Armed with a recent copy of the Preiser Key magazine and a cooler carefully packed with snacks, bottled water, and plenty of room for wine purchases, we headed north on Highway 29 with a number of wineries in mind to visit. According to the "Key", which lists the contact information for wineries and restaurants in the Napa Valley, Ehler's Estate Winery had a tasting room that permitted walk-ins. We headed there first.
As we stepped inside the cavernous tasting room, we were welcomed by two members of the Ehlers staff, but they quickly corrected us about being able to just stroll in for a tasting. (We learned the hard way that the Key was wrong about a lot of tasting rooms; more than you think are by appointment only.)
So we made an appointment right then and there, and as embarrassing as it was to show up unannounced, I was relieved they were able to squeeze us in only an hour later.
With a glass of the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc in hand, we stepped into the soil of the vineyards just 20 feet from the front door of the tasting room's grand entrance. Bocce ball courts, outdoor tables, antique wooden benches, and large olive trees are just 20 feet from the front door in the opposite direction (and a great place to picnic!).
Our tour guide, Maurice ("Mo" for short), led us up to the barrel room next, where a bottle of the 2006 Merlot eagerly awaited us. As Mo shared a bit of information about the barrel regimen used by Ehler's winemaker, I was pulled in by the richness and complexity of the Merlot. Its layers of cherry cola, ripe plum, and smokey oak were accented by smooth tannins and a long lingering finish.
Back in the tasting room, at a table big enough to accommodate a sit-down tasting for 12, we settled down in front of 3 glasses and 3 small plates. From left to right, we tasted the 2006 Cab Franc, the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, and their flagship Cab, the 1886. These were beautiful, highly concentrated wines with solid structure, prominent fruit character, and velvety tannins--and great with food.
In order for the crew at Ehlers to prepare this terrific tour and tasting, they need to know you're coming. Don't forget to call ahead!
Great notes about Ehlers, really is a great place, and the new tasting design is a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteI was curious, other than Ehlers which just changed thier policy to By Appt recently and it is correctly listed as of the July 2009 Harvest issue in "The Preiser Key," what other wineries were listed incorrectly? Always helps to know, there are alot of places to keep track of - Cheers,
Justin Preiser justin@preiserkey.com
Hi Justin,
ReplyDeleteSorry I'm just now getting back to you. We must have had an old issue of "The Preiser Key." There were a few other Tasting Rooms that we visited that day that were specified as "open to the public" in the mag but which were "by appt only", including Madrigal, Round Pond, Larkmead and Dutch Henry.
Nevertheless, we utilize the Key on a daily basis--it's a great resource for both our own personal research and for customers.
Thanks for reading!
Cheers,
Cortney