2001 Eisele Vineyard (Araujo) Cabernet Sauvignon
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Tasting notes
The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard is a monumental wine. I still remember the first time I tasted it, at the end of a long day in which our sample bottle was delivered late. Still quite dense, the 2001 possesses tremendous richness from start to finish. Black cherry, gravel, scorched earth, tobacco and incense lend gravitas and intensity. The 2001 needs a ton of time in the decanter. It lies at a marvelous intersection of old school and new world, that very precise style that defined Bart and Daphne Araujo's best wines at Araujo Estate. (AG)
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Robert Parker
The Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Absolutely superb, this 2003 is drinking beautifully. This blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot from the famous hillside Eisele Vineyard in northeast Napa Valley tips the scales at 14.5% natural alcohol. Gorgeously fresh black currant and black raspberry notes intermixed with spring flowers and forest floor jump from the glass from one of the most aromatically complex wines of the vintage. Medium to full-bodied with sweet fruit, velvety, melted, integrated tannin, a round, generous mouthfeel and no evidence of oak, this is a classy, elegant as well as substantial beauty that continues to age well. It may even be superior to Araujo’s 2002, which, on paper, is a better vintage.
(contains 4% cabernet franc) Ruby-red. Warm and inviting aromas of plum, mocha, tobacco, smoke and spices. Rich, silky and suave, with mellow, claret-like flavors of currant, plum, tobacco and mocha. Pure, layered and stylish wine, finishing with substantial but lush tannins and subtle persistence. One can see the hand of consulting enologist Michel Rolland in this wine.
About the producer
Eisele Vineyard is one of Napa’s oldest properties, first planted in the 1880s. Today owned by François Pinault of Ch. Latour, it is known for its top Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as the unique Sauvignon Blanc.