Wine
Aiming for perfection at every step of our winemaking, we let the Eisele Vineyard speak its clearest voice.
“Geology created the distinctions for us, and we must respect those differences. We can’t go against the truth of this place.”
With several years of farming Eisele Vineyard behind us, we better understand the unique geologic construct of this place, with insight that fully informs the terroir-driven approach to the wines we make here. Eisele naturally divides itself into two distinct locations, with genetic differences carved into the site by time, water and wind over millennia. The eastern, upper blocks feature younger, volcanic soils with large boulders and cobblestones. The vines here are the source for Alta Gracia, a wine that calls to mind the broad-shouldered, forthcoming style of Napa
Valley Cabernets. Down slope and bisected by Simmons Canyon Creek are blocks that comprise the heart of the Eisele Vineyard. The soils here are older, sedimentary but not yet granular. This is the source of Eisele Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine reminiscent only of itself: elegant and refined, precise but not powerful, with beautifully defined flavors and textures. As we meticulously vinify the two wines from ground to bottle, there is no thought about one taking precedence over the other. They are created only to reflect the place and time in which they are grown.
Cabernet Sauvignon
To produce the estate’s flagship wine, three quarters of the 38-acre Eisele Vineyard is dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon and its companion varieties, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The resulting wine is an intense expression of the Eisele Vineyard terroir, exhibiting characteristic flavors of cassis, blackberry, cedar and chocolate, with a lingering mineral finish. Cabernets from the Eisele Vineyard are highly regarded for their complexity, concentration, weight without heaviness, silky texture and ability to age for decades.
Altagracia
Altagracia, named after Bart Araujo’s grandmother, is a Bordeaux-style blend vinified in the same manner as the Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. It is essentially the expression of the Eastern parcels of the Eisele Vineyard, completed with fruit sourced from other Napa Valley vineyards where we hold long-term grape contracts and which are farmed to our specifications. This Napa Valley Proprietary Red, while very ageable, is readily enjoyable in its youth.
Syrah
Syrah was first planted on the estate in 1978. After making wine from the few remaining vines in 1991 and 1993, a serious commitment to this ancient and noble grape was made, increasing the plantings in the vineyard. Eisele Syrah is a profound, mysteriously compelling wine that reveals yet another aspect of the Eisele Vineyard’s unique terroir.
Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is the white wine from the Eisele Vineyard. The parcels are located on the Eastern side of the property, where the hills provide ideal protection from the afternoon sun, preserving the freshness and energy of this wine. The blending of two Sauvignon Blanc clones: Sauvignon Musque with its slightly exotic flavors, and Sauvignon Blanc with a lean, gravely structure, produces a wine of great pleasure that speaks of the long warm summers and the dry cobbly soils. Starting with the 2013 vintage, extended elevage on the lees has added tension and aromatic complexity to this unique wine.
Viognier
Viognier was planted for co-fermenting with the Eisele Syrah. An unreliable bearer, Viognier in some years provides us with enough crop to bottle on its own, producing a profoundly aromatic and seductive wine redolent of honey, apricots, orange blossoms and spice.