Description
Carol’s Vineyard lies in northern St. Helena along the Napa River. It is planted to 27 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon (Clone 337 on 3309 rootstock) and 4.3 acres of Petit Verdot (Clone 400 on 3309 rootstock). The well-drained, gravelly, sandy loam soil here and the Bordeaux-like climate of the Napa Valley is ideally suited to producing richly textured, luxury-quality Cabernet. During the 2021 vintage, Napa Valley experienced its second consecutive year of drought conditions. The lack of rain led to natural vine balance and modest yields with small berries. The daytime temperatures in Napa Valley remained relatively moderate throughout the summer and autumn, allowing for patience in harvesting fruit at optimal ripeness. They hand-picked the Cabernet Sauvignon on September 17th and October 8th and sorted berries using our Pellenc Selectiv system followed by a two-day cold soak. After fermentation on skins, the wine was racked to French oak barrels for 18 months of elevage."One of my appellations for Cabernet Sauvignon almost always shows its provenance in the aromatic profile – there’s a black and blue fruit vibe unique to St. Helena that shows itself right away, as it does here. That fruit character is allowed to shine, with minimal winemaking influence serving to keep the focus on that fruit and adding nuance and depth. This is masterfully realized wine at a ridiculously low price for the neighborhood." 97 Points, 2024 Winemaker's Challenge International Wine Competition
J Lohr was founded in 1973 by the eponymous Jerry, who originally looked at the cool and windblown Monterrey coast. Fairly quickly building a successful business with the lovely terroir there in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, he expanded to Paso in a search for a place to grow truly great Cabernet. And, with no doubt - he found it. Founding the Hilltop Vineyard pretty quickly, they expanded rapidly off the back of the quality of Paso Robles fruit and the exceptional quality of the wines they were producing. Nowadays this is one of USA's favourite wineries - not requiring pretence or shouting to show how damn good it is. This is a Cellar's favourite across the board, with the Seven Oaks and the Riverstone proving firm favourites amongst our customers.