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Ehlers Estate, Sauvignon Blanc

Napa Valley, United States 2013 (750mL)
$28.00
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Fruit
Earth
Body
Tannin
Acid
Alcohol
SommSelect

Ehlers Estate, Sauvignon Blanc


The team at Ehler’s Estate has chosen to farm with biodynamic principles and reducing yields to concentrate the expression of varietal and place. They were finally Demeter Biodynamic Certified in 2011 (a serious process), although they have been farming organically for many years. The Estate’s winemaker is Kevin Morrisey, an absolute gem of a person, who has been deeply in touch with the property for years. He has personally seen the effects of biodynamic and organic farming on the personality of vines and the resulting wine. 

Kevin had the following to share with me:

“Biodynamic farming is about the big picture view. Everything you do affects everything else. None of our actions are neutral. Obviously no synthetic chemical pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. There is as much vine life in the soil below as there is above ground, and the winter is just as important as the summer. We work with the cycles of nature, the lunar cycles too, and we strive to nourish the land - which is different than just feeding the vines. We give to the land, the land gives back. Our intentions are clear. We use a lot of compost, and we encourage beneficial insects. If we do this right we’ll not only be putting lots of great energy into the grapes, and into the wine, but down the road the land will be better off for us having been here.”
Kevin makes wines in the style that he likes to drink himself. One of his favorite whites of all is Sancerre, the world’s most famous Sauvignon Blanc appellation, located in France’s Loire Valley. He produces Ehlers in a style similar to Sancerre, with no oak influence, allowing for the pure expression of land and the noble grape to come forth. The vineyards are farmed meticulously, the grapes are hand-picked, gently pressed, fermented cold in stainless steel tanks, then finished aging on its lees in small neutral oak barrels. The wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation, preserving freshness and helping to create wines with bright acidity. This white is one of the few small-production, estate-grown single-vineyard Sauvignon Blancs from the Napa Valley and somehow the price has not risen in many years. I believe it is consistently one of the best whites to be found in California.

The 2013 Ehler’s Estate Sauvignon Blanc has a light straw yellow core moving to green reflections on the rim. The aromatics show fruit forward aromas of yellow tropical fruits, lemon zest, candied grapefruit, fresh white flowers, honeysuckle and wet grass. This wine is bone-dry, loaded with fruit, while layered flavors of green mango, pink grapefruit, lime leaf, fine minerals and orange blossoms. The body of the wine is richly textured and seamlessly joined by mouthwatering acidity. This wine should be consumed in its youth; I find between its 1st and 3rd birthday to be the sweet spot. This wine over-delivers when paired with the proper cuisine: grilled seafood with a squeeze of meyer lemon and sea salt, Hamachi sashimi with fresh shaved fennel and grapefruit segments, or my all time favorite is an arugula salad with fresh goat cheese and salt roasted golden beets (served warm). Be sure to stay away from too much sweetness in the dish, which causes problems for this style of Sauvignon Blanc.
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Country
United States
Region
Napa Valley
Sub-Region
United StatesSaint Helena
Soil
Loam
Farming
Biodynamic (Organic)
Blend
Sauvignon Blanc
Alcohol
13.5
OAK
None (Stainless Steel)

United States

Washington

Columbia Valley

Like many Washington wines, the “Columbia Valley” indication only tells part of the story: Columbia Valley covers a huge swath of Central
Washington, within which are a wide array of smaller AVAs (appellations).

Oregon

Willamette Valley

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has become an elite winegrowing zone in record time. Pioneering vintner David Lett, of The Eyrie Vineyard, planted the first Pinot Noir in the region in 1965, soon to be followed by a cadre of forward-thinking growers who (correctly) saw their wines as America’s answer to French
Burgundies. Today, the Willamette
Valley is indeed compared favorably to Burgundy, Pinot Noir’s spiritual home. And while Pinot Noir accounts for 64% of Oregon’s vineyard plantings, there are cool-climate whites that must not be missed.

California

Santa Barbara

Among the unique features of Santa Barbara County appellations like Ballard Canyon (a sub-zone of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA), is that it has a cool, Pacific-influenced climate juxtaposed with the intense luminosity of a southerly
latitude (the 34th parallel). Ballard Canyon has a more north-south orientation compared to most Santa Barbara AVAs, with soils of sandy
clay/loam and limestone.

California

Paso Robles

Situated at an elevation of 1,600 feet, it is rooted in soils of sandy loam and falls within the Highlands District of the Paso Robles AVA.

New York

North Fork

Wine growers and producers on Long Island’s North Fork have traditionally compared their terroir to that of Bordeaux and have focused on French varieties such as Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

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