2022 Eisele Vineyard ‘Altagracia’ Cabernet Sauvignon,
Napa Valley Estate

$159.99 with shipping included on 3 bottles or more

88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot, 100% amazing!  We’ve been following this wonderful estate back since Paul Draper first bottled a 1971 Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon for Ridge Vineyards and those wonderful Joseph Phelps bottlings that came later.  Of course, this singular Calistoga spot rose to its current prominence when it was purchased, replanted and converted to organic and biodynamic viticulture by Bart Araujo in the early nineteen-nineties, subsequently producing a string of absolutely stunning Araujo Eisele Cab bottlings until the vineyard’s purchase, in 2013, by François Pinault, also the owner of Pauillac’s iconic Chateau Latour.  Pinault has refined the farming, further embracing biodynamics and organics, while subtly tweaking the winemaking, all with the mindset of creating the best version of a Pauillac estate in Calistoga.  With the new regime’s first vintage coming in 2014, it can be said that the current wines being produced on the Eisele property are the best ever, and as anyone who has had any of the Araujos’ wines from the 1990s or early 2000s would say, that’s quite a bold statement.  The ‘Grand Vin’ Eisele Cab really does see itself as the Latour of the Napa Valley and who are we to argue?  Still, it’s priced that way.  If you have room in your cellar, we’d be happy to get you a few bottles of the transcendent 2021 at $650 a bottle!  But, to be honest, you’re not trading down that far to obtain the winery’s 2022 Altagracia Cabernet Sauvignon, a gracious, supremely elegant wine that magnificently shows off the character of this singular estate.  We were fortunate enough to try this wine this past Friday and I still have the lingering taste in my mouth- its dark, dusky black and red fruits, its graphite, bitter chocolate, tobacco and mineral and the entrancing floral notes that lead to a simply gorgeous finish- a wine of unparalleled understatement and finesse.  We don’t often recommend purchasing wines at this price-point, particularly, these days, Napa Valley Cabs, but this is truly an exception; especially if you enjoy wines that emphasize polish, silkiness and complexity over raw power.  Drink now because it’s so freaking delicious, or watch it turn into an even better wine over the next decade.  Very highly recommended. 1300 cases produced.

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James Suckling: A savory and juicy wine with thyme and citrus blossoms on the nose. Medium-bodied with delicious fruit and forest flower character. Long and juicy. Drink now and enjoy. 94 points

Jeb Dunnuck: The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Altagracia comes from the more clay, volcanic hillsides located on the eastern side of the estate.  It has a Pauillac-like style in its darker currants, iron, tobacco, and graphite-driven aromas, and it’s medium to full-bodied, has a balanced, layered mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and outstanding length.  Drink bottles any time over the coming 10-12 years. 93 points