Ellman Family Napa Valley Wine Tasting with Special Guest Neil Ellman

"If all be true that I do think, There are five reasons we should drink: Good wine a friend or being dry Or lest we should be by and by Or any other reason why."
- Henry Aldrich

We have a lot of good reasons to drink at the Wine Watch: like days that end in “Y” Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights!  We don’t take Sunday off that is Margherita night at the Lampasone house!!!

Ellman Family Vineyards is owned by one of our neighbors here in Fort Lauderdale, Lance and Neil Ellman who are also customers of the Wine Watch!  These two brothers have a passion for wine and they decided to go to California to make their own.  Originally, they bought into a custom crush facility and have managed to secure some excellent fruit sources to use for their two bottlings of Pinot Noir and their two Bordeaux inspired Blends. 

Today they are using mostly their estate vineyard that is located on the Silverado Trail, this 20-acre, west-facing parcel is now over 20 years old and is producing some of the best fruit to date.  We have been following the Ellmans from day one and think that these new releases are the best wines they have produced.

Join us as we welcome Neil Ellman to town for a special Happy Hour wine tasting featuring their newest releases.  The fee for this tasting is $125 + tax per person, for reservations e-mail andy@winewatch.com or call 954-523-9463.

HAPPY HOUR WINE TASTING FEATURING ELLMAN FAMILY VINEYARDS
WITH SPECIAL GUEST NEIL ELLMAN
Thursday, October 26, 2023
6:00 PM

2022 ELLMAN FAMILY SAUVIGNON BLANC CARYN RENAE RUTHERFORD
Price: $59.00                   Your Price: $51.92
97% Sauvignon Blanc, 3% Sauvignon Musqué
The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc does indeed show the intensity of the vintage.  Whole-cluster pressing, barrel fermentation, and extended lees contact give the wine a purity, a broad palate impression, and a lingering, fresh finish.  Only a small percentage of new French oak means that the wine is framed by subtle spice notes, but the fruit is the star of the show.  Aromas of grapefruit, lemongrass, and white peach are the first impressions.  On the palate, the citrus notes dance along with subtle notes of vanilla bean and Amalfi lemon drops.  The wine is mouthwatering, juicy, and long, and will certainly be well received as a spring and summer treat.

2019 ELLMAN FAMILY BROTHERS BLEND NAPA
Price: $75.00                   Your Price: $66.00
A blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Merlot (Bench Vineyard).  The 2019 Brothers Blend is the perfect introduction to the Ellman Family Vineyards line-up. With the core blend from the Estate vineyard coupled with a neighboring Coombsville site, the 2019 is approachable, and then some, offering up a deep ruby cast and intense aromatics from dark fruits like blackberries and currants to baking spice—think cinnamon, vanilla and clove!— and a hint of woodsy, herbals notes like thyme, fresh earth and cigar box. Generous on the palate, complexity abounds with lush red and black fruits, from dark, sweet cherries to bramble fruits and a slew of plum varieties, giving way to notes of pie crust, cacao, as well as hints of roses and violets. With a creamy texture and juicy nature, it packs excellent density without a rough edge in sight.

2017 ELLMAN FAMILY JEMMA RED NAPA MAGNUM
Price: $203.25                 Your Price: $178.86
2017 ELLMAN FAMILY VINEYARDS JEMMA PROPRIETARY BLEND NAPA
Price: $97.50                   Your Price: $85.80

"Our 2017 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is comprised of a small barrel selection of the finest fruit from our vineyard. With a lustrous, deep ruby hue, the 2017 is aromatically quite generous, with copious red fruits from pomegranates, Mirabelle plums, and cranberries to more tertiary characters of wet stones, cigar box, and terracotta. Balancing its elegance with extreme power, the palate gives way to a myriad of fruit and floral notes from Tulare cherries and black currants to violets. Balanced with hints of espresso, dark chocolate, and dried marjoram, it is replete with mouth-coating tannins and a lengthy finish. With incredible precision, this wine is to be enjoyed now and will continue to evolve for years to come." - Winemaker Andy Erickson

2019 ELLMAN FAMILY VINEYARDS JEMMA PROPRIETARY BLEND NAPA
Price: $130.75                 Your Price: $115.06
100% Cabernet Sauvignon (100% Ellman Estate)
Focusing solely on the Ellman Estate vineyard, the perennial elegance of Jemma reigns supreme in the 2019 vintage. With a profound, dense ruby hue, our ethereal 2019 Jemma performs a playful dance of sweet and savory movements. Bounteous aromatics of freshly harvested fruits and flowers from a basket of sweet violets to just-plucked blackberries from the vine comingle with layered notes of bouquet garni, espresso crema, and transportive salumi like lardo di colonnata and finocchina. Effusive on the palate, it whisks you away for a walk in the woods with heady fragrance of freshly upturned earth, garriqgue and bramble fruits, all from the comfort and warmth of your perch. Muscular and weighty, the dark fruit character is precisely framed with concentrated yet chocolatey tannins, and a lingering, suffusive finish. Aptly paired with a classic Entrecôte Marchand de Vin, or if you are feeling adventuresome, a savory wild mushroom Wellington.

2019 ELLMAN FAMILY VINEYARDS CABERNET SAUVIGNON THE ESTATE NAPA
Price: $275.00                 Your Price: $242.00
100% Cabernet Sauvignon (100% Ellman Estate)
Comprised of a small barrel selection of the finest fruit from our meticulously farmed family vineyard, our 2019 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is sublime, full stop. Deep and brooding, the 2019 vintage is incredibly age-worthy, and will continue to develop and evolve over time. As the foundation of the Ellman suite of wines with an intense, profusive ruby hue, it overdelivers with myriad notes of tarragon, Spanish cedar, and caffè crema, interlaced with provocative aromatics of fervent Attika cherries, slow-roasted meats— suckling lamb leaps to mind— and crushed cayenne. Walking the tightrope of finesse with consummate power, the palate gives way to layered flavors of elderberry, cassis, sarsaparilla and nuanced notes of chorizo, wild mushrooms, hibiscus and bittersweet chocolate, which interplay with its formidable framework. Truly contemplative, this wine commands respect, and will reveal itself felicitously over time. 

Menu
Selection of Cheese and Charcuterie
Shrimp and Pork Shumai with Black vinegar dipping Sauce
Beef Sliders with Mushroom Mayo and Jack Cheese
Pork Belly Bites with Orange Marmalade
Foie Gras Sushi

The fee for this tasting is $125 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

A bit about Ellman Family Vineyards:

As third generation manufacturers, we believe in tradition and taking pride in cultivating a business that has been in our family for almost three-quarters of a century. In our pursuit to create a legacy for our family, we began our journey as vintners in the Napa Valley. We honor the traditions of this community with our love and appreciation for the gracious land as well as our spirit of hospitality.

Working closely with our team including Winemaker, Andy Erickson, and Vineyard Manager, Mike Wolf, we are confident in our product which is home-grown here in the Napa Valley. We express the utmost gratitude for being able to share our journey with you as we continue to pursue our vision and write our own story.

When we first visited Napa, we couldn’t help but notice an abundance of similarities to our native wine region of Stellenbosch in South Africa. An overwhelming feeling of familiarity provided us with a sense of place and belonging. The two mountain ranges that define the Napa Valley, draw stark comparisons to one another. Although the lushness of the western Mayacamas range, with its vibrant green hillsides, is stunning, it is the picturesque backdrop and topography of the eastern Vaca mountain range that reminds us of our South African roots. For that reason, our family felt confident that this would be the foundation for ELLMAN.

Our vineyard is a 20-acre, west-facing parcel along the historic Silverado Trail. We are nestled at the base of Soda Canyon in the shadows of Atlas Peak. Because the vineyard is planted in an ancient riverbed on the bench of the Vaca Mountains, the vines benefit from traits of both the valley floor and hillside characteristics. The soil is strewn with cobbles and rocks, stressing the vines and offering optimal drainage. Planted in 1999 to a sought-after suitcase clone of Cabernet Sauvignon, the combination of gentle slope, rocky soils, and old-world clonal material cooperate to produce wines of richness, complexity, and elegance.