Araujo 1994 Eisele Vineyard

Aruajo 1994 Eisele Vineyard

The highlight of the Araujo vertical. A deep garnet core with a dark brick rim. It has a broody nose at first, plum, prune, minerals, moderate definition but not much lift. The medium-bodied palate, ultra-smooth entry and seamless tannins. Satin texture, very focused with good acidity. The power creeps up on you, real crescendo on the finish with a real kick on the back palate, almost a citrus-like in its freshness.

Critical Acclaim

95Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

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 1993 and marginally less concentrated than 1995, 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.

93Wine Spectator

This wine builds intensity and depth, with a youthful, vibrant core of black cherry, currant and wild berry. Deftly balanced, with firm tannins and fine structure, the finish shows power and finesse, with a rich aftertaste and loads of tannins yet to shed. *No. 4 Top 100 Wines of 1997, Highly Recommended.

92Vinous

Healthy dark red. Redcurrant, raspberry, tobacco, game and leather aromas are complicated by mineral and herb nuances. The palate offers sweet, plush flavors of bitter cherry, currant and exotic flowers. This wine strikes me as very different from the more recent vintages made here: less weighty and more precise. This is fully mature and going nowhere, but the finish is tangy, spicy and alive. Made by Tony Soter.