Wine
Aiming for perfection at every step of our winemaking,
we let the Eisele Vineyard speak its clearest voice.
At Eisele Vineyard winemaking takes a back seat to terroir, and respect for the fruit is essential. There is no signature, no dogma or style of wine we are trying to achieve. We believe in the utmost attention to detail at every stage of winemaking, applying intellectual rigor, curiosity, and a willingness to challenge ourselves at each step.
In the vineyard, we do everything within our power to produce the finest fruit each growing season. In the cellar,
our winemaking is precise and stripped of pretension, our approach purposeful, uncompromising, natural, and honest. We respect what each vintage gives us, and the authenticity of the story that each growing season tells.
Wines from the Eisele Vineyard consistently carry the stamp of depth and balance that has characterized wines from this place since 1971. They will speak with purity and intention, in the clear voice of their singular terroir.
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.
