United States · California

Ehlers Estate

Ehlers Estate is a certified organic and biodynamic winery in the St. Helena AVA of Napa Valley, operating on a 42-acre estate with vines dating to the late 1800s. The estate was purchased in 2001 by Jean Leducq, a French philanthropist, who donated it upon his death to the Leducq Foundation funding cardiovascular research — a unique ownership structure for a Napa estate. The flagship 1886 Cabernet Sauvignon, named for the property's original founding year, averages higher at auction than the standard Estate Cabernet, and the estate's total auction average of $91 per bottle suggests a market recognizing quality without placing it in Napa's top-flight pricing tier. The estate's 42 acres are planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon with supporting Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Organic farming since 2012 and Demeter biodynamic certification have been marketed as differentiators, though at $91 average, the premium remains modest. Auction prices reach $584 for top lots — likely older verticals or magnums of the 1886 — while the floor at $1 reflects condition-impaired or single-bottle lots. The St. Helena address gives Ehlers Estate vineyard access to the warmer, gravel-rich valley floor that produces the supple, early-drinking style more commonly associated with Napa than mountain vignerons.