J Lohr Wine

Paso celebrates J Lohr: 2010 Winery of the Year

Jerry Lohr and his namesake winery J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines have been a huge influence on the growth of Paso Robles and the Central Coast in ways both quantitative and qualitative. For its “trailblazing accomplishments” in the areas of quality, ethics and sustainability, Wine Enthusiast magazine named J. Lohr the 2010 American Winery of the Year — a first for a winery in Paso Robles. Today the company is the 16th largest winery in California, making more than 1 million cases of wine annually, and managing more than 4,000 acres of vineyards. The wine production is split between their white winemaking facility in Monterey and their red winemaking facility in Paso. With 193 employees — all shareholders through an employee stock ownership and profit sharing plan — J. Lohr continues to promote the idea that fine wine can be affordable, and that the production of wine doesn’t have to negatively impact the environment. Lohr didn’t plan for a career in winemaking. After growing up on a South Dakota farm he went on to earn a Ph.D. at Stanford in civil engineering. He then became a scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center in the Bay Area until starting his own building development company. All the while, wine was a passion, and in the mid-1960s he started looking at the possibility of buying land for a vineyard. When he first started investigating the Central Coast as a possible wine growing region, it was hardly considered the best place to create a winery. But through extensive study of the climate, the soils and the long growing season, Lohr determined that the cool Arroyo Seco region in Monterey County would be ideal for growing cool climate grapes like chardonnay, riesling and petite syrah. He started planting his first 280 acres in 1972, and produced his first vintage in 1974. In Paso, J. Lohr now owns 2,000 acres of red wine grapes in Paso Robles and the red wine production facility that makes more than 600,000 cases of wine each year. A driving force both in the vineyards, in the winery and throughout the culture of J. Lohr is a dedication to what they describe as “a true partnership with nature.” In the vineyards that means water conservation, pest management, composting and minimal use of chemicals. In the winery the use of environmentally sensitive packaging, recycling programs and solar energy serve as a model for other wineries around the country. In fact, the three-acre solar facility is the largest in the industry.

Paso Robles Wine Festival Interview: Steve Lohr of J. Lohr ...

By Hoot 'n Annie, June 14, 2011 @ 12:21 pm

Hi Renee, completely agree with you on the J. Lohr wines! And yes, pretty cool to be able to talk with Steve Lohr, he’s got a lot of great information and some cool family history in the wine biz! They’ve definitely got the equation figured out over there…and we’re happy to partake in the wine!!!

American wine, a comprehensive guide

So as a semi-retirement project, he built a small winery behind his house on the vineyard and made estate wines, all of them white. J. Lohr Winery SANTA ...

International Directory of Company Histories

The year marked the release of the first J. Lohr wine, a Petite Sirah that ... New wines were released from J. Lohr Winery, beginning with a Cabernet ...

Wines and Wineries of California's Central Coast, A Complete Guide from Monterey to Santa Barbara

The J. Lohr Winery was established in 1974, and J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines is the largest producer in Paso Robles. Ever the scientist, Jerry continues to do ...

Los Angeles Magazine

J. LOHR VINEYARDS & WINES crafts wines from its estate vineyards reflecting the distinct attributes of Napa Valley, Monterey County, ...

The new connoisseurs' handbook of California wines

In Monterey County, the winery's 5 5 -acre Cypress Vineyard yields its Reserve Chardonnay . The major J. Lohr Estates wine is the "Riverstone" Chardonnay ...