2018 Ehlers Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 750 ml

Just north of St. Helena, in the mile-wide pinch of Napa Valley’s “hourglass,” sits some of the top terroir in the region. Thanks to cooling afternoon winds and magic Perkins-series soils, which are often more than 50% gravel, truly great Cabernets are made here. And they come with the price tags to match—with Ehlers as a notable exception. Nearby, Colgin’s Tychson Hill bottling costs $700, and Pulido-Walker’s Panek Vineyard Cab is $350. 

In this magic corner of the valley, winemaker Laura Diaz Munoz—a 10-year veteran of Lokoya and Cardinale—crafted a rock-solid buy in Ehlers Estate’s 2018 Cabernet. “This wine oozes with pedigree,” said our Master Sommelier Sur Lucero.

Ehlers Estate has been planted to grapevines almost as long as St. Helena has been inhabited. The 1886 ghost winery was purchased and revitalized in the early 1980s by French linen magnate Jean Leducq, and today is owned by the Leducq Charitable Trust foundation, who donates the proceeds of this winery to heart disease research, which is the reason for the heart symbol embedded in the Ehlers logo.

These 42 acres are simply an optimal terroir for Cabernet Sauvignon, because they contain an average of 35% gravel, with some blocks atop a bed of 65% gravel. It’s the kind of drainage that would be the envy of all but a handful of top Bordeaux châteaux.

During her 10+ years at Lokoya, Cardinale, and La Jota, native Spaniard Laura Diaz Munoz had a hand in seven 100-point wines. 2018 was her first vintage at the helm of Ehlers, and it was an auspicious one. In the absolutely gorgeous 2018 vintage, everything fell into place to make this a superb Napa Cabernet.