1886 (2021)

About this wine

The 2021 Ehlers Estate 1886 is made from estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon from the St. Helena bench in Napa Valley, and it shows deep black fruit at the core. On the nose you will find crushed blackberry, cassis and dark plum with a hint of dried herbs and tobacco. The palate is full but svelte, offering concentrated black cherry and steeped floral notes alongside graphite and a touch of smoked spice. The texture is structured with firm yet fine tannins and a long persistent finish. The wine is crafted from multiple estate blocks and is matured in French oak barrels, which adds subtle cedar and vanilla accents while supporting its age worthy structure.

About the grape

Cabernet Sauvignon originated in Bordeaux where it became valued for its thick skins, firm tannins and ability to age, and it later spread worldwide as the backbone of many premium red wines. At Ehlers Estate the variety is planted across the 42 acre vineyard on rocky, well drained gravelly loam soils and bench land sites that give focused structure and allow slow even ripening in the St Helena climate. The estate replanted with a mix of clones and rootstocks in the 1990s under the guidance of Jacques Boissenot and now farms organically and biodynamically, harvesting small vineyard blocks separately for precise blending. In the 1886 bottling Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant grape and is vinified in small lots with restrained oak aging to emphasize site derived tannin and structure rather than heavy winemaking intervention.

Quick facts

• 🏺 The name 1886 is a direct nod to the year the estate stone winery was built, and that original building still houses the tasting room today
• 🕰️ The bottle and packaging for 1886 were inspired by an apothecary discovery in Paris, giving the wine a pewter and platinum look that stands out on the shelf
• 🧪 Ehlers Estate is owned by the Leducq Foundation, so wine sales help fund international cardiovascular research rather than private profit
• 🌱 The estate works organically and biodynamically in the vineyard, a practice that shapes the 1886 Cabernet Sauvignon into a terroir focused expression
• 🏰 The winery still displays its original grape press from the early 1880s, a tangible link to the same era that gives the wine its name

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.