J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA family-owned California wine producer with estate vineyards in Paso Robles, Monterey County, and Napa Valley.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines is a family-owned California wine producer founded by Jerry Lohr and Bernard “Bernie” Turgeon. The business traces its physical beginnings to 1972, when the partners broke ground on vineyard land in what later became the Arroyo Seco American Viticultural Area in Monterey County. The company formally opened its San Jose winery in 1974 after taking over a former Falstaff Brewery. Following Turgeon’s retirement in 1984, Lohr acquired his partner’s interest and renamed the business J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines. The company farms more than 4,000 acres across several California wine regions. Its principal vineyard holdings are in Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo County, where warm days, cool nights, and calcareous soils support Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Sirah, and Rhône varieties; in Monterey County’s Arroyo Seco and Santa Lucia Highlands, whose maritime conditions favor Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Valdiguié; and at the family’s Carol’s Vineyard in St. Helena, Napa Valley, which is planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. J. Lohr operates wineries and production facilities in San Jose, Paso Robles, and Greenfield, California. The portfolio is organized into multiple tiers and labels. J. Lohr Estates contains widely distributed wines such as Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon, Riverstone Chardonnay, and Los Osos Merlot. The Vineyard Series focuses on limited-production wines from designated vineyard blocks, while the Cuvée Series presents Bordeaux-inspired blends. Higher-end and specialty offerings include J. Lohr Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, the Rhône-influenced Gesture series, and Pure Paso, a proprietary Paso Robles red blend. Monterey Roots highlights heritage-oriented Monterey varieties, including Riesling and Valdiguié. The company also produces ARIEL Vineyards, a line of low- and non-alcoholic wines made using reverse osmosis and cold filtration, as well as specialty labels such as Cypress Vineyards and Painter Bridge. J. Lohr has emphasized estate viticulture, regional expression, technical winemaking, and sustainability. Its Paso Robles facilities use a large solar-tracking installation, and the company reports practices involving water conservation, composting, soil mapping, packaging reduction, and California Sustainable certification. The winery has also been active in industry organizations, wine education, and philanthropy. Since 2009, its Touching Lives initiative has supported the National Breast Cancer Foundation, including through sales-linked contributions from Carol’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. The company remains controlled and operated by the Lohr family. Jerry Lohr’s children Steve, Cynthia, and Lawrence have held senior leadership and ownership roles. Steve Lohr became chief executive officer in 2013; Cynthia Lohr has led brand and marketing work; and Lawrence Lohr has focused on vineyard operations. J. Lohr is described as one of the larger wine producers in the United States, with annual domestic sales reported in the reference material as exceeding 1.8 million cases, although the company is not publicly listed.
History
J. Lohr’s origins date to 1972, when Jerry Lohr and Bernard “Bernie” Turgeon established Turgeon & Lohr Winery and began developing 280 acres in Monterey County’s Arroyo Seco region. The partnership opened a winery in San Jose in 1974 by converting a closed Falstaff Brewery. Winemaker Peter Stern helped design the facility around stainless-steel tanks, temperature-controlled fermentation, and oak barrel aging. Early releases included Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon rosé, Petite Sirah, and a proprietary blend called Jade. Production exceeded 10,000 cases in 1976, and national distribution was established by 1979. Barry Gnekow joined the company in 1976 and later became director of winemaking. His technical work included a patented double-reverse-osmosis method that eventually supported ARIEL Vineyards, J. Lohr’s low- and non-alcoholic wine label. The company also produced wines for Hyatt beginning in 1983, broadening its commercial distribution. In 1984, Turgeon retired and sold his interest to Jerry Lohr. The business adopted the J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines name, and Lohr became president. That year the family acquired a 35-acre St. Helena vineyard in Napa Valley. The company expanded southward in 1986 by planting Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and other red varieties in Paso Robles, while also beginning international sales. Its first Paso Robles Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon vintage appeared in 1987, the same period in which the Riverstone Chardonnay helped establish the J. Lohr Estates tier. In 1989, the winery’s 1988 Gamay received Best of Show at the California State Fair. By 1990, production had reached approximately 400,000 cases. The company developed a more explicitly site-focused portfolio during the following decades. The first Vineyard Series wines were released in 1998, including Arroyo Vista Chardonnay and Hilltop Cabernet Sauvignon. The Paso Robles Wine Center opened in 2001, and the Cuvée Series of Bordeaux-inspired blends followed in 2002. Vineyard Series expanded in 2007, and J. Lohr planted its first Santa Lucia Highlands vineyards in 2008. Gesture, a limited-release Rhône-style range associated with the wine club, launched in 2009. Pure Paso, a proprietary blend combining Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah, was introduced in 2019. Monterey Roots followed in 2022. Leadership increasingly passed to the Lohr family’s second generation. Steve Lohr joined in 2003, became executive vice president and chief operating officer in 2009, and was appointed CEO in 2013. Cynthia Lohr joined in 2002, later becoming vice president of marketing and chief brand officer. Lawrence Lohr progressed from warehouse and production work to wine education and vineyard operations, becoming chief operating officer for vineyards in 2020. Jeff Meier, who first worked a J. Lohr harvest in 1984 and later became a central winemaking and operating executive, retired in December 2021. Steve Peck, who joined in 2007, became director of winemaking in 2018 and vice president of winemaking in 2022. Sustainability has been a significant part of the company’s modern identity. J. Lohr’s vineyards and wineries have received California Sustainable certification, and the Paso Robles property includes a large solar-tracking array that supplies a substantial share of the site’s energy. The winery has also described water-use monitoring, organic-material composting, soil conservation, satellite-assisted vineyard mapping, and reduced-impact packaging practices. In 2020, it received the Green Medal Leader Award. The family’s philanthropic activities include the Touching Lives program, established in partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation in 2009. Carol’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon supports the program through bottle-linked donations, honoring Carol Waldorf Lohr, Jerry Lohr’s late wife. In 2022, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo opened the Justin and J. Lohr Center for Wine and Viticulture, including a donor-funded Lohr Family Winery building for research and teaching.
- 2022
Monterey Roots and Cal Poly partnership milestones
[1]J. Lohr introduced Monterey Roots and supported the opening of the Justin and J. Lohr Center for Wine and Viticulture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
- 2020
Green Medal Leader Award
[1]J. Lohr received recognition for sustainability leadership from California wine organizations.
- 2009
Gesture tier launched
[1]The company introduced limited-release Rhône-inspired wines associated with its wine club.
- 2001
Paso Robles Wine Center opened
[1]J. Lohr opened its Paso Robles Wine Center.
- 1986
Paso Robles vineyard expansion
[1]The company planted red-wine varieties in Paso Robles and began international sales.
- 1984
Business renamed J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines
[1]Jerry Lohr acquired Bernie Turgeon’s interest after Turgeon’s retirement and renamed the company.
- 1974
San Jose winery opened
[1]The partners opened a winery in a former Falstaff Brewery facility in San Jose.
- 1972
Turgeon & Lohr established
[1]Jerry Lohr and Bernard Turgeon began the business and broke ground on Monterey County vineyard land.
Products and positioning
Family-owned California wine producer combining large-scale national distribution with estate-grown, appellation-focused wines across Paso Robles, Monterey County, and Napa Valley.
Core wine range · 1987
J. Lohr Estates
The Estates tier is the company’s broadly distributed range of regional wines. It includes longstanding labels such as Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles, Riverstone Chardonnay from Monterey County, and Los Osos Merlot, offering accessible expressions of the company’s principal growing regions.
Limited-release vineyard wines · 1998
J. Lohr Vineyard Series
The Vineyard Series emphasizes small-lot wines made from designated vineyard blocks. The range includes varietal and blended wines whose identity is tied to specific growing sites, including Arroyo Vista Chardonnay and Hilltop Cabernet Sauvignon.
Bordeaux-inspired blends · 2002
J. Lohr Cuvée Series
The Cuvée Series consists of three blends inspired by recognized Bordeaux appellations. It occupies a more elevated position within the portfolio and uses blending to express structure, complexity, and regional character.
Rhône-style wines · 2009
J. Lohr Gesture
Gesture is a limited-release portfolio of Rhône-inspired wines crafted for members of the J. Lohr wine club. The range gives the family and winemaking team a platform for smaller-production experiments and less conventional bottlings.
Luxury Cabernet Sauvignon · 2017
J. Lohr Signature Cabernet Sauvignon
The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon is a limited-production wine associated with Jerry Lohr’s 80th birthday. The cited release used hand-harvested Cabernet Sauvignon from a high-elevation Paso Robles site and extensive aging in new French oak.
Proprietary red blend · 2019
J. Lohr Pure Paso
Pure Paso is a Paso Robles proprietary red wine built around the region’s Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah. It presents a fuller, structured style that reflects the warm inland climate and the company’s substantial estate holdings in the appellation.
Monterey heritage varieties · 2022
J. Lohr Monterey Roots
Monterey Roots is a tier introduced to highlight varieties associated with Monterey County. Its initial wines included Bay Mist White Riesling and Wildflower Valdiguié.
Low- and non-alcoholic wine
ARIEL Vineyards
ARIEL uses reverse osmosis and cold filtration to remove alcohol while retaining wine-derived flavor and aroma components. The label grew from J. Lohr’s technical work on a double-reverse-osmosis process and is named after a character in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Carol’s Vineyard
Carol’s Vineyard refers to the family’s 35-acre St. Helena property and the wines made from it, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard honors Carol Waldorf Lohr and is connected to the company’s breast-cancer philanthropy.
Marketing campaigns
- 2009Touching Lives
United States
J. Lohr began a long-term partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation to support mammograms and related women’s health services. The program is linked especially to Carol’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, named for Jerry Lohr’s late wife.
Outcome. The reference material reports that the initiative helped fund more than 8,000 mammograms and also supported patient navigation and treatment-related HOPE Kits.
Brand decisions
2022
Monterey Roots introducedProduct launchBackground
The company wanted to foreground Monterey County varieties and its long history in the region.
Action taken
J. Lohr launched Monterey Roots with wines including Bay Mist White Riesling and Wildflower Valdiguié.
Aftermath
The tier expanded the portfolio beyond the company’s most familiar Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon offerings.
2019
Pure Paso introducedProduct launchBackground
Paso Robles had become the company’s principal source of red-wine grapes and a major part of its identity.
Action taken
J. Lohr released Pure Paso, a proprietary blend of Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah.
Aftermath
The launch added a region-focused proprietary red to the company’s established Estates, Vineyard Series, and premium tiers.
2008
Expansion into Santa Lucia HighlandsStrategyBackground
J. Lohr sought to broaden its Monterey County estate footprint and regional sourcing.
Action taken
The company planted its first vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA.
Aftermath
The new holdings complemented existing Arroyo Seco vineyards and supported the company’s cool-climate wine portfolio.
1984
Consolidation under the J. Lohr nameStrategyBackground
Bernard Turgeon retired and sold his interest in the partnership to Jerry Lohr.
Action taken
The company was renamed J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, with Jerry Lohr assuming the presidency.
Aftermath
The renamed family business expanded into Paso Robles, Napa Valley, international distribution, and a broader branded portfolio.
Recent events
Reported
J. Lohr wins top winery and Best of Show awards[3]
J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines received the Top All-Around Winery and Grand Champion Best of Show honors at the 19th Annual Rodeo Uncorked International Wine Competition, held in November 2021.
Reported
Cambria Pines Lodge and J. Lohr announce winemaker dinner[4]
Cambria Pines Lodge and J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines announced that they would present a winemaker dinner on March 15, 2020, featuring a five-course meal paired with J. Lohr wines.
Sources4 sources
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