Market Watch, January 2020

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2020 MARKETWATCHMAG COM MARKET WATCH 53PHOTOS BY CHRIS LESCHINSKYdriving the entire region Ribolis Maddalena and San Simeon brands each have a Caber net Sauvignon within their lineups with Maddalena priced at 25 a 750 ml and San Simeon at 35 While Riboli notes that prices across Paso have risen in recent years in line with the regions quality and increased notoriety pric ing generally remains well below that of Napa and Sonoma especially for Cabernet Sauvignon In Napa and Sonoma prices arent going to come down he says They have to rise to meet the cost of farming labor and other realities How many Napa Caber nets are under 40 a bottle In Paso we can deliver at beneath that price point and we do so well between 25 and 35 Such super premium price points are a strong suit at J Lohr Vineyards Wines which is among the regions most sizable wineries Of the 17 million cases produced by J Lohr nearly 1 million cases are Cabernet Sauvignon Most of the Cabernet volume comes from the winerys Seven Oaks Cabernet 17 a 750 ml which is part of the J Lohr Estates tier More emphasis however is being placed on the Hilltop Cabernet priced at 35 and offered within the more upscale Vineyard Series lineup Cabernet has really evolved in Paso Robles over the last couple decades says J Lohr president and COO Jeff Meier And thats in part due to the way were farming it were looking for lower yields greater color density and overall higher quality Bordeaux varietals are the sole focus at Justin Winery which offers a portfolio predom inantly comprised of upscale Cabernet based red blends Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon is outstanding its one of the varietals along with Cabernet Franc Merlot and Malbec that the region handles extremely well says Justin sommelier and wine educator Jim Gerakaris Were about a degree and a half warmer than Napa and about three and a half degrees warmer than Bordeaux and those differ ences lend themselves to fresher softer wines Justins workhorse is its core Cabernet Sauvignon 18 a 750 ml but such luxury offerings as Isosceles 76 a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc and Merlot and Justification 60 a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot have garnered a cult fan base Also in the portfolio is Right Angle a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon Petit Verdot Petit Sirah and Malbec retailing at 35 Right Angle is an odd blend and Paso Robles has really become known for that says Gerakaris Were not afraid to combine grapes that dont exist in heritage Ultimately each one serves a point in the blend and theyre put together in a way that makes sense Justin owns nearly 1000 acres of planted vineyards and works with roughly 30 different growers each year producing around 275000 cases in 2018 As a means of further elevating the status of Cabernet Sauvi gnon and other Bordeaux varietals within Paso Robles Justin and J Lohr established the CAB Cabernet And Bordeaux Collective with fellow local producer Daou Vineyards Winery in 2012 The non profit strives to promote the belief that the best red Bordeaux varietals in the world are grown in Paso Robles and that the wines produced are therefore worthy of international acclaim Lohrs Meier notes that in recent years the media has taken a more active interest in the CAB Collectives work Its not because were doing anything new or especially different now he says Its because were focusing our efforts purely on that educational piece for Bordeaux varietals and blends While Bordeaux varietals are top of mind at Justin winemaker Scott Shirley top Paso pioneer Eberle Winery vineyards above has experimented with varietals from all over the world growing everything from Sangiovese and Barbera to Muscat and Viognier