Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CCSW) seal marks J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines’ next advancement in sustainability leadership
SAN JOSE, CALIF. – September 15, 2020 – J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines announced today that the new-vintage release of the 2019 J. Lohr Estates Riverstone Chardonnay, one of America’s best known and top-selling appellation-designated white wines, will now feature the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CCSW) wine logo on its back label. The CCSW wine logo indicates that at least 85% of a given wine was made using grapes from certified sustainable vineyards, the wine was made in a certified sustainable winery, with 100% of the grapes coming from California vineyards. Overseen by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA), which is dedicated to promoting environmentally conscious vineyard and winery practices, the rigorous certification is widely recognized as the industry’s benchmark for sustainability.
This achievement for J. Lohr’s most popular white wine represents another milestone in the Lohr family’s ongoing, decades-long commitment to sustainable practices – a dedication that, earlier this year, earned J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines the 2020 Green Medal Leader Award honor. Awarded by a who’s who of leading industry organizations, including the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, California Association of Winegrape Growers, Wine Institute, Napa Valley Vintners, Sonoma County Winegrowers, Lodi Winegrape Commission, and The Vineyard Team, the Green Medal Leader Award is given annually to the winery that best exemplifies leadership in the “3 E’s” of sustainability: environmentally sound, socially equitable and economically viable.
“At J. Lohr, a dedication to sustainability and the environment have been guiding principles at our family-run winery since our founding, and we believe there is a direct connection between conservation and wine quality,” says Co-owner and CEO Steve Lohr. “In addition to being early adopters of sustainable practices, we have tried to lead by example while working with organizations like Wine Institute and the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance to codify conscientious, industry-wide standards and certifications. We believe that working collaboratively, including sharing data and innovations, is the best way to ensure a healthy environment and a strong wine industry.”
2020 marks ten years since J. Lohr became one of the very first vineyards and wineries in the state to earn the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing distinction from CSWA. This certification process includes complying with 244 best practices and 95 prerequisites from the Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices Workbook, as well as demonstrating continuous improvement in all best practices. Compliance with these practices is then evaluated and verified by an independent, third-party auditor. J. Lohr has earned CSWA certification every year since the program’s inception. The certification covers all of J. Lohr’s estate vineyards in Paso Robles, Monterey County and Napa Valley, as well as its wineries in Paso Robles, San Jose, and Greenfield.
The 2019 J. Lohr Estates Riverstone Chardonnay comes from the Arroyo Seco appellation of Monterey County, where J. Lohr farms more than 1,400 acres of certified sustainable estate vineyards, including more than 1,200 acres of Chardonnay. The J. Lohr Estates Riverstone Chardonnay is named for the large alluvial stones scattered throughout the soils of J. Lohr’s vineyards in the Arroyo Seco appellation. J. Lohr Founder Jerry Lohr first began planting Chardonnay in the region in 1972. It is particularly meaningful that the Riverstone Chardonnay will be the first J. Lohr wine to bear the California Certified Sustainable seal. In 1987, it was also the debut wine in the now beloved and trusted J. Lohr Estates tier. The updated label will begin shipping across the U.S. and internationally in October 2020.
About the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA)
CSWA is a non-profit organization established by Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers. CSWA promotes the benefits of sustainable practices, enlists industry commitment, implements the Sustainable Winegrowing Program, and administers Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing – a third-party certification program for California vineyards, wineries and wines that adheres to international sustainability standards.
About J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines
Founded forty-six years ago by Jerry Lohr and still family owned and operated today, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines crafts a full line of internationally recognized wines from its more than 4,000 acres of certified sustainable estate vineyards in Monterey County’s Arroyo Seco and Santa Lucia Highlands appellations, Paso Robles, and St. Helena in Napa Valley. Offering an expressive range of styles that showcase its estate fruit, J. Lohr produces six tiers of award-winning wines: J. Lohr Estates, J. Lohr Vineyard Series, J. Lohr Pure Paso™ Proprietary Red Wine, J. Lohr Cuvée Series, J. Lohr Gesture, and J. Lohr Signature Cabernet Sauvignon. The company’s online home is jlohr.com.
