2011 Eisele Vineyard 'Araujo Estate' Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Vibrant and fresh, layered with distinctive minerality and nuance. The ethereal tannins are simply melted throughout, supporting a delicious texture and prolonged by a lingering finish.
The 2011 Eisele Vineyard Cabernet combines deep library energy and elegance with a sense of restraint, providing great pleasure for wine enthusiast. Fermentations in small tanks proceeded without delay.
The wine was then aged in new French oak barrels for 19 months and bottled in August 2013. The Eisele Vineyard grapes are certified 'Organic' by CCOF since 1998 and 'Biodynamic' by Demeter since 2002.
First planted in 1880, Araujo’s Eisele Vineyard in Calistoga is steeped in mythology. The vineyard is a good example of the transcendent power of a great terroir, because no matter who makes the wines, they always provide an extraordinary drinking experience. Even before Bart and Daphne Araujo purchased this gravelly, cobblestone-laden vineyard in 1989, legendary wines like the 1971 Ridge Eisele, 1974 Conn Creek Eisele, and 1975 Joseph Phelps Eisele Cabernets galvanized its position as one of the greatest sites in not just the valley, but all of California. Today winemaking and blending is overseen by Frédéric Engerer, who is also CEO of Château Latour. There is something magical about the Eisele vineyard. There’s no other way to say it. Effortless power, intense, gravelly goût de terroir, and haunting cassis perfume make this one of the great wines of the United States. The Estate Cabernet wine is made from THE prime cut of Eisele Vineyard, one of the most purely alluvial vineyards in the entire Napa Valley, whose gravels and stones were washed down via Simmons Creek over millennia. It’s this alluvial character, which Cabernet Sauvignon roots crave, that lends credence to the argument that Eisele Vineyard is simply the finest site in the entire Napa Valley. Being a Cabernet Sauvignon collector without Eisele in your cellar is like being a rock and roll fan without a single Beatles, Who, or Stones album in your possession. This American Grand Cru is required drinking if you crave the best in life!
James Suckling
Compelling aromas of black fruits such as brambleberries, plus blueberries and fresh mushrooms. Asphalt, too. Forest fruits. The tannins just melt into the wine as you taste it. Aristocratic and regal in style and length. A powdery, fascinating texture. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink now, but better in 2017.
Vinous
The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard is the last wine Bart and Daphne Araujo made from start to finish before selling their winery and vineyard to the Artemis Group. All the Eisele signatures are there, but the volume is just turned down. Dark berry fruit, gravel, spice, earthiness and leather lend striking aromatic nuance throughout. This mid- weight, supremely elegant Cabernet Sauvignon is sublime.