Ehlers Estate winemaker Laura Díaz Muñoz and wine educator Peg Melnik to host exclusive wine dinners and educational seminar on the 7-night river cruise through Bordeaux
(November 8, 2019; Saint Helena, Calif.)—Laura Díaz Muñoz, winemaker of Napa Valley’s esteemed Ehlers Estate winery, is inviting wine lovers to join her on a 7-day wine-filled river cruise through Bordeaux aboard the AmaWaterway’s AmaDolce. Departing from the town of Bordeaux on May 14, 2020, the cruise will travel through Bordeaux’s most storied regions, from Saint-Émilion to Pauillac and will offer numerous exclusive wine tastings and events. The cruise makes the perfect holiday gift for any wine lover. Reservations can be made through Expedia CruiseShipCenter, North Bay by emailing wineclub@cruiseshipcenters.com or calling 877.651.7447, referencing CST# 2101270-50.
“Wine doesn’t get any better than Bordeaux and Napa Valley, and the opportunity to experience the best of both regions together is a dream come true for any wine lover,” says Laura. “We’ve created an incredible itinerary. I can’t think of a better way to experience the beauty and wines of Bordeaux.”
Laura will kick off this exclusive river cruise with a welcome reception featuring wines grown and made at Ehlers Estate, a 42-acre contiguous CCOF organically farmed estate vineyard and winery, based in Napa Valley’s Saint Helena AVA. The cruise will offer additional educational wine seminars led by Laura, regional wine seminars led by wine educator Peg Melnik, and two Ehlers Estate wine dinners. With stops planned in Libourne, Blaye, Bourg, Pauillac, and Cadillac, the cruise will offer guests the numerous opportunities to explore the wines, history and scenic countryside of Bordeaux. Activities include vineyard biking and hiking tours, an exclusive wine festival in Bourg, and tastings of Grand Cru Classé and Sauternes wines.
Born in Spain, Laura Díaz Muñoz grew up sharing sips of wine with her father while watching the fishing boats during their family vacations in the North of Spain. After completing her post graduate degree in enology at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Laura started her career in La Mancha and worked in different wine regions in Spain. A few years later, Laura left Spain and traveled to New Zealand and Chile learning as much as she could about winemaking and the influence of terroir in different wine regions. For over a decade, Laura has been making wine in the Napa Valley as the Associate Winemaker for Cardinale, Lokoya, Mt Brave, La Jota, Galerie, and now Ehlers Estate.
Wine educator and author Peg Melnik will co-host the cruise. Experienced and knowledgeable, Peg presents seminars and tastings on luxury European cruise lines. She was the lead author of the Explorer’s Guide to Napa & Sonoma in its 11th edition, published by W.W. Norton, and wrote the Gratitude Report from 2014 to 2017 for the Huffington Post. As a free-lance writer, Peg’s most daring story, published in The Los Angeles Times, chronicled her adventure of hiking into Headwaters Forest, the most political woods in California.
About Ehlers Estate:
Ehlers Estate is a picturesque 42-acre vineyard with a stone barn winery dating back to 1886. All the wines are estate-grown and produced, and the vineyards, which are planted to Bordeaux varietals, are certified organic by the CCOF.
The original winery was established by Bernard Ehlers. Today, the winery is owned by the Leducq Foundation, a trust established by Jean and Sylviane Leducq in 1996. The Leducqs came to the Napa Valley from France in search of a contiguous estate to create a winemaking legacy much like the great chateaux of Bordeaux.
The vineyard is divided into five main blocks (based primarily on soil type) and 25 sub-blocks. It has six different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon planted on multiple rootstocks, seven sub-blocks of Merlot, four of Cabernet Franc, two of Sauvignon Blanc and a block of Petit Verdot. The vineyard’s northern Napa Valley microclimate is defined by cool fog in the mornings, burnt off by bright, full sun at mid-day, and breezes in the afternoon to ensure slow, steady and even ripening for the grapes.
Ehlers Estate produces nine wines: 1886 Cabernet Sauvignon ($125), J. Leducq Cabernet Sauvignon ($90), Portrait Red Blend ($75), Cabernet Sauvignon ($55), Cabernet Franc ($65), Merlot ($55), Petit Verdot ($65), Sauvignon Blanc ($32) and Sylviane Rosé ($36).
