Eisele Vineyard

The origins of Eisele Vineyard pre-date the widespread development of viticulture in Napa Valley with the oldest plots first planted to vine in the 1880s. Eisele Vineyard (formerly known as Araujo Estate) is located in the northeast Napa Valley, just east of Calistoga. Situated on an alluvial fan near the northern end of the Napa Valley shielded by the Palisades Mountains, cooled by the westerly breezes from the Chalk Hill Gap, the vineyard is planted on well-drained cobbly soils that produce a low-yielding crop of exceptionally concentrated fruit. The history of the Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is a succession of special moments, from the first bottling designating the vineyard under the Ridge label in 1971 to the Joseph Phelps bottling (1975-1991) and the Araujo Estate years (1991-2012), all of which have put forward the name of this unique piece of land.

The wines produced in this remarkable 38-acre vineyard have a rare combination of forthright character with precisely defined flavors and fine textures, deep concentration without any sense of heaviness, and the capacity to develop profound complexity with age. To reinforce the unique terroir of the vineyard, the team follows organic (since 1998) and biodynamic (since 2000) practices using cover crops and biodynamic preparations made from the herbs and flowers grown on property. The Eisele Vineyard grapes are certified ‘Organic’ by CCOF and ‘Biodynamic’ by Demeter. The team is also ever mindful of its imprint on the environment around the vineyard.

When Artémis Domaines (which comprises Château Latour, Domaine d’Eugénie, Château Grillet, Clos de Tart, Beaux-Frères, Champagne Jacquesson) and the Pinault Family acquired Araujo Estate in 2013, Eisele Vineyard had already been designated for forty vintages. With the leadership of CEO Antoine Donnedieu de Vabres and Winemaker Hélène Mingot, the experienced team continues to build on the vineyard legacy of stewardship while aiming to fully realize its potential. Changes, when considered, are only in service to letting the terroir speak more clearly. There is no signature, no dogma or style of wine the team is trying to achieve but a journey that demands a long view and requires curiosity, creativity, and an unflagging passion for pursuing excellence. By constantly challenging themselves and brooking no compromise, the Eisele team hopes to create wines that reflect the essence of this magical vineyard in the most authentic way possible.