Buehler
Our family has been farming this beautiful estate for thirty-six years. We combine that experience and the unique terroir of our hillside vineyards with low yields, meticulous vineyard management, and minimalist winemaking techniques to create wines of uncommon complexity and depth, and to present these wines to wine lovers at reasonable prices.
714965 - Russian River Chardonnay 2004
We’ve been producing our Russian River Chardonnay from the same vineyard since 1993. River Vineyard, located in the heart of Sonoma’s Russian River Valley on East Side Road, consistently delivers delicious fruit with signature qualities of the appellation: floral, mineral, lime scents with good underlying acidity.
Our winemaking philosophy remains the same: less intervention is better in dealing with a delicate variety like chardonnay.
The 2004 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.
720658 - Russian River Chardonnay Reserve 2005
For our chardonnay program, “Reserve” designates traditional Burgundian winemaking techniques. After whole-cluster pressing, the juice is settled overnight and then racked directly to French oak barrels (40% 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 10 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, unfiltered, to ensure that the delicate fresh fruit aromas and creamy texture are preserved.
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.
714963 - Napa Valley Zinfandel 2005
The grapes that went into our 2005 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 consisits of mature thirty-five 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.
714968 - Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Comprised of 100% cabernet sauvignon, our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is crafted from grapes grown on our estate hillside vineyards (25%) 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.
714969 - Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
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.
The aromas hint at black fruit: ripe black cherries and black plums. Enticing barrel qualities of cola and spice complement the fruit aromas. On the palate, the wine shows layers of deeply extracted flavors that only mature hillside vineyards can give. Our Estate Cabernet is the most age-worthy wine we produce and may be enjoyed anytime over the next 15 years. For those who seek youthful fresh cabernet fruit aromas and a more structured wine, drink it from 2006 through 2010. If you prefer the less fruity, more developed bottle bouquet aromas and a softer, more velvety wine on the palate, drink it from 2011-2021.
Website: Buehler Vineyards
