Surprise! These Are By A Superstar Winemaker…

On the Sunday of this Napa trip (June 30, 2024, for those of you who keeping score), Dio and I enjoyed some delightful pizza at our Arrow&Branch winery “send-off brunch” and then, since we realized we had a bit of time before our next scheduled tasting, we decided to hang out for a bit in downtown Napa. Our friends Rami and Keiko had yet to even see the downtown area, so we gave them a ring and they met us there.

We grabbed some coffee and wandered around a bit, just soaking up the vibes of the area. It was a lovely little breather in an otherwise packed itinerary. After that, we hopped into our respective vehicles for the short drive to our next destination: an opportunity to sample another round of critically acclaimed wines from this gloriously fertile region.

This time, we’d be tasting offerings from the Ellman Estate Vineyard and Winery. And, once again, this producer was one our friend Michael Ploetz (Arrow&Branch’s Director of Hospitality and Sales) recommended, and that we were completely unfamiliar with. Boy, was I glad he pointed us in their direction!

But more on that later.

Looking back now on that day, there are a few standout memories, and one of them was the car accident.

Okay, so that may be overstating it a bit. But, two cars did bump into each other, and not on purpose. So, in the simplest terms, that qualifies as a car accident, right?

I was driving the lead car, with Rami and Keiko bringing up the rear. We’re at an intersection, and I was in the process of pulling through it when I came to the realization that I was just not gonna be able to make it before the light changed. So, I stopped.

But, Rami didn’t.

It was just a little tap, so we just continued on to the tasting. But, of course, the whole rest of the way there I was looking forward to razzing him about the “collision.” So, as soon as we parked and got out of our cars, I started (playfully) giving him a hard time about it. I was laying it on really thick, as there appeared to be absolutely no damage to the rental cars whatsoever, and he was certainly in on the joke.

But of course, while we’re loudly and animatedly discussing this situation, who should walk up but Ellman’s Hospitality Manager Miguel Gonzalez? Pretty soon, we’re all kind of chuckling about it. And so, the tasting begins.

Little did I realize that by the time this last “adventure” was over, I would have tried the two best wines of this entire California visit!

THE ELLMAN STORY

Now, before we dive into the wines themselves, a little background on Ellman Estate:

The family vineyards were founded by two South African brothers. Lance and Neil Ellman were born in that country but relocated to the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area when they were quite young. In the early 1950s, their South African grandfather founded the Softex company, which many of you may have heard of. It became the largest pillow, bedding and mattress manufacturer in that country, and when the family moved here to the states, they brought the firm (see what I did there?) with them. It soon became a global leader in quality sleep products, and when the family sold the company in 2005, Neil — who’d randomly met and befriended the son of a successful Napa winery owner at college — pitched the idea of starting their own wine business to his brother Lance.

The rest, as they say, is history.

By 2007, Ellman had released their flagship offering, which they named Jemma (after Neil’s wife). They’re still making that highly regarded wine today.

For many years, they sourced grapes from several respected vineyards (such as To Kalon, Stagecoach and Georges III) and utilized custom crush facilities. However, a few years back they purchased a few parcels of land that now total 20 acres, and serves both as their private vineyard and as the future site of their soon-to-be-completed winery (which is currently under construction).

The brothers have said that the topographical similarity of Napa’s Silverado Trail to their native wine region of Stellenbosch, South Africa was a large part of the appeal of setting up shop there — and the easy slope of this rocky, westward-facing piece of land at the base of the Soda Canyon offered not only excellent drainage but also a rich, complex soil that seemed ideal for growing cloned old world Cabernet Sauvignon.

They eventually hired Michael Wolf to manage the vineyard, and his 50-plus years of experience supervising California operations of this sort (including a lengthy stint managing 500 acres at the fabled Beckstoffer Vineyards) has made him a respected and recognized name in the upper levels of this industry.

THE TASTING BEGINS

When we arrived, Miguel started things off by serving us Champagne — which, as I have noted in prior blog posts, is a common occurrence at Napa tastings.

That champagne was from a different producer, which led me to understandably assume that perhaps Ellman doesn’t make their own white, which is why they offered us another producer’s selection. However, when we headed inside to the site of the actual tasting, there was a very impressive setup of Ellman wines arranged for us, and it included a white. This surprised me a bit, but I assumed that perhaps they wished to emulate the order of what many folks might consider a “traditional dinner service.”

I also noticed that several reds present in the lineup are already decanted.

Now, especially when you are tasting in Napa, such a scenario usually signifies that you will be tasting some of their younger wines. And typically, those are also the wines that are currently for sale. They decant them because they want to demonstrate what it would be like if you purchased young wines now and waited perhaps a few years before opening and drinking them. They are experts at knowing the ideal amount of time to decant these wines.

How do I know that? Because, as I said above, a couple of these were the very best wines I tasted on this entire trip.

We sat and were offered a cold glass of water and a lovely cheese plate.

And then, Miguel poured two of the reds, and explained to us about the history of the Ellman family as he did so. These reds are called the Brothers Blend, and he invited us to assess, compare and contrast them both to each other. One was from 2021 and the other from 2019. I personally preferred the 2021 (but not by much, as they were both exemplary), and wound up purchasing some of the 2021 vintage for my cellar.

If you’d like more details on all of the wines we tried that day, including the introductory Champagne, feel free to head over to my Tasting Notes on CellarTracker.

ATTACK OF THE CLONES (IN A GOOD WAY)

It’s worth noting that the wines were sourced from “estate fruit”, meaning all of the fruit came directly and exclusively from the Ellman family’s own property. Unlike the earliest years of this producer, they no longer need to source fruit from other vineyards. They have created their very own noteworthy vineyard.

However, the grapes they grow on their land are often exact clones of legendary grapes which are well-known, by name, to wine aficionados. For example, their merlot comes from the Chateau Palmer clone. Palmer was designated as third-growth in 1885. Since that date, it’s been considered by experts as the third-best source of merlot wine to come out of the French Bordeaux region. In that year, 14 wines were designated as third-growths. However, Chateau Palmer was considered one of the two best out of those 14. Meaning, it’s as close to second-best as one can get without moving up to second-growth level. In fact, some wine experts claim that today, Chateau Palmer essentially rivals even some first-growth wines.

So, these grapes are the real deal. But why is having access to a “cloned” grape so key to producing amazing wines?

Well, most grape vines are the result of two different parent plants combining to create a seed, which after germination, grows into a new vine. But cloned vines are created by taking a single parent plant and grafting it onto an existing rootstock — basically by sticking it directly into a new batch of soil. The result is a new vine that is completely identical to the mother vine the cutting came from and will bear fruit that is remarkably similar to that parent vine. Now, over time, as this new vine matures, it often develops its own unique and noticeable characteristics. But cloned vines are usually more resistant to disease and extreme weather conditions and tend to produce berries and crop sizes which are easier to predict with some degree of accuracy.

Growers can also have a far better grasp on the likely levels of sugars, acids, tannins and pH when using cloned vines. It just makes things easier and more consistent all around — which are key elements in operating a successful vineyard and/or winery.

I am absolutely nuts for Bordeaux, so I was immediately excited to know we’d be drinking wine made from such storied grapevines which were literally transported to the USA by hand from France in the late 1800s. The results did not disappoint in the least.

THE IMPORTANCE OF AN AVA

One thing I noticed about Ellman’s wine bottles is that they did not have a specific AVA on them. For those who are unfamiliar with such things, AVA stands for American Viticultural Area. It’s a legal designation given to a certain delineated area, and pertains to the growing of grapes intended for the manufacture of wine. To be considered a distinct AVA, that delineated area must hold specific geographic or climatic features that distinguish it from the surrounding regions and that affect how grapes in that location are grown. It allows vintners to more accurately describe the origin of their wines, and as a result. AVAs have come to serve as a type of shorthand for consumers who love and know wine.

So, from a legal standpoint, if all of the grapes contained in a given bottle of wine came from a particular AVA, then that can be displayed on the label. But, if that bottle of wine contains grapes from more than one AVA, none can be listed. Instead, it must simply indicate: “Napa Valley”

What was weird to me is that every bit of the wine produced at Ellman comes from the grapes grown on their own estate. However, the legend on their labels reads “Napa Valley Proprietary Red”, “Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon”, etc. I didn’t understand this anomaly, until Miguel explained that the exact area where their vineyard lies has not yet been declared an AVA, despite the fact the quality of the soil, the grapes and the wine produced by Ellman and their immediate neighbors would seem to clearly deserve such a distinction, from the perspective of quality and provenance.

Long Valley-Lake County is the most recently declared California AVA. It received that recognition in August of 2023. And it turns out Ellman and their fellow vintners in that neighborhood have been looking into what it takes get their area declared as its own AVA as well. However, there’s an immense amount of legal permitting and bureaucratic red tape involved in such a change. There’s a good chance it won’t happen anytime soon. But stay tuned. Because, if any area deserves its own AVA, it’s theirs.

THE JOY OF SIDE-BY-SIDE TASTINGS

Our tasting continued, with more side-by-side comparisons. Normally, most places allow you to taste whatever the newest vintage is that they’re selling. But here, they had all this planned out in careful detail before we arrived. These pairs were really fascinating, because you were comparing similar wines one right after the other and allowing your taste buds to discern the subtle difference between the two. The idea was that they want you to be able to tangibly understand the anomalies between vintages, and what age can do to a wine. But also, to become more aware of how a very skilled winemaker can influence a given batch of wine.

More on this in a moment.

A GREAT TASTING GUIDE

I wanted to take a moment to talk a bit about Miguel, who was leading our tasting, and how he came to play such a role for this company. Miguel was a really wonderful host, and we all had such a great time visiting with him. It turned out he was not the first person in his family to find a home in the wine industry.

Miguel’s family is from Mexico, and many years ago, his mother — like so many Mexican women in Napa — worked as a housekeeper. They lived in Yountville, and she filled that role in various hotels around that area. When a friend of hers told her of someone in need of a personal housekeeper, she applied and got the job. That employer was Warren Winiarski, the founder and proprietor of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. An absolute icon of American wine, Winarski was celebrated worldwide for his commitment and innovation in that field. He even received the coveted James Smithson Bicentennial Medal from the Smithsonian Institution.

Winarski took note of Miguel’s mom’s devotion to organization and fine detail, and eventually, in the early 2000s, he asked her to stop being his personal housekeeper and instead serve as the head coordinator for his exclusive wine club events. She remains in that role to this date, overseeing all the Stag’s Leap functions in tandem with their Events Director.

Miguel started working Stag’s Leap events when he was around 16 years old. He was just helping his mom out — pouring wine, delivering food, being a bus boy, basically. But the entire time, he was always interested in wine.

Brad and Miguel (above) / Miguel aerating (below)

He wound up working for almost half a decade as a hospitality person at Mumm Napa Sparkling Wines, and later at the nearby Tres Perlas Wines for three more years. When we arrived for our tasting, he had only been at Ellman for about three months. I inquired as to what had led him to Ellman Estate, and he explained that in his other positions, he never really had any exposure to the day-to-day realities of the winemaking process, which is what most fascinated him. He wanted very much to learn everything he could about the art of making excellent wine.

Every other winery he’d worked for previously used custom crush facilities, but being at Ellman will now give him direct access to their soon-to-be completed on-site winery. He’ll be learning how vintners experiment with fermentation, racking, temperatures, blending, etc… I have a feeling Miguel may one day be a winemaker himself.

Which makes it even cooler that he’s getting to work in close proximity with Andy Erickson.

THE MYSTERY WINEMAKER

Now, up until this point, I was not aware that Erickson was involved with Ellman Estate. But when Miguel poured us the 2021 Estate cabernet Sauvignon (which I felt was one of the most outstanding wines from California I have ever had, and certainly the finest of our entire fifth trip to Napa), he mentioned Erickson’s name, and I was thrilled. Erickson is very well-known, and couldn’t recall having pleasure of trying any of his wines. The fact that he was the guy behind all these wines just made so much sense, because they were so good. It’s no wonder I purchased wine right then and there!

For more than 30 years, Erickson has been the guy behind some of the best-loved wines of such respected producers as Harlan Estate, Leviathan, OVID, Screaming Eagle and Dalla Valle, among others. Bottles of his creations are among the most sought-after in the world of Napa wine. If I’m not mistaken, his wines have received more 100-point scores in Napa history. It’s pretty incredible.

But — and this is important to note — Ellman doesn’t make a big deal out of the fact that he’s involved in their winery. They intentionally choose not to lead with the name of their winemaker, despite his fame and imprimatur. He’s a rock star in the world of wine, but Miguel just casually dropped his name, almost as an afterthought.

What’s up with that?

Well, Ellman wants folks to concentrate on the quality of their grapes and the quality of their wine, rather than the personalities behind the product. It’s a family business, born out of the hard work and collaboration between two immigrant brothers — and the team of sincere, aspiring employees who are devoted to making Ellman Estate one of the premiere wine producers in the region. With or without their own AVA.

ENDING WITH THE WHITE?

One last thing I want to mention is the rather unusual way our tasting ended.

Remember that white wine I saw on the side table when we first entered the tasting? The one I was surprised we had not been served first thing when we arrived? I felt that stood out, because it is quite commonplace in Napa for a white wine or Champagne to be served first thing before a tasting of heavier reds, almost as if it were a light, refreshing appetizer of sorts.

Well, this white sat on the table untouched while we made our way through all the amazing reds. And then, at the close of the tasting, Miguel poured it for us. This was a real surprise, as it’s almost a given that when tasting wine, you start light and move up to bigger and bolder.

This was the complete opposite approach, and I must admit, I was a bit puzzled. I thought, are they just trying to change things up for the sake of novelty?

So, I asked Miguel why he was serving a 2023 Sauvignon Blanc last. His answer? That he and Justin Vazquez (Ellman’s General Manager), are always thinking of the good of the winery first. He remarked that yes, a lot of wineries reflexively serve something light like a white or a Champagne, etc… to begin with. Apparently, there had been many internal discussions at Ellman about the pouring order of the wines, and over time, they’d noticed that people always seemed to enjoy the Champagne first.

They liked it, but they weren’t necessarily paying attention to it.

Rather, they were busy looking around and getting settled into their new surroundings, and it was almost like that first, light wine was just background noise. They also noticed many people did not go back and finish their “welcome pour” once they sat down at the table to focus on the more serious or bold wines. It just did not occur to people to pick it back up again.

So, with that in mind, they were now saving the Sauvignon Blanc for last, so that folks might give it more thought, and hopefully appreciate the craftsmanship and artistry that went into making it.

Miguel said that after having tasted and smelled a number of big, loud wines with bold flavors and concentrations of fruit, being able to savor something so light (and perhaps a bit fragile) at the end really kind of surprised people. It got their attention and allowed them to perceive the white wine in a way they might otherwise would not.

He was only aware of one other winery that takes the same approach, but I feel certain there must be more out there — although clearly those places would be in the minority. I just felt it was a cool and quite unexpected tact to take. And it only went to further emphasize the fact that Ellman Estate is doing whatever they can in their intimate way to elevate the whole tasting experience and put their own stamp on it.

As we left the tasting that day, we bid farewell to Rami and Keiko, who were headed off to a flight. Then we dined at one of our favorite Napa restaurants (a place called Mustards Grill), and then off to our own flight home to Atlanta.

And there you have it: our fifth trip to Napa. It was one for the books, as they say.

One of the best elements of this visit was our decision to let someone we trust plan all our tasting visits. A big thank you and a tip of the hat to Michael at A&B for pointing us in amazing directions and leading us to amazing wineries we might never have found on our own for quite some time.

It was a huge success, and we can’t wait to do it again.

Thanks also to each of you reading the blog for coming along on this journey with us. I hope I was able to paint a compelling picture of how we Napa!

Until next time!