Vineyards

After Jerry Lohr’s nearly decade-long search for the right place to plant his first vineyard, he chose a site in Monterey County that was to become the heart of the Arroyo Seco appellation. Jerry planted the winery’s first 280 acres in 1972 in Greenfield.

Monterey County’s Arroyo Seco appellation has proved ideal for growing layered, complex Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Brisk winds and fog off Monterey Bay, stony, well-drained soils, and a lack of damaging fall rains all combine to produce grapes with trademark fruit intensity and balancing acidity.

These original Arroyo Seco vineyards have supplied fruit for more than thirty-five years for our iconic J. Lohr Estates Riverstone Chardonnay. The cooling afternoon winds off Monterey Bay contribute to two other lush and nuanced Chardonnays in our portfolio: J. Lohr Arroyo Vista Chardonnay, which marries mineral and citrus fruit flavors with Burgundian winemaking techniques, and J. Lohr October Night Chardonnay, which has an aromatic, floral expression thanks to its reliance on Dijon clone 809. After years of vineyard trial and experimentation, our two Pinot Noirs grown in the Arroyo Seco – the J. Lohr Estates Falcon’s Perch and the J. Lohr Fog’s Reach – have proven major successes with reviewers and consumers alike. Rounding out our Burgundian varietals roster is our J. Lohr Highlands Bench Pinot Noir from the nearby Santa Lucia Highlands AVA.

Our distinctive J. Lohr Estates Flume Crossing Sauvignon Blanc, Wildflower Valdiguié, and Bay Mist White Riesling are also grown here, benefiting from the dramatic coastal climate and our long experience in the appellation.

Even with such a long, successful track record in Monterey County, nothing ever stands still at
J. Lohr. The Lohr family and vineyard teams are constantly reassessing and reworking our sustainably farmed vineyards. The J. Lohr Chardonnay program alone makes use of ten different clones. New plantings and new farming regimens are constantly being researched and incorporated. On the winemaking side, the second phase of J. Lohr’s state-of-the-art white wine production facility in Greenfield was completed six years ago. The new winery’s 67,000 square foot cellar was finished in 2016, with a storage capacity of 46,000 barrels. Winemaker Kristen Barnhisel oversees all white wine production here.

It has been fifty years since Jerry Lohr first began planting Chardonnay in Monterey’s Arroyo Seco. Our pioneering attitude is the same today as it was back then. Our single-minded goal is to let the quality and terroir of this world-class, cool-climate winegrowing region shine through in every bottle of J. Lohr.

Jerry Lohr has championed Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah from the Paso Robles appellation since the early 1980s. He recognized that the Paso Robles region’s diurnal temperature swings of 45 to 50 degrees from early morning to midday during the growing season would create optimal flavor development in these classic red varieties. Jerry and his team, over many years, have helped write the book on Paso Robles’ winegrowing with sustainable farming practices, clonal research, and innovative viticultural techniques.

Known for its extreme growing conditions and well-drained, gravelly and sometimes chalky limestone soils, Paso Robles is one of three California appellations producing Bordeaux and Rhône varietals worthy of international acclaim. Akin to the climates of Alexander Valley in Northern California’s Sonoma County and the Rutherford district of Napa Valley, Paso Robles is known for fifty-degree temperature swings between dawn and afternoon. When combined with the area’s scant moisture, the resulting Cabernet fruit is intense and concentrated with forward fruit aromas and flavors – similar to its northern counterparts, but with riper, softer tannins.

J. Lohr owns more than 2,600 acres of vineyards in the Paso Robles region. Home Ranch, Hilltop, Shotwell, Creston, Pleasant Valley, Beck, and Sinclair are a few of the J. Lohr vineyards here that are helping craft Paso Robles’ reputation for superb Bordeaux and Rhone wines.

At the Home Ranch, the J. Lohr Paso Robles winery is the main facility for our red wine production. Here VP, Winemaking Steve Peck, Red Winemaker Brenden Wood, and team daily set the bar for Paso Robles style and quality.

In the St. Helena appellation of Napa Valley lies a 35-acre parcel of land called Carol’s Vineyard, named after Jerry Lohr’s late wife, to whom he was married for 48 years. Here, ideal temperatures and clay loam soils provide superb conditions for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. The climate also mimics that of Bordeaux. As a result, Carol’s Vineyard has yielded fruit of exceptional quality, character and depth of flavor for over two and a half decades. The fruit for our J. Lohr Carol's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is hand-harvested to preserve the intense flavors and colors. Blended with a small amount of Petit Verdot and aged in French oak barrels for 18 to 20 months, this Cabernet is defined by deep black cherry and currant flavors and aromas, with a hint of licorice. A donation from every bottle sold of the J. Lohr Carol's Vineyard Cabernet benefits National Breast Cancer Foundation programs.