Ian Staub

9.2

In a constant casual search for birth year bottles, I came across this - I liked the smart label design and recognized the Eisele name, but wasn’t expecting much. Amazingly fresh and vibrant! Just starting to show elegant tertiary character of cigar box and incense, with a core of fresh berry and stone fruit. Palate is generous and velvety. A fantastic surprise and beautiful pairing for the old standby NY strip steak and roasted potatoes. — 6 years ago

with Jake

Sarah Milsow-Guenther

9.1

Nice dark color. Nice nose, dark fruit and maybe some bark? Some sort of spice-y note. Nice Cab from CA. — 7 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.7

@Delectable Wine this is the PNV version of this wine. ..... I will do unspeakable things to acquire another case of this. Perfectly aged, nearing the top of the curve in the next 5 years or so. This wine was poured from Coravin. Dark violet pour. Nose of green pepper steak, black peppercorns, blackberry truffle. The entry is perfectly aged blackberry cassis, peppery, still some acidity. Peppered beef jerky to the middle, truffles and bitter dark chocolate. Leathery and smoky finish, tannin still present but I can imagine much more rounded than a few years ago. Herbal length on the finish. GOOD. LAWD. This wine was SINGING tonight. This is now 1 of 8 wines I've ever given a 97. Well deserved. Eisele put their heart and soul into this PNV offering. — 8 years ago

Joe Roth

9.0

Very nice viognier. Don’t know why I haven’t been drinking these. — 8 years ago

with Michael

Andrew MacMillan

9.2

Andy's birthday 2017 — 9 years ago

B

9.0

Magnum 1999 Harlan Estate. Welcome dinner for D fam at RW. Drank this after the '96 Araujo Eisele out of magnum. Unfortunately, this bottle was not stored properly and just didn't drink great. Unanimous that Araujo hit it out of the park and that this wine was not what it should have been. It was hot, lacked dimension, and the finish was abrupt and harsh. It should have been great, as we have been enjoying other '99s at this time, but not this bottle. — 9 years ago

Kierandecanted

9.4

The 2012 Araujo ‘Altagracia Estate’ Proprietary Red Napa Valley Technical Director Helene Mingot notes “This Altagracia is a generous wine reflecting the exceptional quality of the vintage. The 2012 vintage is balanced and harmonious, offering beautiful ripeness with no excess. The wine reflects the character of the eastern parcels of the Eisele Vineyard, and its fine-grained tannins provide a perfect foil for the intensity and richness of the layered fruit.” 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, 4% Malbec. This is without a doubt the best altagracia made to date! Anyone lucky enough to have tasted this wine knows what were talking about. #araujo #altagracia #propred #napa #winelover #instawine #wine #wino #vino #cheers — 10 years ago

Bill Bender

9.4

Italian tasting-Loma Portal 11/23. Co-wine of flight #3. My favorite Tignanello so far. Reminded me of the '02 Araujo Eisele Cab. Velvet deliciousness. — 11 years ago

Matt Sterr

9.2

Dense and dark. Heavy oak that matches up well with the blend. CS, CF, Merlot in even amounts. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.2

This is K&L’s private label and this particular vintage is from the famed Eisele vineyard. Producer is unknown, but they either buy wine from a certain producer or have the producer make it for them.

It started off thin but only needed 15-20mins for the power to arrive. Still dark in the glass with just a slight fading around the rim. Blackberry, old cocoa dusted dates, baked fig, old pipe tobacco aromatics. Low acidity and tannin on the palate, gaining heft in the middle. A balance of fruit (red at first turning dark quickly) with mainly black cherry and plum, and cedar/underbrush. The finish is surprisingly youthful with dusty tannin.

Keeping QPR in mind (these are about $22 on release), this is really nice, and are probably best with 7-10yrs on them to see how they age at that price. Many thanks to @David T for helping me get my hands on one of these. — 7 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.7

Needed something to ease the pain of leaving Napa tomorrow. Some extraordinary sites, exceptional wines, and even better people...
Theorem Vineyards
Arkenstone Vineyards
Frank Family Vineyards
Ashes & Diamonds
Carter Cellars
Envy Wines
Ancillary Cellars
Ovid
Pride Mountain Vineyards
Outpost Wines
Volker Eisele Family Estate — 8 years ago

Bill Bender

9.3

Clean and tasty as f*%k!! I'd rate this a notch above the Rudd Mt. Veeder SB and definitely on par with the Araujo Eisele. This should evolve a bit. Still a tad wound up. — 8 years ago

William Hughes

9.3

Wow! The man sure could make good wines! Flavors of iron, game meat, fennel, loads of ripe dark fruits, and sandalwood. Plenty of velvety tannins and and a dose of surprising acidity around the edges. This will last in a cellar another ten years without a worry. — 9 years ago

Nic Z

9.3

Tastes like an average year eisele. Great value — 10 years ago

Michael Pitts

9.0

'75 Phelps ' villages ' wine. Not Insignia, not Eisele, just delicious. — 10 years ago

Mike Mentesana

10

This is one wine where I was surprised. Top 5 wine of my life. Acid, balance, fruit...mouth feel was supreme. Blackberry, truffle. — 11 years ago

with Jason

Matt Sterr

9.0

78% Semillon 22% Sauvignon Blanc. Lovely acid, dry fruit and mineral flavors. Love the mouthfeel. — 7 years ago

Stephen Osgood

9.0

Dark, one dimensional....especially next to a knock out 85 Phelps Eisele. — 7 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.4

Bart and Daphne Araujo sold their eponymous Estate and its jewel, the Eisele Vineyard, to François Pinault of Château Latour five years ago. The offer from Pinault “came out of the blue,” according to Bart, but it was one the Araujos couldn’t refuse. Not being ready to retire, work started immediately on their next project, Accendo.
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The focus at Accendo (pronounced “akkendo” and meaning: to kindle, illuminate, inflame, arouse) is almost clichéd if not on trend for a new Napa project - restraint and reverence to the wines of the 1960s and 70s. Sourced from vineyards in St. Helena and Oakville, they produce Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. The team includes Françoise Peschon, Michel Rolland, and Steve Matthiasson, as well as the Araujo’s children Jaime and Greg.
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Extraordinarily mineral driven. My first thought was this is what Napa SB would taste like if it was made by Weingut Keller, mouthwatering, layered minerality with lime and citrus blossom accents. Yasss! — 7 years ago

Rebecca Fletcher

9.2

Ripe black and red cherry, red currant, baking spice, vanilla, a touch of caramel and brown sugar. M acid. M body. Long finish. Still young but drinkable and balanced. — 8 years ago

jesus g

Hospitality Schramsberg Vineyards

9.6

Our friend Doug Eisele showed this to the team a couple days ago. Grapes sourced from his family's estate — 9 years ago

John Sweeney

9.3

So much potential! After an hour in the glass just begins to open up. Precise, layers of depth and elegant. Nice! — 10 years ago

Henrik Poulsen

9.6

Beautifully "restrained" (if that term applies to Napa blockbusters) and showing fantastic balance.
This reminds me of 2003 Araujo Eisele CS at age 5+.

Buy as much as you can afford and then put a few extra bottles on your CC.
This is going to be a legend in 20+ years.
— 10 years ago