Ehlers Estate
2010 Ehlers Estate Merlot, St Helena
About
Ehlers Estate produces world-class Bordeaux varietals from their estate vineyard. Bold, authentic, terroir-driven wines, and one of the best “off the beaten path” visitor experiences in the Napa Valley. 100% of the vineyards are certified organic and biodynamic. Cabernet Sauvignon. We invite you to visit our historic winery and taste our estate-grown wines. Estate Tasting: Join us for an intimate, personal presentation of our 42-acre estate and estate-grown wines. Your seated tasting begins in our original 1886 stone winery, where one of our knowledgeable wine educators will pour our current releases and share stories about the history of the property, touch on our organic farming practices, and explain the philosophy of Ehlers wines. Then, take a leisurely stroll around our property, including our winemaking facility and gardens, only to return to the stone winery for a sampling of our flagship wine, 1886 Cabernet Sauvignon. Start Your Day Tasting Experience: For the early birds, experience Ehlers Estate at it’s quietest and most serene. Guests are invited to join us first thing in the morning for a curated tasting of five wines, enhanced by freshly baked Bouchon Bakery croissants and a walking tour of the estate. Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting: Set for the most serious wine collector and Cabernet lover, this elevated experience will focus exclusively on our estate Cabernets. Enjoy a seated tasting inside our original 1886 stone winery, while our experienced staff members curate a tasting of our most sought after and limited production Cabernets. Finish by delving into our library to try a vintage of our 1886 Cabernet, and see for yourself how gracefully our wines age. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of our wines are returned to the esteemed LeDucq Foundation to support international cardiovascular research.
Location Description
Located just north of the town of St. Helena.
Features
- 100% of the proceeds from the sale of our wines are returned to the esteemed LeDucq Foundation to support international cardiovascular research.
Additional Information
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Average Bottle Price
Winemaker
Born in Spain, Laura grew up sharing sips of wine with her father while watching the fishing boats during their family vacations in the North of Spain. Her first sip of Albariño solidified her love of wines and her first winemaking internship solidified her future as a winemaker.
After completing her post graduate degree in enology at the Polytechnic University of Madrid Laura started her career in La Mancha and worked in different wine regions in Spain. A few years later, Laura left Spain and traveled to New Zealand and Chile learning as much as she could about winemaking and the influence of terroir in different wine regions.
Finally, Laura took a job in the Napa Valley. For over a decade Laura has been making wine in the Napa Valley as the Associate Winemaker for Cardinale, Lokoya, Mt Brave, La Jota and Galerie. She joined Ehlers Estate in July of 2018 and is excited to continue the legacy of this special property.
History
The story of Ehlers Estate is one of passion, patience, and hard work, intertwined like the tendrils of robust vines that have been part of the landscape here since the mid-1800s.
It was the lure of winemaking that tempted Bernard Ehlers to buy a small, dying vineyard in the late 1800s and embark on a quest to create the winery that continues to bear his name. He replanted his newly-acquired 10-acre vineyard, established the olive grove that still thrives today and in 1886 completed construction of the stone barn that is now our beautiful winery building. His original Bale Mill Winery continued to operate long after his death, run by his wife until the 1920s and then by successive new owners who took advantage of its prime location and unique terroir.
A century later, another husband and wife team discovered the lure of this idyllic spot in the heart of the Napa Valley. French entrepreneurs and philanthropists Jean and Sylviane Leducq saw the potential for this region to produce wines with the power, balance and structure of the finest Bordeaux bottlings they knew and loved. Over several decades they patiently built a contiguous wine estate – common for French chateaux but increasingly rare in California.
With the help of renowned enologist, Jacques Boissenot, they gradually acquired individual local vineyards as they came up for sale and replanted with the most suitable clones and rootstock. By the turn of the century they had created the 42-acre estate we farm today, with Bernard Ehlers’ original stone barn and vineyard at its heart and the Ehlers name once again poised to grace wine labels. The 21st century began with the release of the very first vintage from the Leducqs' new Ehlers Estate.
Developing the winery had become a passion project for Jean and Sylviane, one they shared long after the sale of their other successful businesses in Europe.
The Team
Francisco grew up working in the fields of his family farm in Michoacan, Mexico. He left home at 14, and traveled to Los Angeles, where he spent two years learning English. At 16, he visited friends in Calistoga, and quickly decided to join them there. “The terrain reminded me of my home in Mexico,” he explains. Francisco began working on one of his friend’s vineyard crews, learning the business through the daily vineyard work of pruning and picking, experience that would pay off when he took first prize at the annual pruning competition held in Yountville. At 23, after five years of vineyard experience, he was promoted to foreman. He joined Ehlers Estate in 2001, and now manages the vineyard and physical plant of the winery, and assists Laura with winemaking operations. Francisco lives on the estate with his family. He has three sons, the eldest of whom aspires to be a winemaker.
REBECCA WENDT | DIRECT TO CONSUMER SALES MANAGER
Rebecca joined the Ehlers Estate team in early 2018. With over a decade of experience working in wineries both domestically and abroad. Born and raised in St. Louis, Rebecca grew up cooking alongside her mother every night and was inspired to study and earn a degree in Culinary Arts Management at The Culinary Institute of America in New York. After working as a wine buyer in Arizona she moved to Napa Valley and has worked at several renowned wineries. Living in St. Helena, she is never far from the winery. In her free time, Rebecca can be found enjoying California’s amazing produce, cooking for her husband and friends.
LEILA FAGHANI | NATIONAL SALES MANAGER
Leila comes to Ehlers with over 12 years of experience in ultra-premium wine sales and has spent the last 10 years managing and growing sales specifically for family owned Napa Valley wineries. Originally from New Jersey, Leila lived in New York City for almost 10 years before moving to Miami where she resides today. In her free time, she is training to become a certified yoga instructor, and enjoys living a healthy and active lifestyle.
KATRINA VAN ALLER | CALIFORNIA DIRECT TO TRADE SALES MANAGER
Born and raised in the metro-D.C. area, Katrina first discovered wine through her love of food, and her eventual work in restaurants. She comes to Ehlers with over 20 years of experience in luxury wine and spirits sales for California-based wineries. Her most recent work was with Silver Oak and Twomey Cellars, where she was a Regional Sales Manager. In her free time Katrina enjoys traveling, playing golf, spending time with her significant other and enjoying their two rescue dogs Bella and Haley.
GALEN HEGARTY | HOSPITALITY MANAGER
Galen brings nearly 15 years of hospitality experience to his new role at Ehlers Estate. A Florida native, Galen began his career in Orlando. He spent six years as head waiter and bartender at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress and then as an assistant restaurant and outlets manager at The Grand Bohemian Hotel where he was involved with curating the restaurant wine list and planning winemaker dinners.
Practices & Techniques
Our organic vineyard practices leave a minimal footprint on the land and give us maximum flavor in the grapes. Taking advantage of the robust Estate ecosystem and carefully-chosen rootstocks, our vineyard crew coaxes the vines to fully express the numerous soil types and microclimates found on the estate. Once the grapes are harvested, the cellar crew knows when to be hands on and when to let nature takes its course as the wines ferment, develop and age.
We strive to be responsible stewards of our land and continue the legacy of Bernard and Anne Ehlers, and Jean and Sylviane Leducq, who saw the potential that today you can taste in every bottle of Ehlers Estate wine.
Grapes have been cultivated on this coveted site since the mid-1800s. The vineyard was replanted using a diversity of clone and rootstock selections under the guidance of renowned enologist Jacques Boissenot in 1995. Today, the Ehlers Estate vineyard, which is the source of exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Sauvignon Blanc, is farmed with strict adherence to organic farming standards.
VINEYARD AND HOUSE:
Contiguous Layout: The Ehlers Estate vineyard benefits from a unique Old World layout that is quite rare in California. The historic Ehlers winery building is located in the center of the contiguous estate vineyard. The farthest point on the property from the winery is approximately 600 yards, allowing the Ehlers team to have complete control over every aspect of the viticulture program, leading to greater focus and quality.
VINEYARD AND MOUNTAIN:
Certified Organic Farming: On July 1, 2008, after three years of verifiable organic farming, Ehlers Estate was awarded organic certification from the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF).
As part of a vineyard-focused, socially responsible approach to winemaking, the Ehlers Estate vineyard is farmed exclusively using earth-friendly organic farming methods. These methods help to preserve the purity and character of the estate’s fruit, leading to stellar wines reflecting an authentic sense of place. No chemical herbisides, pesticides, or synthetic fertillizers are used on these pristine vineyards.
Estate Vineyards / AVA
Diversity: The contiguous 42-acre Ehlers Estate vineyard offers a remarkable diversity of soils, clones and rootstocks, and is approached as a mosaic of small vineyard blocks. The vineyard is divided into five main blocks (based primarily on soil type) and 25 sub-blocks, which are largely defined by unique combinations of clone and rootstock. Eleven of these blocks (totaling 25 acres) are dedicated to six different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon planted on multiple rootstocks, allowing the winemaking team an expansive palette of fruit during the blending process. The vineyard also features seven sub-blocks of Merlot, four of Cabernet Franc, two of Sauvignon Blanc and a block of Petit Verdot.
Microclimate: The property is located at the Napa Valley’s narrowest point, between the Mayacamas Mountains to the west and the Vaca Mountains to the east, and it benefits from a unique local microclimate. This location allows for constant airflow through the vineyard, which brings fog in the morning, but clears out in the afternoon, burnt off by bright, full sun at midday. Moderating on-shore breezes in the afternoon ensure slow, steady, and even ripening for the grapes.