Mountain Views News          Saturday, August 8, 2015

9FOOD AND DRINK Mountain Views News Saturday, August 8, 2015 9FOOD AND DRINK Mountain Views News Saturday, August 8, 2015 
PASO ROBLES 

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.comPaso Robles, Spanish for the “Pass of Oaks” and 
most commonly pronounced as “Paso Robles” or 
simply referred to as “Paso” by the locals, is located in San Luis Obispo County, halfway between San 
Francisco and L.A. on California’s stunning Central Coast. Paso Robles has 26,000 acres under vine 
and is home to over 200 wineries. The most commonly grown grape is the cabernet sauvignon, and 
that over 40% of all juices are “cab” makes sense with the large swing of climate changes of the area. 

My favorite, a rising star from the region, is J. Lohr Vineyards. They have been producing wines from 
this region since 1974. Jerry Lohr started with 280 acres, and now has over 900 acres in Monterey and 
2000 in Paso Robles. Their 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Seven Oaks is smooth and easy to drink, or I 
should say ready to drink for those of you who like to enjoy a glass after work or any time. For me, I 
would pair this with a hearty meat dish such as spare ribs or even a beef stroganoff. I rather enjoy reds 
with a meal, never alone – but, to each his own. 

The quality of the 2011 vintage is apparent in the 
wine’s density and strong regional expression 
of black cherry and blackberry fruit, and 
soft tannins. I first discovered J. Lohr simply 
by luck; I was in Paso Robles on a weekend 
getaway and invited to go wine tasting. Some 
ten years later the secret seems to be out 
on these great Paso Robles wines, but I am 
okay with that. Is the 2011 J. Lohr as good 
as my January 25th review of Ghost Block? 
No, but you can get three bottles of J. Lohr 
for the price of one Ghost Block. Enjoy!! 

Dills Score 90 

Retails around $21, on sale $15, wide distribution throughout So Cal. 

Each week I will give you my Dills Score. I have added points for value. I’m starting with a 
base of 50 points; I added 8 points for color, 7 points for aroma or “nose”, 8 points for taste, 
8 points for finish, and 9 points for my overall impression, which includes my value rating. 

Email Peter at thechefknows@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter @KINGOFCUISINE 


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