Ehlers Estate 2017 Merlot Napa Valley

A blend of 3 clonal varieties of Merlot plus 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, All from the Ehlers Estate vineyards. This wine would have made Miles swoon instead of tossing Merlot-related F-Bombs in the movie, Sideways! A med-full wine weighing in at 14.5% ABV. Oak aging regimen - 60% used/40% new for 22 months.

Layers of complex aromas and flavors highlighted by raspberries, licorice, wet stone and vanilla spice.

Drink now if you like (and you will like!) or let it settle in for a bit of quiet repose until 2027 - 2032. 685 cases produced.

Founded in 1886 by Bernard Ehlers, the stone building that was his original Bale Mill Winery is still at the center of the property today. Flashing forward through a hundred years and several owners brings us to the 1980's and a couple named Jean and Sylviane Leducq. A family o the fast track until Jean had a heart attack and came to the realization that their current lifestyle was unhealthy.

Buying the Ehlers' original 10-acre property, they spent the better part of two decades buying contiguous properties until they held 42 acres, all planted to the grapes best suited to each of the specific sites. Their foundation, run by two trusted family friends, supports cardiac research (did you note the sideways heart that forms the E in their logo?) and is the recipient of a percentage of proceeds from every sale of Ehlers Estate wines.

Winemaker/General Manager, Laura Diaz Munoz, brought in this fruit just days before the 2017 fires that devastated Napa and Sonoma. When you raise your glass, please remember those not quite as fortunate.