If I could go back in time and visit just one winery, I’d take myself back to the late 1800s when Bernard Ehlers’ curiosity of winemaking led him to purchase a small, dying vineyard located in Napa Valley’s much-admired St. Helena appellation. He eventually went on to replant his newly-acquired 10-acre vineyard, including an olive grove that still flourishes today, all the while completing construction of the stone barn, still standing, and enjoyed by many as the current wine tasting room. His wife continued to run the winery long after his death.
Ehlers Estate is 100% organic. The vineyard crew believes in nurturing the vines, letting nature do its thing, allowing the numerous soil types and microclimates to work their magic. No chemical herbisides, pesticides or synthetic fertilizers are used on the vineyards. Being located at the Napa Valley’s narrowest point, between the Mayacamas Mountains to the west and the Vaca Mountains to the east, creates a microclimate, allowing constant airflow through the vineyard, bringing fog in the morning, burning out in the afternoon and clear blue skies midday. Not only that, the Ehlers Estate benefits from the unique Old World layout that is very rare in California. Divided into five main blocks and 25 sub-blocks, adjacent to the historic Ehlers estate stone barn. Eleven of these blocks (25 acres) are dedicated to six different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard also features seven sub-blocks of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and Petit Verdot.
~B