Historically, we’ve produced one Estate Cabernet Sauvignon at Buehler Vineyards in which we blend wines from various vineyard blocks: a melding of the disparate characteristics into one whole wine.  From time to time, we’re tempted to showcase a particular vineyard block for its unique character by bottling it on its own.  Beginning with the 2004 vintage, we gave in to the temptation and bottled a very limited amount of wine from Papa's Knoll's vineyard which is only sold directly from the winery or through our wine club.

What is Papa’s Knoll and where is it located?  Named after the landform in front of “Papa’s” (The late John Buehler, Sr.) house, this is our oldest vineyard block of Cabernet Sauvignon.  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.  The fact that we have to pay the pickers by the hour rather than by the ton to pick this block is testament to the ruggedness and inaccessibility of this block that routinely gives us no more than two tons per acre of grapes.

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.  
   
Papa's Knoll is typically the first block harvested off the Estate; dry-farming  as well as  the light-cropped nature of this block ensures that it delivers its bounty a full 10-20 days earlier than our other Estate blocks. 

Tasting observations:  The color is skewed to the blue end of the Cabernet spectrum and is opaque in nature.  The aromas hint at black fruit: ripe black cherries and black plums.  Enticing barrel qualities of cola spice and a hint of dried tarragon complement the fruit aromas.  On the palate, the wine shows layers of deeply extracted flavors that only old vine hillside vineyards can give. 

Retail $45.00

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-seven-year-old vines of River Vineyard have been the source of our Reserve Chardonnay since 1995.

For our Chardonnay program, “Reserve” designates traditional Burgundian winemaking techniques; it also denotes a very limited production wine.  

After whole-cluster pressing, the juice is settled overnight and then racked directly to French oak barrels (30% new) for a full barrel fermentation.  The wine then undergoes the secondary malolactic fermentation which tempers the natural acidity of the Russian River fruit; a fuller bodied wine results.  The wine rests, sur lie, for 9 months and the lees are stirred weekly to flesh out the mid-palate to yield a creamy textured, seamless wine.  The wine does not leave the barrel until it is racked out and bottled to ensure that the delicate fresh fruit aromas and creamy texture are preserved.

Varietal chardonnay aromas of peach, pineapple, 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. 

Retail $20

Comprised of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is crafted from grapes grown on our estate hillside vineyards (30%) 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.

Our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is racked four times in the first year of aging to encourage aromatic and tannin development. It is aged a total of 18 months in a blend of French and American oak barrels.

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, our Cabernet drinks well on release but will soften and develop with additional age. For those who seek youthful fresh Cabernet fruit aromas and a more structured wine, drink now.

Retail $25.00

The grapes we choose for our 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 23 years, our 4.5 acre estate block consists of mature thirty-eight year old vines which typically give us around 2.5 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.

Our Zinfandel is aged for 12 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels, 20% of which were new.  At this level of “new wood”, the up-front endearing quality of Zinfandel can assert itself.  Aromas of a briar patch on a hot summer day carry over to the palate and are carried in a mouth-filling, flavorful, juicy package.  The wine was crafted for immediate enjoyment but for those who enjoy a more complex wine displaying some bottle-aged character, aging for another two to three years is a good option.

Retail $19

We’ve been producing a White Zinfandel at Buehler since 1983. Our means of bringing you consistently delicious wines remains unchanged since 1983: we hand-pick our 100% zinfandel fruit riper than most producers and leave less residual sugar. Riper fruit translates to flavors like wild berries and strawberries; yes, real red zinfandel fruit flavors! The end result is a wine with more red zinfandel berry character and a less sweet, more refreshing taste.

Retail: $8.00

Our Russian River Chardonnay is born from two vineyards within the Russian River appellation: Wood Vineyard, located on River Rd and River Vineyard, located in the heart of Sonoma’s Russian River Valley on East Side Road.  The floral, mineral, and lime aromas and steely structure of the River Vineyard are complemented by the peach and apricot aromas and more fleshy structure of the Wood Vineyard.  

Our winemaking philosophy remains the same since we first introduced the Russian River Chardonnay in 1993: less intervention is better in dealing with a delicate variety like 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  Russian River Chardonnay displays abundant floral/ stone fruit aromas lightly accented by 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.