I have to grudgingly admit that I had some preconceived notions in my head about this wine…while I wasn’t aware of the price point, I always for whatever reason (and I truly don’t know where I got this from), think cheap and not great whenever I see this on the shelf. However my Groom pulled it out and as I am so amiable in nature, went with it.

I’m glad I did, because I could not have been more wrong about this wine! J. Lohr Vineyards and Winery is located in the Paso Robles region of the beautiful Central Coast of California, halfway between San Fransisco and Los Angeles. The region itself is home to about 26,000 acres of grapes, producing more than 40 varieties of wine. The first vineyards planted here were courtesy of the Franciscan Friars, who grew the grapes to produce their own sacramental wine, beginning around 1790. In 1882 the first commercial winery was introduced – York Mountain Winery – and it produced Zinfandel, the areas heritage varietal.

Fast forward to the late 1960s, early 1970s when Cabernet Sauvignon makes its scene debut introduced by Dr. Stanley Hoffman, he of the Hoffman Mountain Ranch Winery. Hot on his heels was a young Jerry Lohr, a native South Dakotan with a background in agriculture (South Dakota….what else would it be?) and an eye for land with potential. Purchasing 280 acres, he began planting in 1972 and hasn’t looked back since. His original 280 acres has now grown to almost 3000 with a variety of vineyards producing not just excellent Cabernet Sauvignon but Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and white varietals such as Chardonnay and Riesling.

So, on to the wine itself. The bottle, relieved of its cork, allowed aromas to waft into my nose, a heady combination of oak and plummy notes. Swirling it a bit really brought out the aromas nicely and the first taste was very strong oak with some plum and raspberry. Now, I didn’t swig this back like a sailor on shore leave, so it had time to sit a bit and mellow out, not that I thought it needed it. My second glass was a slightly softened version of the first, the flavors developing quite nicely with the oak  bringing out a distinct smoky flavor…I might be inclined to call it gamey….this would have been wonderful with a steak and other strong meat. The taste was full and had a very nice full lingering finish to it.

The main man was also the purchaser of this wine, so I was completely surprised by the price point. Having dispatched the notion of the “cheap red wine” from my head, you can understand my delight discovering that, in fact, it is very economical and pocket-book friendly, coming in at $12.99 here in B.C. I was literally quite stunned, as I quite enjoyed this, and while I am not given to associate wine “goodness” with elevated prices, I really thought it would actually be pricier. With this in mind, I am delighted to include this in my Great Buys Under $20 category. Enjoy!!