Beschreibung:

Araujo Estate, Eisele Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon
Above 11 bottles per lot
ARAUJO ESTATE The cult wine craze from California arguably began when Bart and Daphne Araujo bought the historic Eisele vineyard in 1990. From the beginning, Araujo represented California Cabernet at its finest, full of the dense and chewey fruit that kept the mailing list years long. Only 2000 cases made each year from 3 of the 38 Eisele acres. Presented here is a rare vertical from 1993 to 2003 and an opportunity to taste the cult fever a decade at a time. AC Araujo Estate, Eisele Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley --Vintage 1993 (1) "As I reported last year, the 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard is a spectacular wine from a vintage that has consistently received unfavorable press (particularly from the Wine Spectator). It seems to me that if the 1993 vintage were taken out of the context of the historical succession of outstanding years in the nineties, and put in the eighties, qualitatively, 1993 would tower over the likes of 1987, 1985, or 1984. The Eisele Vineyard 1993 Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the half dozen or so candidates for wine of the vintage. I have tasted it three times out of bottle, once rating it as high as 98, but never less than 96. It is a mind-boggling Cabernet Sauvignon that is remarkably well-balanced for its size and intensity. The color is an opaque purple, and the nose offers up smoky, chocolatey, blackcurrant, licorice, and mineral scents. On the palate, the wine reveals fabulous density, concentration, sweetness of fruit as well as tannin, and a 30-40 second finish. Although there is a high percentage of new oak, this wine has completely soaked it up, a testament to its extract and concentration of fruit. While the wine displays a certain precociousness, unusual for a 1993, there is plenty of tannin lurking in the finish, but it is well-concealed by the wine's exceptional richness. This beauty is destined to age effortlessly for 20-25 years. The Eisele Vineyard has always produced concentrated Cabernet Sauvignons with blackcurrant/cassis personalities intermixed with a mineral component. What the Araujos have been able to achieve is to intensify the fruit character, as well as the wine's purity and definition. That, plus high quality French oak barrels and a natural approach to winemaking has resulted in a succession of extraordinary Cabernets that began in 1991, and shows no signs of abating." Robert Parker Wine Advocate #108 (December 1996) --Vintage 1994 (1) "The Cabernet Sauvignon comes from the renowned Eisele Vineyard, which has a long history of producing stunning wines (the Ridge 1971 Eisele Vineyard, the Conn Creek 1974, the Phelps 1976 Insignia, and the 1975 and 1978 Eisele Vineyard Cabernets). At present, the Araujos limit production of their estate Cabernet Sauvignon to approximately 2,500 cases. It is a wine that combines the extraordinary power and richness of this hot area of Napa, with stunning purity and delineation. The 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard is just beginning to emerge from a period of post-bottling dormancy. Like its siblings, it exhibits an impressively saturated dark purple color. This wine is intent on revealing its charms at a relatively early age given its knock-out aromatics. Although slightly less powerful than the 1993 and marginally less concentrated than the 1995, the 1994 is still a profoundly rich, silky-textured wine with an uncanny balance between its smooth tannin and layers of cassis and blackberry/mineral-tinged fruit. This wine is particularly impressive if it is first decanted for 45 or so minutes. It will age well for 15-20 years. As is evident after tasting the wines from Araujo Estate in Napa Valley, this is a formidably run winery dedicated to producing exceptionally high quality wines. Readers should try and get on the mailing list, or at least on the waiting list for the mailing list!" Robert Parker Wine Advocate #114 (December 1997) --Vintage 1995 (1) "Araujo's Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard has become a ben