Another year, another great set of wines by Ehret. A small winery based in Sonoma County Ehret is set on a family estate, the Bavarian Lion Vineyards, located in Knights Valle, in the northern end the county. The family has been farming Bordeaux varietals since 1996, selling much of their fruit to other wineries in the Napa and Sonoma Counties. Then in 2005 they decided to create their own brand, Ehret. The estate is exceedingly large, spanning 1800 acres. This massive amount of land includes both hillside terrain and valley floor. They have a whopping 500 acres planted to grapes.
Years ago I first tasted these wines and ws seriously impressed. They made some really good wines in the tough 2020 vintage. I adored 2021 Ehret ‘Hillside Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 95) which is one of the great Cabernets from this region that I have tasted in the past year. Learn more about this outstanding smaller producer at ehretwinery.com and here are my reviews of the new Ehret wines.
2032 Ehret ‘Knights Valley’ Sauvignon Blanc- A great new Sauvignon Blanc that was sourced from the Bavarian Lion Vineyards in the Knights Valley, this 2023 offers a smooth mouthfeel on the approach. Papaya and green melon flavors mingle well with shades of wet stone on the palate. Really well-done, don’t serve too cold. Drink 2024-2030- 91
2022 Ehret ‘Knights Valley’ Zinfandel- Sourced from their estate vineyard, the 2022 Zinfandel has good nerve with bramble and slightly sweet red fruits that mingle well with shades of chocolate. Medium-bodied and delicious, enjoy now and over the next few years. Drink 2024-2030- 90
2020 Ehret ‘Knights Valley’ Merlot- The 2020 Ehret Merlot is a limited production wine from this challenging vintage. Right away this offers alluring aromatics of black cherry and raspberry alongside salty soils. The palate is brimming with juicy red fruits as this medium-bodied effort is best consumed in the short-term. Drink 2024-2029- 90
2020 Ehret ‘Knights Valley’ Merlot- Coming from this warm vintage, the 2021 ‘Knights Valley’ Merlot shows off slightly better flavor range and flavor density than the 2020 bottling. Black tea and exotic spices parade with a generous core of blackberry and cocoa powder dusted black cherry on the palate. Delicious now, consume over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2024-2032- 91
2020 Ehret ‘Knights Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2020 ‘Knights Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a really nice bottling that is already well-evolved. Black currants, tar and mocha flavors mingle well on the palate, with a smooth texture. Enjoy over the next five to seven years. Drink 2024-2030- 90
2021 Ehret ‘Knights Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The outstanding 2020 Ehret ‘Knights Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon offers really good freshness on the approach with plenty of minerality. Black fruits mingle well with coffee grounds and suggestions of anise on the palate. Medium-bodied, enjoy now and over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2024-2032- 91
2020 Ehret ‘Bella’s’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2019 ‘Bella’s’ Cabernet Sauvignon has 3% Merlot blended in. It is a great wine considering the vintage with chocolate fudge flavors that mingle well with black currants and creme de violette. Medium to full-bodied showing good freshness, enjoy now and over the next six to eight years. Drink 2024-2030- 92
2021 Ehret ‘Bella’s’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2021 ‘Bella’s’ Cabernet Sauvignon shows off black tea and pencil lead on the nose alongside dense dark fruits. The palate offers good freshness and acidity, showing medium to full-bodied blackberry and black cherry flavors alongside shades of stony soils. Really good now, enjoy over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2024-2032- 92
2020 Ehret ‘Hillside Reserve’ Red Wine- The outstanding 2020 Ehret ‘Hillside Reserve’ Red Wine is nearly all Cabernet Sauvignon (85%) with smaller portions Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The nose is hedonistic with pencil lead and pretty black florals that mingle well with chocolate and mountain huckleberry. Smooth and viscous throughout the drinking experience, this is a seriously good wine from a tough vintage. Enjoy now and over the next six plus years to come. Drink 2024-2030- 93
2021 Ehret ‘Hillside Reserve’ Red Wine- The 2021 ‘Hillside Reserve’ combines mainly Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller portions Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot as well as Malbec. This shows even better than the 2020 in terms of flavor range of viscosity, offering loaded pipe tobacco and black fruit flavors with shades of black licorice and chocolate pie. Very delicious now, watch this evolve over the next fifteen years. Drink 2024-2040- 94
2020 Ehret ‘Hillside Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon- A brilliant wine made in 2020, the Ehret ‘Hillside Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon is very delicious and approachable in its youth. Medium to full-bodied black cherry and blackberry notes mingle well with copious minerals, wet stone and espresso ground flavors on the palate. Viscous and delicious, enjoy now and over the next six to eight years. Drink 2024-2030- 93
2021 Ehret ‘Hillside Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The best wine of the tasting, the full-throttle 2021 Ehret ‘Hillside Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a barrel selection wine that shows what is possible from their Knights Valley estate vineyard. Delicious black fruits combine with shades of violets, tar and tobacco leaf on the nose. The silky and refined texture really makes this sing. Once on the mouth the palate is loaded with black and blue fruits alongside graphite, salty soils and shades of tar. Give this at least an hour in the decanter if enjoying in its hedonistic youth. Drink 2024-2040- 95