Portrait (2021)

About this wine

The 2021 Portrait from Ehlers Estate is a Bordeaux style blend featuring Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, the stated blend is roughly 47.5 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 17.5 percent Cabernet Franc, 29 percent Merlot, and 6 percent Petit Verdot. On the nose the wine opens with Luxardo cherry, strawberry jam, and a bright citrus lift, followed by darker notes of plum and cassis. The palate shows a line of mouth watering acidity that lifts juicy red and dark fruit while silty tannins coat the mid palate and lead to a persistent finish. The wine sees French oak in its aging regime with a portion of new oak used so the fruit remains prominent, and the estate sources these grapes from their St Helena vineyard in the narrow northern Napa Valley site. The alcohol is in the mid to high teens at about 14.6 percent which contributes to the wine's density and ripe fruit character.

About the grape

Cabernet Sauvignon arrived in Napa in the late 19th century and is the backbone of this Portrait bottling, chosen for its thick skins, tannin structure and its parcels on Ehlers Estate that ripen fully in St Helena soils, where the fruit forms the primary frame of the blend. Merlot, a softer Bordeaux variety with earlier ripening and clay friendly roots, contributes nearly a third of the 2021 Portrait, coming from estate blocks that are harvested to preserve mid palate weight and supple texture. Cabernet Franc brings an herbal and floral lift in smaller proportion, and at Ehlers it is managed on restrained yields and row orientation that favor air flow and aromatic concentration. Petit Verdot is used sparingly for color and spice, often from the warmest, well drained sites on the estate where later hang time is possible, and in this wine its small percentage tightens the tannin and adds violet and spice notes to the blend.

Quick facts

• 🎨 The name Portrait was conceived to create a painted picture of the estate, each label was designed by Spanish artist Marta Botas to visually capture Ehlers Estate vineyards and character
• 🍇 The 2021 Portrait is a Bordeaux style assemblage with roughly 47.5 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 29 percent Merlot, 17.5 percent Cabernet Franc, and 6 percent Petit Verdot
• 🌱 Ehlers Estate farms organically and the property earned organic certification in 2008, so the Portrait comes from estate fruit grown without synthetic pesticides
• 🏺 The stone winery on the property dates back to 1886 and the estate has colorful history including Prohibition era activity and changing ownership stories that still influence its identity
• ❤️ Ehlers Estate is owned by the Leducq Foundation, wine sales and tasting fees help fund international cardiovascular research so each bottle of Portrait supports medical science

Palate profile

Producer

Ehlers Estate traces its roots to 1886 when German immigrant Bernard Ehlers established a stone winery and replanted vineyards on Ehlers Lane in what is now St. Helena, Napa Valley. The property passed through several owners during the twentieth century and was rebuilt into a contiguous estate beginning in the late 1980s when Jean and Sylviane Leducq acquired parcels and began restoring the historic buildings and vineyards. The Leducqs established the Leducq Charitable Trust to oversee the estate, and today the winery is run to support philanthropic aims while focusing on organic and biodynamic farming and Bordeaux varieties. The estate retains the original stone building as its hospitality center and produces small lot, estate bottled wines that emphasize site expression and sustainable practices.