Eisele Vineyard Altagracia Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

First planted to vines in the 1880s, Eisele Vineyard sits in the northeast Napa Valley, just east of Calistoga at the base of the Palisades Mountain range. It’s been farmed organically since 1998 and biodynamically since 2000 with the site being principally dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon for the last fifty years. Beginning with the inaugural release bearing the Eisele name in 1971, this iconic vineyard has received consistent recognition for possessing one of the great terroirs in Napa Valley. The wines invariably express the exceptional depth, elegance and longevity which are hallmarks of the Eisele Vineyard.

Recently rebranded back to the name Eisele away from Araujo Estate with the sale to new owners, these wines speak to some of the best and truest expressions of Napa Valley. James Suckling recently called their Cabs “new wave.” I think what he means what he says that is that they’re tremendously balanced and elegant and are more focused and beautifully expressed rather than big, bold and clunky like the trend dating back to the late 1990s.