New Wines from Ehlers Estate

White
91
Ehlers Estate 2020 Sauvignon Blanc 13.4% $36
This beauty's aromas are pretty and exotic yet also delicate: a plethora of floral blooms nest with kumquat, pomelo zest and cardamom. The palate has a pleasantly tactile pithiness that, with its medium-plus acidity, nicely corrals its rather full and creamy body - whatever one might assume from the abv. Minerally and lingering on the finish, this wine has oodles of charisma along with rather profound concentration to allow it to age in bottle well for several years. Just don't kill it with an overly cold service temperature! This wine saw diverse fermentation vessels between stainless steel tanks, old French barrels, concrete egg and new French oak puncheons (larger barrels).
Drink: 2021-25 

Reds
91
Ehlers Estate 2017 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1886 14.5% $65
There is nothing that isn't exuberant or precise about this wine. This makes it especially enticing as it is nicely balanced. Forward in fragrance, this is a lively one. Resolutely dark in black currant flavors and drenched with sloe, this tightly-knit wine displays smartly-crafted tannins and integrated, lightly refreshing acidity. 
Drink: 2021-25 

90
Ehlers Estate 2017 Portrait Red Blend 14.5% $65
Boisterous - even vehemently so - in its full-bodied texture, this bold, custardy wine is deeply reminiscent of the most unctuous Napa wines, yet less breathtakingly expensive than some produced by neighbors in the valley. A true Bordeaux blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the emphatic aromas and flavors of black currants, red plums, cigar wrapper and cedar are deeply enticing. There is good acidic balance, even if the tannins seem a bit too smooth to help hold up the wine in the long run.
Drink: 2021-25