2009 Ehlers Estate Merlot

Poor Merlot, so picked on.  Bad press from snooty critics for years has not done this “Noble” varietal justice.  Then came Sideways.  The inside joke in the wine industry is that after the movie Sideways came out all of the wineries making bad Merlot changed to making bad Pinot Noir.  In the end, that’s a good thing because the bad Merlot, in many cases, has left the market.  And the good Merlot, the truly delicious bottlings, have gotten better.  My personal favorite is the Ehlers Estate.   Winemaker Kevin Morrisey cut his teeth as an intern at Ch. Pétrus so let’s face it, the man knows his way around a Merlot grape.

Another stellar reason to drink Ehlers Estate Merlot is this:  One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of Ehlers Estate wines go to support the Leducq Foundation, a highly regarded, not-for-profit foundation dedicated to funding international cardiovascular research.  Now, drinking wine is not only good for your health, it’s good for a lot of people’s!

Tasting Notes:  This is a complex full bodied Napa red that has the balance and structure to age for decades. It starts off bold on the attack, and continues full and plush. The flavors of raspberry and cherry cola, cocoa and black currants adorn this rich and dense expression of the North St. Helena, terroir. This wine has layers of complexity, a firm acidity, velvety mid-palate, and a long, classic Merlot finish.

This wine is available at Porthos!