2020 Ehret Cabernet Sauvignon, Hillside Reserve – An Amazing Wine!
The Winery
Picture from Ehret Family Winery
The Ehret Family Winery owners are Pierre and Susan Ehret with their three children Alex, Christian and Isabella. They established the vineyard and started producing grapes in 1996 at the Bavarian Lion Vineyards. It is one of the largest estates in Knights Valley consisting of 1800 acres of both hillside and valley floor terrain. Currently 500 acres are planted in vineyards allowing the balance to provide an ecosystem for plants and birdlife to dwell. From 1996 they sold their fruit to some of the more well-known wineries throughout Napa and Sonoma counties. In 2005, they selected the highest quality grapes and started their family brand, Ehret Family Winery. Today they produce various Cabernet Sauvignon’s, Red Blends, Zinfandel, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc wines. Their tasting room is located in Healdsburg at 422 Healdsburg Ave and appointments are required.
Knights Valley is located in Northern Sonoma County between Alexander Valley and over the Napa Valley border next to Calistoga.
The winemaker is Erin Green who has been there since 2015. Previously Erin has had experience at Sonoma-Cutrer, Vinewood Cellars and Napa Wine Company. She has also blended wines for various premium projects such as Bryant Family, Colgin Cellars, Martinelli Winery and Pahlmeyer. From 2000-2012 Erin was the winemaker and Director of Winegrowing at Pahlmeyer.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine from their Hillside site comes from the highest elevation blocks on their estate. This is a limited small production of only 50 cases!
First on the eyes, this dark red, almost black wine startled me on the pour! It was followed by a heavy weight viscosity oozing with aromas. On the nose, black and red fruits of blackberry and raspberry swirled about to provide an enticing aroma. On the palate, the fruits raised like a standing ovation of applause with its flavors. Fully body with the intensity of fruit counterbalanced with sweet vanilla pipe tobacco and toasted oak. The finish was unique because on the sip the tannins were smooth and velvety, but on the finish they raised up like a wild stallion, beautifully strong and bold. One of the best wines tasted this year!
I don’t read the winemaker’s notes ahead of time wanting to draw my own conclusions. What I did not know when reading the notes on their 2019, was the pedigree of this opulent wine. Their 2019 received 98 points & Best of Class at the American Fine Wine Competition and 96 points & Double Gold at the Sunset Magazine International Wine Competition. Every drop of this 2020 will certainly repeat being deserving of these awards and many more.. The wine is 15.5% alcohol and the website for their 2019 showed it at $125/bottle. This wine reminded me of many of the better mountain Cabernet Sauvignon’s in Napa like Outpost, O’Shaughnessy, Barnett, Arkenstone, Robert Craig, Viader, etc.
The Food and Wine Pairing – “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Photo ©Michael Kelly
When the temperature warmed up it was time to begin BBQ-ing! This wine was chosen to go with a seasoned and seared ribeye steak that BBQ’ed at 1400 degrees to medium rare. Accompanied by a twice baked potato with parsley and bacon bits (hard to see in this picture). The fruit in the wine married beautifully with the burned sear and the tannins penetrated the meat like a hot knife through butter! An excellent food and wine pairing this evening.
As a footnote this wine just made the listing for my annual Best Wines Tasted during the year! That report comes out the mid-December each year.
Sláinte,
Michael