Tag: wine


Nov
2020

Interview and Tasting with Ehlers Estate Winemaker Laura Diaz

categories: Wine, Winery Reviews

In this video interview, I talk with Ehler’s Estate winemaker Laura Diaz. We discuss her career, her viticultural and winemaking practices, and taste through some of Ehler’s newest releases. Laura provides insight into what makes this piece of Napa Valley so special in terms of terroir, history, and the loving family behind the wine brand.

If you have follow up questions for Laura, please leave them in the comments below and we’ll get answers for you in a follow up article.

Interested in tasting the wines discussed?

Ehler’s Estate 2019 Sauvignon Blanc

Varietal: 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Harvest: August 24th and 26th 2019
Wine Analysis: 13.2% alcohol ● 3.18 pH

Appellation: St. Helena, Napa Valley

Bottling Date: February 11, 2020

Cases Produced: 845 cases

MSRP: $32

Purchase here.

Ehler’s Estate 2018 Cabernet Franc

Varietal: 100% Cabernet Franc

Wine Analysis: 15 % alcohol ● 3.87 pH
Oak Ageing: 58% New French Oak, 42% used French oak for 22 months
Appellation: St. Helena, Napa Valley

Cases Produced: 756 cases

MSRP: $65

Purchase here.

Ehler’s Estate 2018 Jean Leducq Cabernet Sauvignon

Varietal: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Wine Analysis: 14.5 % alcohol ● 3.6 pH ● 6.6 TA
Appellation: St. Helena, Napa Valley
Cases Produced: 525 cases

MSRP: $90

Purchase here.

For more information about Ehlers Estate, their wines, and to purchase wine directly or make an appointment for an in-person or virtual tasting, please visit the Ehlers Estate website.

BriscoeBites officially accepts samples as well as conducts on-site and online interviews. Want to have your wine, winery or tasting room featured? Please visit the Sample Policy page where you can contact me directly. Cheers!

Educational posts are in no way intended as official WSET study materials. I am not an official WSET educator nor do I work for a WSET Approved Program Provider. Study at your own risk. Read the full disclaimer.
**Please note: all reviews and opinions are my own and are not associated with any of my places of business. I will always state when a wine has been sent as a sample for review. Sending samples for review on my personal website in no way guarantees coverage in any other media outlet I may be currently associated with.**

 


Nov
2020

DipWSET Theory: Southern Rhone

categories: Wine, Wine 101, Wine World (D3)

The Southern Rhone. “This region is renowned for warming, ripely welcoming, and rarely expensive wines of all three colors.” The World Atlas of Wine (Eighth Edition).

Southern Rhone, France; Fernando Beteta
Southern Rhone, France; Fernando Beteta

Larger and more spread out than the Northern Rhone, there’s no denying that we’re going to cover a good bit of detail here. With its varied terroir, the Southern Rhone comes with a larger variety of grapes grown and wine produced—good news if you want a diversified tasting experience. Indeed, most wines here are blends—red, white, and rosé, though red undeniably dominates. And, as The Oxford Companion to Wine (Fourth Edition) notes, though some winemakers do experiment with Syrah (the dominant grape of the Northern Rhone), here in the south, it’s far too warm for the grape to “ripen gracefully.” Thus, it is Grenache—at over double the planting—that is the Southern Rhone‘s most planted red wine grape.

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Nov
2020

DipWSET Theory: Rhone Valley Overview

categories: Wine, Wine 101, Wine World (D3)

After Alsace, the Rhone Valley is probably my next favorite French wine region. The diversity in terrain, climate, and soils, makes for a whole host of grape varieties and wine styles. Much modern winemaking in my home state of California takes its literal and figurative roots from the Rhone, so the history, along with comparative tastings, are of particular interest to me.

Today, we start with an overview of the Rhone Valley. A lot will focus on signature grape varieties of both the Northern and Southern Rhone, as well as some key terms and facts that will help us moving forward. Because my text doesn’t go into the winemaking history of the region, I’m not going to cover that in detail during this series, though I may drop an interesting anecdote here and there if it is relevant to the material being discussed. If interested, The Oxford Companion to Wine (Fourth Edition), does have a good historical synopsis. And if you’re interested in the California-French Rhone connection, I highly recommend American Rhone: How Maverick Winemakers Changed the Way Americans Drink by Patrick J. Comiskey.

Drainage basin of Rhône River
Drainage basin of Rhône River

Alright, let’s get started.

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Nov
2020

DipWSET Theory: It’s the Biz—Bordeaux Wine Business

categories: Wine, Wine 101, Wine Biz (D2), Wine World (D3)

Alright, alright, alright…it is the exciting conclusion to our Bordeaux series, looking at the business side of things. If you haven’t read through the France Overview, Bordeaux Overview, the Left Bank, and Right Bank articles, please do-so, as there are a lot of key terms and facts that will help this section make a bit more sense. Also, check out the Bordeaux tastings, as it puts a lot of that knowledge into palate-perspective.

Berndt Fernow - Self-photographed Bottles of Bordeaux Wine in Shop, Bordeaux, France
Berndt Fernow – Self-photographed
Bottles of Bordeaux Wine in Shop, Bordeaux, France

On y va!

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