Tasting Notes:  Rich and plush, complex, big, thick, and velvety, this wine categorically defines elegance in a full-bodied California Cabernet. Essence of black plums, cigar wrapper, forest floor, black cherry, and raspberry adorn a terrific structure and balance that is the hallmark of the Ehlers 1886. The tannins are unusually soft and seductive in a way that echoes the character of our estate terroir in a classic vintage. Every year this wine comes from the rockiest, most well-drained parcels on the property. Will continue to improve for decades.

Vintage Notes: After three years of drought, the 2010 vintage rolled in with an unseasonably cold, wet spring and left the vines with plenty of groundwater. The buds came out a full two weeks later than normal, and the late-season growth continued through flowering, fruit-set, and clear into ripening.  2010 was the coolest summer on record for the Napa Valley and the grapes developed slowly to full maturity without any adverse influences from the weather. Without exception, our grapes sweetened up with small berries, thick skins, strikingly mature tannins, and intense flavors.

Varietal: 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 7% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot
Harvest Date: October 16 – October 21, 2010
Aging: 100% French Oak, 70% New French Oak: Nadalie, St. Martin, Baron, De Jarnac
Wine Analysis: 14.5% alcohol ● 3.71 pH
Appellation: St Helena, Napa Valley
Bottling Date:  August 23, 2012
Production:  1508 cases

Awards and Accolades: 91 Points Wine Advocate, 90 Points Wine Enthusiast