Champagne Wishes: 2008 “1886” Cabernet Sauvignon by Ehlers Estate Awarded Whom You Know's Highest Recommendation!!!!!
In all of the wine reviews Peachy has ever done on Whom You Know, this 1886 Cabernet Sauvignon by Ehlers Estate is her most absolute favorite! She loves to ask other people in this industry what bottles they would want to have with them if they were stranded on a desert island, and if she could have only one with her, this would be it. This happens to be post #388 in this column which covers all alcohol to give you an idea of how this has been chosen from quite a selection.
Ehlers Estate wine. You haven't lived until you have tried this wine. With grapes cultivated in the Napa Valley, Ehlers Estate is truly something special. Ehlers Estate vineyards are 100% organic and adhere to strict biodynamic (a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to agriculture, food production and nutrition) farming standards. The Ehlers Estate 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon 1886 is fabulous. This Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. These grapes were harvested from September 21-October 30, 2008. Interestingly, this vintage was the year of the frost. Vines were damaged and crops were destroyed. These grapes, however, survived and benefited from an ideal summer (long, clear, mild) and were able to reach full maturity. Ehlers Estate 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon 1886 is rich and dense, a perfect Cabernet Sauvignon. With fruity notes of black plums and black cherries combined with violets, cinnamon and toffee, it is quite a delight! Hints of blueberry and nutmeg are present thanks to the Petit Verdot and the Merlot adds a subtle warmth. I absolutely loved this wine and truly enjoyed its warmth and fullness. Also warming is that fact that 100% of the proceeds from the sale of Ehlers Estate wines go to support the Leducq Foundation. The Leducq Foundation, named after Jean Leducq (French entrepreneur and philanthropist responsible for reviving the original Ehlers Estate name), is a not-for-profit foundation dedicated to funding international cardiovascular research. I highly recommend this wine.
I love having a glass of wine with dinner. It really completes the meal. That is why I always make sure to have some decent wine in the house. Every now and then, however, I look for an exceptional bottle of wine that I can enjoy for a truly special occasion. Ehlers Estate 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon 1886 is the perfect red wine for any memorable event.
It's also great for when you just want to treat yourself to a superior bottle of wine! The whole experience starts with the bottle itself. It is so elegantly designed. It's shiny, dark surface is imprinted with a raised E and 1886. When such attention to detail is given to the appearance of the bottle, one can only imagine the attention given to the wine that is inside. Once poured into a glass, the aroma will overtake your senses. This Cabernet is so complex with flavors of berries and other red fruits mixed with cinnamon, spices, and licorice. The wine is rich, but not too heavy. It will make it nearly impossible for you to have an empty glass! I was really impressed by the quality of this fantastic wine. I highly recommend you pick up a bottle the next time you want to experience a phenomenal red wine.
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Since the mid-1800s, wine grapes have been grown on what is now known as the Ehlers Estate property in the renowned St. Helen appellation in Napa Valley. Thanks to the efforts of French philanthropist and entrepreneur Jean Leducq, who began purchasing small parcels of land in this region in 1985, the original, 14-acre Ehlers Estate property has now been joined with surrounding areas to form a 43-acre estate. At the heart of this estate is the historic stone winery built by Bernard Ehlers in 1886. To honor the winemaking tradition on the estate, Jean Leducq and his wife revived the Ehlers name, beginning with the estate's first vintage, the 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon. In another nod to the history of the estate, the winery added its flagship, estate grown "1886" Cabernet Sauvignon in 2002. I recently had the sheer joy of sampling the 2008 vintage of this flagship wine, and I can say, without hesitation, that it is truly one of the best Cabernet Sauvignons I've ever tasted. I was at once blown away by the flavor, the complexity, the smoothness, and the sophistication of this wine. The nose was full of rich, dark fruit, including plum and black cherry, which mingled with lighter berry aromas, along with cinnamon and licorice. As I swirled it in my glass and let it open up some more, I also detected an earthiness to it, giving it a more solid grounding. My first sip was pure heaven - this blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot is one of the most well-structured, beautifully balanced wines I've ever tasted. As I let it linger in my mouth, I detected all kinds of wonderful flavors, including the plenty of ripe berry flavor, along with hints of earth, cocoa, and spice. It was beautifully complex, and thoroughly enjoyable, right through the long, rich, and immensely satisfying finish. The subtlety of the flavors was remarkable, and the mouth feel was lush and luxurious. Overall, a stellar wine, and one that should drink well for the next 8-10 years. It should also be noted that, in addition to producing excellent, top-quality wines, Ehlers Estate is also committed to socially responsible winemaking. Beginning in 2005, they began practicing bioodynamic farming, and in 2008, they received organic certification from the California Certified Organic Farmers. Additionally, all of the proceeds from the sales of Ehlers Estate wines goes to the Leducq Foundation, a non-profit founded by Jean Leducq and his wife in 1996, which is dedicated to funding international cardiovascular research. Jean Leducq passed away in 2002, but it is crystal clear that the winemakers at Ehlers Estate remain dedicated to carrying out his dual passions for producing wines of exceptional quality and remaining dedicated to philanthropy. And, as long as they continue to produce vintages as outstanding as the 1886 Cabernet Sauvignon, they should have a dedicated following for a long time to come!
The back story is always so fascinating to how a wine comes to be, but in the case of the Ehlers Estate, it's extra special. The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon 1886 gets it's name from a former owner of the winery, Bernard Ehlers. Mr. Ehlers was a grocer from Sacremento, with a proverbial vision, and a mysterious attraction to the area. His lands have now become the Ehler Estate wines of today, after passing through Prohibition into the hands of Jean Leducq. Jean and his wife Syviane had a laundry business. That is to say, Jean's family had established one of the largest laundry companies in France, even serving American military contracts after the War. Today, the family business extends into the US, working with Disney, and the Olympic committee. From humble beginnings, great wines emerge. The Cabernet Sauvignon produced for 2008 came through a hard season, to yield a small quantity of precision, delectable wines. All organic, it personifies the spirit of these terrains, and the style of the Estate. A hint of blueberry will delight, the berries will enchant, and the velvety middle will seduce. A wine to be coveted, enjoyed, shared in a special moment. There are 1343 cases, and is that means anything to you, you'll know to try this wine, buy this wine, and add it to your cave immediately.
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2008
Cabernet Sauvignon 1886
Final Blend: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon; 12% Cabernet Franc;
4% Merlot; 1% Petit Verdot
Fruit Source: 100% estate grown
Farming: California
Oak Regime: 100% French Oak; 70% New
Primary Coopers: Nadalie, St. Martin , de Jarnac, Baron
Harvest Dates: Sept. 21 – October 30, 2008
Bottling Date: August 17, 2010
Production: 1,343 cases (12 x 750ml)
Average Maturity: 24.5° Brix, 3.76
pH, 5.6 TA
Finished Wine: 14.5% alcohol
Winemaker’s Notes: The 2008 vintage
was the year of the frost. Drought
conditions were followed by huge rains in the month of January, then it all
dried back out again and we had a very early spring. The buds broke out just in time to be burned
by our most severe frost in 35 years.
The vines were damaged, crops were dramatically reduced, and the losses
were tallied. As June rolled in we
floated into exactly the type of warm sunny summer weather we all dream
about. Long, clear, mild conditions
continued all the way through harvest, allowing for the small intense crop to
reach full maturity with grace. The
wines are full bodied, complex, and well structured. Alcohols are moderate and the acidity is
ample and in perfect balance.
The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon “1886”
faithfully expresses the quality and character of our North
St. Helena terroir. This is
a rich, powerful, dense Cabernet Sauvignon with all the elegance and soft,
silky tanin that has always defined our Estate.
Notes of black plums, black cherries, violets, cinnamon and toffee,
layered with ripe red fruit and chocolate cherries. Complex, exciting, and elegant. The Petit Verdot contributes a wisp of blueberry
and nutmeg, the Cabernet Franc firms up the structure in the front palate, and
the small addition of Merlot warms up the velvety middle.
The Ehlers Estate Story
At Ehlers Estate, our goal is to produce wines that are a reflection of the land from which they come. We operate as a small family farm, and our values: sustainability, community, quality, philanthropy, and history, reflect that. In 1985, passionate for business, Bordeaux-style wines, and giving back, Jean and Sylviane Leducq acquired and began a revitalization of the historic 43-acre Bernard Ehlers estate vineyard and winery, located on the coveted loamy benchlands just north of St. Helena. With Jean Leducq’s passing in 2002, the winery became an asset of the couple’s esteemed Leducq Foundation, and today the farming, winemaking, and stylistic direction is entrusted to winemaker Kevin Morrisey. After replanting the vineyards on what are some of the finest winegrowing soils in the Napa Valley, constructing a new state of the art winery and barrel building, and defining a wine style that is at once Californian and European, Ehlers Estate has come to enjoy a unique position in the Napa Valley: farming organically and biodynamically, producing world class wines, and returning all profits to benefit cardiovascular research around the globe. The winery produces Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The flagship, Cabernet Sauvignon “1886”, is an assemblage from the westernmost Perkins loam parcels and the Aikens loam knoll behind the barrel chai.
The Ehlers Estate Vineyard and Viticulture Profile
History: The Ehlers Estate vineyard is located on an historic winegrowing site in the northern part of Napa Valley’s acclaimed St. Helena appellation. 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, 1996 and 1997. Today, under the leadership of Winemaker and General Manger Kevin Morrisey, the Ehlers Estate Vineyard, which is the source of exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Sauvignon Blanc, is certified organic and is farmed using both organic and biodynamic principles.
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.
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.
The site’s 39.4-cultivated acres display four distinctive soil types, each of which offers unique growing conditions that enhance the diversity of the vineyard. These soil profiles include a knoll with sandy, low vigor soils, a section with rich, well-draining sandy loam soils, a low-elevation section with dense, heavy clay soils, and a very rocky, mineral-rich section at the base of Spring Mountain (the primary source of Cabernet Sauvignon for Ehlers Estate’s sought-after “1886” bottling). Row orientations in the vineyard are east/west and north/south.
Because of several factors including the estate’s varietal differentiation, clone and rootstock selections, and a range of vine ages and soil types, there is usually an entire month between the picking of the first and last grape. This, combined with the fact that the vineyard surrounds the winery, makes it possible to pick all the grapes at ideal ripeness, which in turn helps to produce wines with beautifully articulated flavors.
Microclimate: Because the vineyard is located at the valley’s narrowest point, between the Mayacamas Mountains to the west and Howell Mountain to the east, it benefits from a unique microclimate. This location allows for constant airflow through the vineyard, which brings fog in the morning, but clears it out in the afternoons, giving the vineyard ample sunshine, mediated by cooling breezes. These breezes also moderate heat spikes, allowing for excellent, even ripening of the fruit.
Practices: Morrisey, Vineyard Foreman Francisco Vega, and Ehlers Estate’s fulltime, seven-person vineyard crew work to honor the diversity of the vineyard. In practice, this means that each of the site’s 25 sub-blocks benefits from farming techniques tailored to its combination of soil, clone and rootstock. All hedging and canopy management is done by hand, and depending on the varietal, vines can receive up to six passes of pruning and thinning to limit yields. Instead of setting arbitrary yield limits, the team works to limit total clusters. The number of clusters varies based on block, soil and varietal, with an overall average of 14 clusters per plant.
Though the Ehlers Estate vineyard uses a vertical trellis, the crew has begun converting the vines to cane pruning for Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.
Organic Farming: 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. Ehlers Estate adopted organic practices beginning in the fall of 2004. Since then, no pesticides have been used on the vineyard. In July of 2008, Ehlers Estate was awarded organic certification, reflecting more than three years of deep commitment to organic farming practices.
Biodynamic Farming: In the spring of 2005, Ehlers Estate began practicing biodynamic farming, a holistic, chemical-free approach to agriculture that is practiced by several of the world’s oldest and most respected wineries. Based on the work of Austrian scientist and philosopher Rudolph Steiner, biodynamic farming is a comprehensive alternative to industrialized agriculture that approaches vineyards (or farms) as complete living organisms. To achieve greater vineyard health and fruit quality, biodynamics focuses on naturally derived plant and foliar treatments. Winemaker Kevin Morrisey works closely with renowned biodynamic consultant, Philippe Armenier, to ensure that Ehlers Estate embraces all of the strict criteria and practices of biodynamics, including the use of all plant and foliar treatments, and adherence to the biodynamic calendar and the natural cycles of the earth.
One of the elements that make biodynamic and organic viticulture so successful is the intimate, hands-on attention given at every stage of winegrowing. This hands-on attention greatly enhances quality. Simply put, the wines of Ehlers Estate are made from estate-grown grapes that come from healthy, happy, chemical-free vines.
