lohr partnered with the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. to honor her legacy with this bottling that helps support the foundation. $3 of every bottle of this wine which is sold is donated to NBCF. "I think one thing that Paso wines have in common is this soft texture on the palate and on the finish. With Carol's Vineyard in Napa Valley, you get more sensation of the acid from the vineyard, this vibrant acidity," says Peck. The wine displays more minerality and blue fruit on the nose, in part due to the higher percentage of Petit Verdot. Bright fruit, hints of roasted coffee, angular in comparison to the Signature. Overall, tighter on the palate but with a bright, cherry-pit finish. J. Lohr 2008 Cuvée PAU, Paso Robles ($50) Cuvée PAU was inspired by the Grand Cru wines of Bordeaux's Pauillac district. Overall, a colder vintage they experienced a "double whammy" of frost that tested any winemaker's skills, so the yields were quite low. Showing some age on the nose, it holds tightly to notes of red cherry and hints of burnt caramel and orange peel. Pretty fruit, flavors of rounded cassis on the front with hints of cardamom and Indian spice on the finish. "The winemaker was excited to highlight their use of Petit Verdot as a blender in their Cabernet program," says Steve Peck, explaining how the Petit Verdot adds blue fruit character and acidity to the J. Lohr Cabernets.