Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/661678
SPEED TASTING REPORT Passion from Paso Another wine undressed yet draped in history was the J. Lohr 2013 Hilltop Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles. It's safe to say that Paso Robles would not be where it is without the Lohr family. Southern California Area Manager Erin Williams tells us, "We are one of the oldest wine families on the Central Coast. We planted our first Monterey County estate vineyards in 1972, and we started growing grapes in Paso in 1988. To highlight the finest of our estate vineyards, we debuted our J. Lohr Vineyard Series in 1998. Hilltop is its flagship wine. It is hand-harvested, hand-sorted and made in limited quantities—so it gets a lot of love! Most of the grapes come from the new Estrella and Creston sub-AVAs, which are ideal for Bordeaux varieties." The blend consists of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec, aged 18 months in 225-liter French oak barrels, 60% new. TASTING NOTES: Jessie Birschbach: Intense, ripe black fruits and blue fruits, plum. This is ripe blackberry and blueberry balanced by violets and tobacco. Jesus Evangelista III: On the nose, clean blueberry, menthol and manzanita. On the palate, dark chocolate, raspberries and strawberries. Dry with a balanced mid-palate. Great crowd pleaser. Naureen Zaim: Young, opaque dense purple color. Boysenberry, blueberry, brambleberry, rosemary and pine. This tastes like New World Petit Verdot from California, maybe even some- where like Paso. Essay in Terroir One of the big hits of the blind tasting was revealed as the Parrish Family Vineyard 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles by Assistant Winemaker and Vineyard Manager Ethan Ray. Although this 100% estate Cab isn't a blend of varieties, it was a blend of two Cabernet clones grown at a 1,200-foot elevation in the Creston AVA of Paso, aged in 100% French oak, 60% of which is new. Says Michael Ploetz, "Powerful yet balanced with vibrant acidity. Complex and com- plete, and would be great by the glass or on its own. After learning that it was produced by a family in limited production, I became more excited as I am always look- ing for smaller projects made by passionate people. After thinking of all of the wines from Paso that I have tasted, the Parrish spoke to me of that terroir." TASTING NOTES Marianna Caldwell: On the nose, bell pepper and roses—a well-balanced nose of both vegetables and fruits as though one was in the midst of a lush garden in spring just beginning to bloom. Palate: juicy pomegranate, cherry and plum. Jessie Birschbach: Certainly one of the richer styles and one of my two favorites of the day. Brambly fruits, baked blackberry, black cherry and chocolate finish with crushed rock. Dusting Up The final Napa-based wine turned out to be the Sequoia Grove 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, brought to us by Kobrand District Manager Spencer Cruse. This was a blend made up 77% Cab and 12% Cab Franc, mostly fruit from Rutherford and in fact they have 48 acres just south of Beckstoffer To Kalon. This family-owned winery was established in 1979 and really did show off a bit of that "Rutherford dust," which we somms get all excited about. (Read more about Sequoia Grove on page 60.) TASTING NOTES: Rebekah Turpin: Bursting with coffee grounds and mocha notes. Dark fruit, plums, blackberries; ripe in nature. Slight creamy vanilla finish that lingers. Jesus Evangelista III: Plenty of cassis on the nose. Very dark, yet light and haunting. On the palate, full-bodied and dry. High, green tannins and coffee. Jessie Birschbach: Peppery blackberry and black cherry follow the coffee and clove on the nose. A dusty, dark chocolate finish. 108 / the tasting panel / april 2016 Erin Williams, J. Lohr's Southern California Area Manager, with J. Lohr 2013 Hilltop Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, CA. Ethan Ray, Vineyard Assistant Winemaker and Vineyard Manager for Parrish Family—a member of the Paso Robles CAB Collective—with Parrish Family Vineyard 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, CA. Spencer Cruse, Kobrand District Manager, with Sequoia Grove 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley.