I would bet that in the insular world of wine geekdom, the answer is probably no. And I must admit that it had been a long time since I had done so. But a recent bottle of his 2010 Hilltop Cabernet has reminded me that he makes tasty wine at reasonable prices. One would be hard pressed to ask for more from an under $25 California Cab.
Have some 1999 and 2001 Hilltop. Use it to serve large groups and it is always a hit. The 1999 is still fresh but kept in my cold cellar.
i have and probably will again given the opportunity. my family is on the other side of the spectrum when it comes to our preferred gathering juice; but it’s always great for me to enjoy what i used to buy/drink.
i really enjoyed the cuvee series back in the days.
cheers,
It’s been quite a while, but I recall enjoying the Napa cab with the Carol’s Vineyard designation
Yes
The Gestures have been recommended recently.
But no, I haven’t tried them yet.
People who drink Jerry Lohr’s wines = FolkLohr
They are actually well made wines A 2010 Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon Seven Oaks from Paso Robles for $17 impressed me to the tune of 91 points. When dealing with under $20, it is always nice to see this kind of quality.
Used to. Now I go to Cameron Hughes in that price range. Have found very good QPR there.
My early days of wine exploration were filled with J. Lohr wines, especially the Riverstone chard, which back then went for $6 or $7. I used to buy it by the case.
I actually have a bottle of this in the cellar that I got as a gift. Most CT notes have a score without any tasting note. Does this need time to open up since it is on the young side?
This bottle is usually under $10 and always under $11 in my market and has always tasted so cheap to me. It’s obvious they use oak chips and the wine has noticeable RS.
According to their online tech sheet, for the wine I referenced, the treatment is somewhat different than you suggest. http://www.jlohr.com/wines/estates/Seven-Oaks-Cabernet_2011 Lohr does make several different lines of wine and most of what I have tasted are from their higher tier. Some are not as good but overall I find them solid - serviceable (84 - 86 range), and under $15. I approached the Lohr tasting as I do with all wines which is with an open mind. I generally don’t refer to tech sheets that come along with the samples until my notes are completed, so I knew nothing about price, production or how the wines were treated.
The Petite Sirah Tower Road is the real gem in the portfolio.
For under $25, I enjoy Louis Martini Napa Cabernet. Great QPR and not a bad wine; however, I usually only break it out when non wine geeks come over. It’s painful for me to break out some great bubbly or whatever only to find people dropping strawberries in their glasses.
Purchased the Hilltop bottling in Phoenix at a Safeway for about $25 while visiting and was blown away by the quality for the price. Back home this was sold out quickly at Binny’s so there must be fans in the Chicago area. I like Dehlinger cabs and this had a little more fruit and less tannin but was still an excellent early drinker. Everyone who tried this went back to buy more.