Deep ruby color; dark cherry, blackberry, redcurrant, plum, bell pepper, chocolate, tomato, roses, oak on the nose and palate.
Dry; significant but silky tannins, balancing acidity (3.65 pH). Medium-plus body. Dry winter and warm spring produced intense concentration of dark fruit flavors. A mild autumn allowed for excellent ripening; 100% cabernet franc grapes. Aged 18 months in French oak. Polished with complexity and length. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 100% estate grown and bottled. 14.5% ABV
Cabernet franc is the parent grape of cabernet sauvignon and merlot. It requires specific growing conditions and very careful vineyard management, so it often is expensive, especially as a pure varietal. It also is blended in Bordeaux wine, especially with merlot. While it can be difficult, it has proven to be adaptable to various locations, thus its growing presence in California, Tuscany, and Chile.
Lured by the allure of wine and motivated to embrace of new challenges, French entrepreneurs and philanthropists Jean and Sylviane Leducq purchased land in the St. Helena area of Napa in the mid-1980s. In the manner of a French châteaux, they methodically acquired adjacent property to assemble today’s 42-acre, organically farmed estate. Bernard Ehlers, the original owner, built a stone barn in 1886 that is the heart of the operation today.
The Leducqs through The Leducq Charitable Trust passed on management of their operation to Laura Díaz Muñoz. Originally from Madrid, when she took the reins, Díaz committed to taking Ehlers into its next generation, including focused farming that includes some replanting. She also experiments with a variety of vessels for cellaring and aging. She was the winemaker for this effort. Adam Castro is the head winemaker today, becoming head winemaker in 2023.
The Ehlers vineyards are located in an up-valley location in the St. Helena AVA. The location provides ideal ripening conditions with the narrowing channel of the Vaca and Mayacamas mountains delivering cooling winds to promote freshness, balance, and finesse.
Ehlers Estate Cabernet Franc 2021, St. Helena, Napa Valley 2021 is rich with dark fruit and elegant character. Polished with racy ripe fruit. Tannins are silky but substantial enough to work well with marbled beef and other fare with assertive flavors. Good complexity and structure. Drink now, but could cellar for another decade. Pair with beef—ribeye, New York strip, beef tenderloin with mushroom sauce. Barbecue beef and pork. Herb-crusted rack of lamb, slow-roast lamb shoulder, lamb chops. Game—duck, pigeon, pheasant, partridge. Roast, barbecued chicken. Roast or grilled vegetables—artichokes, broccoli, asparagus, bell pepper. Vegetarian lasagna. Stuffrf portobello mushroom. Cheese—goat cheese and young sheep cheese; aged cheddar, aged gouda, gruyère, comté. $80-90
