Laura Díaz Muñoz of Ehlers Estate
Tell us about the sustainable and eco-friendly practices at the vineyard: Ehlers Estate vineyards are California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) since 2008, which means we have been farming following organic practices since 2005. Working organically in the vineyard and with minimum intervention in the cellar (native fermentation, minimum ranking, no fining, and no filtration of red wines) certainly allows us to reduce our carbon footprint, and we take these efforts a step further through starting to recycle the processed water used in the cellar through a Biofiltro plant that cleans the water by the use of a bed of worms. Ehlers bases all its sustainability efforts on respect for the ecosystems surrounding the estate and the vineyards, the recovery and maintenance of healthy soils and the sustainable control of plagues, and most importantly, on the care for the people that help to make and distribute Ehlers Estate wines. In that regard, we don’t use insecticides and we control plagues by releasing beneficial insects and by the planting of hedgerows that serve as a home for them, as well as the full coverage of the site with cover crops.
We planted a native and drought-tolerant garden at the estate that’s complete with plants that attract bees, butterflies and birds (including hummingbirds and western bluebirds). We also have 40 bird houses installed in the vineyards to host birds.
Tell us about the varietals you make: Grape varieties grown at Ehlers Estate include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Sauvignon Blanc. As a result, we offer the following nine wines: 1886 Cabernet Sauvignon, our insignia wine; J. Leducq Cabernet Sauvignon, an exclusive single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon; Portrait Red Blend, which is a “portrait” of our Estate vineyard; a Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley; Estate Cabernet Franc, one of our most distinctive grapes; a Estate Merlot, very juicy and food friendly; a Estate Petit Verdot; made in a small production and exclusive to our tasting room visitors; a very popular Estate Sauvignon Blanc; and Sylviane Rosé, which is a rosé blend from the Bordeaux varieties we have planted at the Estate.
What are a few wines that readers should try right now?
2018 Ehlers Estate Portrait Red Blend