Buehler Vineyards - Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley Zinfandel, Russian River Chardonnay

2003 Buehler Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Estate

Situated in the mountains above Conn Valley and near the base of Howell Mountain, the Buehler Estate vineyards are planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon. The juxtaposed topography of steeply sloped hillsides with eastern exposures against very gently sloping hills with southern and southwestern exposures hints at the tumultuous geologic past of the Estate; extensive faulting resulted in at least three distinct soil types. Not surprisingly, grapes grown on the different soils give different characteristics to the finished wines; these differences are often as great as the differences between various Bordeaux varieties and allow us to blend within the variety of Cabernet Sauvignon to craft a truly multi-faceted Estate wine.

$36 / bottle

3000 CASES PRODUCED

2005 Papa's Knoll Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

What is Papa's Knoll and where is it located? Named after the landform in front of "Papa's" (John Buehler, Sr.) house, this is our oldest Cabernet Sauvignon block. The face of the knoll is steeply terraced with an easterly exposure; the top of the knoll is best described as a shallow bowl with no rim on the south side. This three acre block was planted in 1971 and is the only dry-farmed Cabernet block on the estate.

What differentiates the wines from Papa's Knoll from our other vineyard blocks? A few terms spring to mind: power, color, depth. If a dark, lushly textured, concentrated wine is your goal, this wine argues that dry-farming old vines is a good way to achieve it.

$45 / bottle

250 CASES PRODUCED

Our search for grapes worthy of producing our Reserve designated chardonnay brought us to the Russian River Valley where cool-climate varieties thrive. The thirty-three-old vines of River Vineyard have been the source of our Reserve Chardonnay since 1995.

Varietal chardonnay aromas of peach and citrus blossom are complemented by sur lie notes of crème brulee and graham crackers. On the palate, the wine displays a creamy, lush texture with a long, lingering finish that invites another sip.

$22 / bottle

370 CASES PRODUCED

Comprised of 100% cabernet sauvignon, our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is crafted from grapes grown on our estate hillside vineyards (35%) in conjunction with grapes from other mature, high-quality, low-yielding Napa Valley cabernet vineyards located on the valley floor. We've found the resulting blend to produce a wine that displays a broad spectrum of aromas, flavors, and textures that cabernet can show in the Napa Valley.

The wine is brimming with fruit aromas and flavors biased to the black fruit end of the cabernet spectrum: plums, blackberry, black currant. Rich and full-bodied on the palate, this cabernet drinks well on release but will soften and develop with additional age.

90 points - Wine Spectator

$27 /bottle

The grapes we choose for our 2006 Buehler Vineyards Napa Valley Zinfandel are a mix of those off our estate vineyards and grapes from other select Napa Valley high quality, low-yielding vineyards. Dry-farmed for over a decade, our 4.5 acre estate block consists of mature thirty-six year old vines which typically give us around 3.0 tons/acre of beautiful hillside zinfandel fruit. Interspersed among the head-trained vines are a handful of Petite Sirah vines representing perhaps 5% of the total vines in this block. A traditional field companion to Zinfandel in pre-prohibition California vineyards, Petite Sirah contributes pepper, color, and tannin structure to the wine.

$18 / bottle

SOLD OUT

Our means of bringing you consistently delicious wines remains unchanged since 1983: we hand pick our Napa Valley fruit riper than most producers and leave less residual sugar. Riper fruit means flavors like wild berries and strawberries abound. Imagine! A white zinfandel with real zinfandel berry character and a less sweet, more refreshing taste.

$7.00 / bottle

Our 2006 Russian River Chardonnay is born from Wood Vineyard, located on River Road, and River Vineyard, located on East Side Road. The floral, mineral, and lime aromas of the River Vineyard are complemented by the peach and apricot aromas of the Wood Vineyard.

Our winemaking philosophy remains the same since we introduced the Russian River Chardonnay in 1993: less intervention is better with chardonnay. Winemaking techniques including sur-lie aging, lees stirring, full malolactic fermentation, and the measured use of some new French oak are employed to bring you this delicious rendition from Sonoma's premier chardonnay appellation.

The 2007 Russian River Chardonnay spotlights the floral/lime quality of the fruit aromas and accents them with toasty, graham cracker sur-lie qualities. The mouthfeel is creamy and full but the natural acidity of the Russian River fruit carries this velvet textured package to a long, clean finish.

$15 / bottle