J. Lohr Wild Flower Valdiguie

Description

Vintage Valdiguie is a very large-berried variety, requiring extra vigilance from our Arroyo Seco vineyard crew to prune to only one bud per spur and aggressively thin any extra shoots pushing from the cordon. Otherwise, yields are too high and ripening becomes difficult for this late-maturing variety. In our winemaking, the goal is to preserve the wonderful natural acidity and fresh fruit character of this varietal. We incorporate two different fermentation techniques to achieve this. In 2015, we hand-picked roughly one-third of the fruit and put those whole clusters directly into the fermenters in a winemaking process called carbonic macerationno crushing, punching down, or pumping over of the whole clusters is performed. The other, more conventional technique used in the remaining two-thirds of the fruit, includes gently de-stemming the fruit going to the fermenter, pumping over and extracting with fairly short, warm fermentations. These processes give the wine a remarkable similarity to the wines of Beaujolais, with enticing berry fruit flavors, a vibrant color and soft tannins. A native malolactic fermentation on about 50% of the blend puts an unusual spin on the 2015 vintage by softening acidity and delivering a darker fruit character to the final wine.Vineyards Our Valdiguie is grown on Chualar loam soil in the Arroyo Seco appellation of Monterey County. Originally thought to be the Gamay Noir grape of Frances Beaujolais winegrowing region, U.C. Davis has since identified this grape to be Valdiguie from an area in the southwest of France. Regardless of its origin and identity, Valdiguie grown in the windy, cold Arroyo Seco produces a wine reminiscent of the Crus of BeaujolaisMorgon, Fleurie and Moulin-a-Vent.Winemaker’s Comments Reflecting an exceptionally warm and dry vintage in this coolclimate growing area, the 2015 J. Lohr Estates Wildflower Valdiguie is deeply pigmented, red-purple in color with profuse black cherry and black pepper aromas. The juicy palate is coated with pomegranate and blueberry fruit, leaving a sweet and mildly astringent finish. Serve chilled, and drink your last bottle just in time for the release of the new vintage! Steve Peck, winemakerFood Pairings Serve chilled with duck confit salad or as a complement to a charcuterie plate of Serrano ham, peppered salami, cornichon and hard cheese.Fermentation Stainless steel fermented, 65% traditional red wine fermentation to 85F. and 35% light press from carbonic maceration whole cluster fermented.Maceration Traditional fermentation portion was 5 days on skins while the carbonic maceration was 21 days to pressing.Wine ListBlack cherry and black pepper aromas with a sweet, juicy finish. Served chilled. – J. Lohr