#j. lohr

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More Wallander. Nice Chardonnay to cap the night

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The Icing on the Cake

The Icing on the Cake

To celebrate Jerry Lohr’s 80th birthday, his namesake winery created a new wine in the founder’s honor, the 2013 J. Lohr Signature cabernet sauvignon. The Paso Robles winery priced it to be worthy of a tribute to one of the icons of California wine, at $100 a bottle.

In a review earlier this year, I evaluated the J. Lohr Signature cabernet and gave it my highest score, 100 points. I’m not the…

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A Week at Cooking School, Part 2

A few months back, J. Lohr Winemaker Jeff Meier wrote a post about his experience at Tante Marie's Cooking School in San Francisco. His first post, which showcased a recipe for Spanish Roast Chicken, can be read here.  Below, find Part 2 in this series, featuring an incredible recipe for Duck Confit!

Submitted by Winemaker Jeff Meier

Day two of cooking school continued with more rain falling, which was much needed for our vineyards, but not so great for walking.  However, since I had packed an umbrella, I decided to make the 45-minute walk from the Montgomery BART station to our North Beach classroom.  Having worked in San Francisco as a “gopher” for a large corporation my first two summers during college, I wanted to rekindle some fond memories of walking through the financial district delivering legal documents to Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro, and other businesses around downtown.  Also, I had never really walked from the financial district to North Beach, and was curious about what I’ve missed out on.  I was first struck and re-impressed by the quality and style of architecture of the many early Twentieth Century buildings (many post-1906 earthquake), with their art deco facades and embellishing.  I walked past the Alioto’s law offices, Francis Coppola’s quirky restaurant and hotel, and the strip clubs on Columbus and Broadway, before entering San Francisco’s Italian district – North Beach – with its myriad coffee shops, restaurants and Victorian architecture.  I was particularly intrigued by the Goorin Bros. Hat shop on Stockton Street, established in 1895, which was impeccably maintained and stocked full of beautifully crafted chapeaus – just a shame I don’t wear hats!  Before I knew it I was passing St. Peter and Paul Church on Washington Square and within ten minutes was back in the classroom at Tante Marie’s. 

That morning, as we munched on fruit, fresh breads and cured meats, Malcolm began to go through the day’s recipes that were stacked in front of each student.  He started at 10:00 and finished at 10:45!  I felt exhausted as he listed them: Duck Confit, Thomas Keller’s Simple Roast Chicken, Osso Buco with Toasted Pine Nut Gremolata, Pork Loin Chops with Mushroom-Caper Pan Sauce, Roasted Duck Breasts with Pomegranate-Chile Sauce, Whole Beef Tenderloin in a Salt Crust with Wild Mushroom Sauce, Seared Strip Steak with Roasted Grapes, Watercress and Roquefort, Mortadella Stuffed Pork Loin, Braised Pork with Poblano Cream Sauce, Fish Meunière Thon au Façon de Marseille, Whole Branzino Baked in Salt with Salsa Verde, Slow-Roasted Red Wine Lacquered Salmon, Sicilian Style Chicken with Roasted Lemons, Capers and Olives, and Island Pork Salad.  And of course with the unused cuts of meat we made chicken stock and fish stock. In each case, Malcolm described the techniques to cook them, the ingredients, and where in the kitchen we could find the special items that we needed.  Today was obviously “meat day.”  We were to use some of the meats we practiced our knife skills on the day before, and we were instructed on additional meats brought in that morning. After describing all of our recipes, Malcolm read off each one, asking for volunteers who’d be interested in making each item.  Mark, Susan and I volunteered for the Osso Buco and the Duck Confit.  As we found out, both of these dishes are prepared on one day and consumed a day or two following – in the case of the duck, we didn’t cook until Friday, but needed to marinate for most of the week before getting to taste the fruits of our labor.  As each dish was finished, they were plated and brought out to the center cooking demonstration area for sampling by all.  Needless to say, with the number of meat dishes prepared on day two, no one went home hungry. I even decided I needed to walk back to BART to burn off some calories! 

            Students in my class put the finishing touches on their dishes.

Although we didn’t get to try our dishes until Friday, they were really delicious. I’m pleased to share Malcolm’s recipe for Duck Confit below. Enjoy!

Duck Confit

3 Tbsp coarse salt

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced

A few sprigs of fresh thyme

Coarsely ground black pepper

4 duck legs with thighs

4 cups of duck fat (that’s correct!) usually sold frozen 

1.     Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt in the bottom of a dish or plastic container large enough to hold the duck pieces in a single layer.  Evenly scatter half the garlic, shallots and thyme in the container.  Arrange the duck, skin side up, over the salt mixture, then sprinkle the remaining salt, garlic, shallots, and thyme and a little pepper.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 3 to 4 days.

2.     Preheat oven to 225 degrees.  Melt the duck fat in a small saucepan.  Wash the salt and seasonings from the duck.  Arrange the duck pieces in a single snug layer in a high-sided baking dish or ovenproof saucepan.  Pour the melted fat over the duck (the duck pieces should be covered by fat) and place in the oven.  Cook slowly at a very slow simmer – just an occasional bubble – until the duck is tender and can be easily pulled from the bone, 2 – 3 hours.  Remove the confit from the oven.  (If desired, cool and store the duck in the fat.  The confit will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.)

3.     Serve with Pomme Frites, a simple salad and a glass of J. Lohr’s Fog’s Reach Pinot Noir!

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Health, Fitness and the Best Time Ever with Team In Training!

Submitted by Lawrence Lohr Photo by Susan Ito

This year at J. Lohr, we are in the middle of launching a wellness plan for all our employees. In addition to trying to eat more healthy and be more active, many J. Lohr family members and employees are stepping it up, supporting wellness by training for races that raise money towards research for a number of illnesses including breast cancer, leukemia, lymphoma and diabetes. This is a double-benefit! By getting in shape and enjoying more exercise, we can help others get well, too. One weeknight back in December, my wife Emily and I were winding down from our day when she made, in hindsight, a huge decision. She showed me a piece of junk mail we got that day from Team In Training and said, “I think I’m going to do this.”

Team In Training is the endurance sports training program for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). They do two very important things: help train people for endurance events like marathons, triathlons and century bike rides, and raise millions of dollars to benefit LLS. Participants receive coaching and are given tailored training schedules. In exchange for coaching and incredible team camaraderie, participants agree to fundraise. Emily chose to participate in the Avia Wildflower Triathlon, which took place on May 6th at Lake San Antonio, just northwest of our vineyards in Paso Robles.

Emily began training at the end of January with the East Bay Triathlon Team, and she started from a point in which athletic fitness was not a regular part of her life. She trained almost daily for 13 weeks. When her race day came, she made it through an Olympic distance triathlon, which consists of a 1.5K swim, 40K bike ride and a 10K run. When she crossed the finish line, she was met by her teammates and coaches with cheers and hugs. Emily and her team stayed until all of her teammates finished. 

                     Emily Lohr (center) with team mates Lily and George

I was so proud to spend the day with hundreds of people who were there with Team In Training, knowing that they were racing not just for themselves, but for a cure. I rang my cowbell and shouted “Go Team!” as they jumped in the water, hopped on their bikes, and ran to the finish line. I know how much the training sometimes took out of Emily (after a difficult workout, she would often smile and say, “Wow, curing cancer is really hard work!”),  but in the end it was more than worth the effort. She says she’ll do it again, and I’m all for it!

A number of J. Lohr employees and family members have chosen to challenge themselves this year by training for events that benefit others, and we are so proud to know so many caring, motivated people! On June 2, we'll also have a chance to get the whole J. Lohr team together to participate in the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association (MCVGA) Winery Walk – a 5k walk through the vineyards at Paraiso in the Santa Lucia Highlands to raise money for college scholarships for the children of vineyard and winery workers. It's not an olympic distance triathlon, but it's certainly a start! As summer approaches, we're looking for more ways to get active and get involved.

What will you be doing to take care of yourself this season? 

For more information on Team in Training, visit teamintraining.org To learn about the MCVGA Winery Walk, click here. 

[winelohr]

Vintage J. Lohr: 40 Years of Winegrowing

Submitted by Jerry Lohr

As we move in to 2012, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the planting of our first vineyards in Monterey County. This year, we came through one of the most challenging years of our 38 vintages. First, we had a frost in spring – two nights of freezing weather followed by a very cool growing season. We then worried about freezing and rain in the fall, so we picked some blocks slightly earlier than we would have otherwise. But this is all working out very well for us, because due to the cooler year, we have very good color development in our 2011 wines. So each year presents its own challenges; all we can do is strive to make the very best wine we can from each vintage. And though we are celebrating 40 years of winegrowing this year, we are never done learning. This challenging vintage was very much a learning experience for all of us at J. Lohr, and we are very pleased to share it with you.   Happy New Year, Jerry Lohr

A vintage photo of Jerry, harvesting some of our original plantings  in the Arroyo Seco.

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TASTING NOTE: 2009 J. Lohr Estates Riverstone Chardonnay

Price: $8.97 at Total Wine

Region: Arroyo Seco, Monterey County, California

Sight: Straw yellow

Smell: Pineapple, vanilla, oak

Taste: Pineapple, peach, soft oak, spice

Overall: At $9, J. Lohr is giving this wine away.  This is a smooth, creamy Chardonnay with refreshing peach and tropical fruit flavors.  The oak flavor is a prominent component, but it doesn't throw the balance off at all.  Rather, the oak contributes a pleasant spiciness on the finish.  For under $10, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this as a go-to, everyday Chardonnay.  And Charlotte people--I DARE you to go to Amélie's, order an egg & cheddar sandwich on a baguette, and try it with this wine!  It will be DELICIOUS.  Or pair this wine with chicken & orzo.  That would be tasty as well.

And to everyone who reads this little blog regularly, I thank you & I hope it proves somehow beneficial to your wine adventures.  :)