In the eastern reaches of our estate vineyard near Soda Canyon, a small creek has formed a lovely alluvial deposit over the course of millennia. It is in this part of the property where we planted white grapes, as they are perfectly matched to these soils. The grapes are harvested when they are high in acidity but relatively low in potential alcohol. The juice is pressed whole-cluster and fermented in a combination of new, neutral, and stainless steel barrels. This technique, as well as aging on the lees for several months, gives the wine a highly expressive character while adding weight and length.

Our 2023 vintage of Sauvignon Blanc is an explosion of citrus aromas and flavors from the get-go. A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Musquée, the wine is full of energy, crisp acidity, and bright fruit and floral aromas. 2023 was a very interesting growing season. Coming on the heels of several drought years, this vintage started with near record-breaking rainfall in the winter and a cool spring, which led to a relatively late start to the growing season. Once they got going, the vines were able to grow strong canopies and developed quite a generous crop. The summer continued in this cool trajectory, meaning that the grapes developed slowly, retained a remarkable amount of natural acidity, and hung on the vine well into the fall. We were blessed with an autumn full of sunshine, and even though we harvested later than usual, the grapes arrived at the winery in beautiful condition. The 2023 Caryn Renae, just bottled, shows fragrant notes of grapefruit, Meyer lemon, kumquat, and verbena. Indeed, the citrus descriptors just keep coming. On the palate, the acid rides high on the flavor profile, with a subtle saline note, like ocean air on a summer day. This wine will surely bring happiness to the table, or to the poolside, or wherever it is enjoyed.

Cabernet Sauvignon 81%, Merlot 17%, Cabernet Franc 2%The Ellman “Brothers’ Blend” is a wine that is crafted to showcase the rich, opulent style of the Ellman wines, in a bottle that is more broadly accessible and that can be immediately enjoyed on release.  

The 2022 vintage delivers on that promise, with a round, juicy, fruit-driven style that is very appealing. 

2022 was the third year in a multi-year drought in California, meaning that the vines had to reach deep to look for water and nutrients. This is the type of viticultural struggle that creates wines with concentration and depth and tends to heighten the sense of place in the wines. 

A crescendo of heat at the end of the growing season made for ripe, fruit-forward wines with silky tannins and great length. The 2022 Brother’s Blend is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot 17%, Cabernet Franc 2%. The addition of the Merlot helps to shine a light on the fresh blue fruit notes in the wine, and to polish the already well-rounded tannins. On the nose, there are notes of blueberry pie, fresh blackberry, as well as savory notes of sage, graphite, and fresh-cut wood. The dark fruit flavors rush across the palate, along with subtle hints of baking spice and toasted almond.  

Soft and generous, this wine will be a crowd pleaser for sure. Meant to be enjoyed immediately, it will certainly age well for years in the cellar.

Cabernet Sauvignon 82%, Cabernet Franc 18%

One thing we have learned over the past decade is that Cabernet Franc in incredibly well suited to our Napa Valley climate. This is especially evident in warm seasons like 2022, when the Cabernet Franc berries developed as in any other season. Jemma is our expression of the estate vineyard in which we blend a significant portion of Cabernet Franc. The 2022 is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon blended with 19% Cabernet Franc, both varieties coming from compelling blocks in our estate vineyard. The resulting wine is dark, rich and aromatically expressive. From the Cabernet Sauvignon come the expected forward notes of blackberry and cassis, but layered on top are complex aromas from the Cabernet Franc—black licorice, dried white flowers, orange blossom, and even hints of Moroccan spices. On the palate there is great power, plenty of tannin and fruit intensity.  This play of density and depth with bright, delicate aromatics, is very compelling. The wine continues to open with time in the glass, which bodes well for a long life as it ages in bottle. 

100% Cabernet Sauvignon (100% Ellman Estate)

Focusing solely on the Ellman Estate vineyard, the perennial elegance of Jemma reigns supreme in the 2019 vintage. With a profound, dense ruby hue, our ethereal 2019 Jemma performs a playful dance of sweet and savory movements. Bounteous aromatics of freshly harvested fruits and flowers from a basket of sweet violets to just-plucked blackberries from the vine comingle with layered notes of bouquet garni, espresso crema, and transportive salumi like lardo di colonnata and finocchina. Effusive on the palate, it whisks you away for a walk in the woods with heady fragrance of freshly upturned earth, garriqgue and bramble fruits, all from the comfort and warmth of your perch. Muscular and weighty, the dark fruit character is precisely framed with concentrated yet chocolatey tannins, and a lingering, suffusive finish. Aptly paired with a classic Entrecôte Marchand de Vin, or if you are feeling adventuresome, a savory wild mushroom Wellington.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon (Ellman Estate Vineyard)

Each year we produce a small production of Cabernet Sauvignon that we feel captures the spirit of our estate vineyard at the base of Atlas Peak.  These eroded volcanic soils yield wines that are very dark in color, intensely aromatic, varietally expressive, and loaded with soft tannins.  Every vintage, a certain part of the vineyard speaks to us, its wine standing out for its purity, richness, and balance—a stand-alone expression of our site.

2022 was a warm, dry growing season, forcing the vines to reach deep to find needed water and nutrients.  Our vineyard, then in its twenty-fifth year, was up to the task.  These mature vines navigated the season almost on auto-pilot, setting a small but concentrated crop, which developed steadily and ripened slowly and fully.  All of the vineyard blocks performed well.  However, as we’ve seen over many vintages, the vines in the heart of the vineyard, where an ancient, underground creek still trickles in the summer, yielded wines with compelling structure, depth, aromatics, and concentration.  A barrel selection of the wine from this part of the vineyard became “The Estate,”our best representation of the vineyard from the vintage.

This new offering of The Estate showcases what a cooler part of Napa Valley can deliver in a warm year:  Rich, ripe fruit; soft, deep texture; but with savory notes of sage, pencil lead, and gravel.  The combination is a full-spectrum expression of Cabernet Sauvignon, showing power, depth, and length.  Its balance and density will allow the wine to age for many years in the bottle.