95-Points by Kevin Vogt - Master Sommelier 
This wine immediately grabs your attention yet does so with an understated grace. The nose opens with compelling ripe blueberries and kirsch, their sweetness enhanced by subtle Italian glove leather and a distinct, dusty minerality. It's a bouquet with both richness and restraint, alluding to the complexity to come. On the palate, the wine unfolds with a supple texture and satiny tannins that balance the rich, sweet black fruit power. Black currants and blueberry compote create a core of concentrated flavor. A saline note adds a mouth-quenching component to the fruit's intensity, while black tea lends further nuance. The wine's structure is compact and focused, promising longevity, yet it remains remarkably approachable. The finish is fabulous - long, luxurious, and leaving a lasting impression of elegance and depth. This Napa red blend showcases the best of the vintage, offering both immediate pleasure and the potential for graceful aging. It's a wine that invites contemplation, revealing new layers with each sip.
 
Tasting Notes: The 2022 Portrait has an exhilarating nose, starting with bursts of warm blackberry crumble with fresh cream on top, followed by waves of baking spice, mint sage and crushed rocks. Finely textured tannins underpin vivid flavors of blueberries, crushed plums and wet river stone that wash across the palate, while a cool, pulsating thread of acid lifts and electrifies the experience throughout the entire, impressive length of the finish. In all dimensions the wine vacillates with intensity between the elements, creating a wonderful sensation of energy and tension. Really quite an exciting personality.
 
Vintage: 2022 was a year that was full of bright, sunny days that California is so famous for. An abundant, early winter rains recharged our reservoirs and collective spirits, giving way to a temperate, verdant spring bursting with life. Early bud break was followed by a warm, dry summer and a particularly toasty September that kicked off the harvest into high gear. As is so often the case, the feeling of a blue-sky summer is captured in the wines it produced. Open and delicious, the 2022 vintage is one to please both immediate and distant enjoyment alike.
 
Varietal: 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16.4% Cabernet Franc, 16.3% Merlot, 1.3% Petit Verdot
Aging: 21 months Barrel Aging in 65% new French Oak.
 
Ehlers
Lured by the allure of wine and motivated to embrace of new challenges, French entrepreneurs and philanthropists Jean and Sylviane Leducq purchased land in the St. Helena area of Napa in the mid-1980s. In the manner of a French châteaux, they methodically acquired adjacent property to assemble today’s 42-acre, organically farmed estate. Bernard Ehlers, the original owner, built a stone barn in 1886 that is the heart of the operation today.
The Leducqs through The Leducq Charitable Trust passed on management of their operation to Laura Díaz Muñoz. Originally from Madrid, when she took the reins, Díaz committed to taking Ehlers into its next generation, including focused farming that includes some replanting. She also experimented with a variety of vessels for cellaring and aging. She was the winemaker for this effort, her last at Ehlers. Adam Castro is the head winemaker today, becoming head winemaker in 2023. Steven Folb is the general manager.
The Ehlers vineyards are located in an up-valley location in the St. Helena AVA. The location provides ideal ripening conditions with the narrowing channel of the Vaca and Mayacamas mountains delivering cooling winds to promote freshness, balance, and finesse.
Ehlers Estate: Key Points
 
Mission & Philanthropy
100% of wine sales support the Leducq Foundation (global cardiovascular & neurovascular research).
$170M+ in grants, 23 multi-year projects, researchers from 16 countries.
Research results shared openly in a global database.
 
Founding & Legacy
Founded by Jean & Sylviane Leducq, blending love of Bordeaux wines with philanthropy.
Estate left in trust to the Leducq Foundation to fund research indefinitely.
Philosophy: wine proceeds must “bring relief to all who suffer from heart disease.”
 
Vineyards & Wines
40 acres of certified-organic, biodynamic vineyards in St. Helena.
Focus: Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cab Franc, etc.).
Northern Napa location benefits from cooling breezes → consistent quality.
 
Winemaking & Leadership
Winemaker Kevin Morrisey calls Ehlers his “dream winery.”
Balance of terroir, history, and philanthropy.
Focus on producing wines with authenticity, integrity, and legacy.