Reviews & Ratings

2018 Ehlers Estate Cabernet Sauvignon "Portrait"

Winery: Ehlers Estate

Vintage: 2018

Wine Name/Vineyard: "Portrait"

Wine Category: Cabernet Sauvignon

Grape blend: 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc & 6% Petit Verdot

Bottle size: 750 ml

Region: St. Helena

State or country: CA

Price: $72

Cases produced: 750

KWG Score: 91 (based on 2 reviews)

Ken's Wine Rating: Very Good+ (92)

Review date: January 20, 2023

Wine Review: This midnight purple colored big boy Cabernet Sauvignon based wine from Ehlers opens with a fragrant and inviting Dr. Pepper and cassis bouquet with hints of clove, cedar, licorice, and toast coconut. On the palate, this wine is medium plus bodied with medium plus acidity. The mouthfeel is balanced, round and savory. The flavor profile is an intense black licorice, extracted blackberry and black tea blend with notes of allspice and blueberry. I also detected hints of black pepper and cedar. The finish is dry, and its moderate tannins are well-managed and nicely prolonged. You should decant this wine for an hour before serving it with beef brisket burnt ends! Enjoy - Ken

Winemaker Notes: On my quest to make a wine that truly reflects a sense of place, Portrait achieves it! The 2018 Ehlers Estate Portrait Red Blend is a blend of our four red Bordeaux varietals: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. The beauty of this blend is that it’s showcasing each of these varietals. The wine has a deep garnet-purple color, with aromas of red and blackberries, roses, violets, cedar box, and licorice—perfumed and evocative. The mouthfeel is bold, with concentrated fruit and spices and flavors of black pepper, saffron, and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is bright in acidity but dense and balance. Enjoyable now, but will age well for 15-20 more years.

Buy it: Use 1000 Corks to find stores that sell Ehlers Estate 2018 Portrait.