Tasting Notes: Complex, layered, and sophisticated. This is an age-worthy Cabernet with clean, clear fruit expression, a strong acid presence, and smooth, elegant tannins. Spicy with leather, clove, maple syrup, dark chocolate, black cherries, and black plums, this wine has a terrific balance and structure and a long memorable finish. Every year this wine comes from the rockiest, most well-drained parcels on the property.  A classic Ehlers 1886 that will continue to improve for decades.

Vintage Notes: 2011 started out with a cool wet spring, setting us up for a very unusual vintage right from the start. Yields were lower than average and the cool temperatures that continued through the year reminded us more of France than California. At harvest we found ourselves dancing around the rains, but our best blocks, nonetheless, performed very well, producing complex wines with lower alcohols, firm tannins, and great structure.

Varietals: 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
Harvested: October 19 - 26, 2011
Aging: 100% French Oak, 70% New, Primary Coopers: Nadalie, St. Martin, Baron, De Jarnac
Wine Analysis: 14.5% alcohol ●  3.71 pH ●  0.57 TA
Appellation: St. Helena, Napa Valley
Bottling Date:  August 19, 2013
Production:  1,717 cases
 

Awards and Accolades: 91 points Wine Enthusiast