Eisele Vineyard

First planted in 1886, Eisele Vineyard has become a treasured Napa Valley site in Calistoga. The now-famous Eisele Vineyard has been celebrated for decades, passing through the hands of big names such as Joseph Phelps, Araujo Estate, and now François Pinault (famous for owning Chateau Latour amongst other world-famous estates) who acquired the estate in 2013. 

Transforming the vineyard to Grand Cru levels, the Pinaults put Hélène Mingot and Antoine Donnedieu de Vabres in charge of the winemaking. For the last 10 years, the duo has concocted some of Napa's most spectacular wines, with the recent addition of the 21-acre Frediani Vineyard adding to this spectacle. After the 2013 transition over to François Pinault, critics have been thrilled with the quality across all styles:

• "Supple and beautiful...Hard not to drink now" - JS96, on 2016 Altagracia
• "Intense aromas of black fruit, cocoa powder, black olives, dried violets, tar & cigar box...full-bodied with firm, chalky tannins. Incredible intensity & purity of fruit with gorgeous breadth & depth. Superb" - JS97, on 2018 Altagracia
• "All is proceeding brilliantly at the Eisele Vineyard —so the greatness from this fabulous terroir continues unabated" - Robert Parker on Eisele Vineyard

Eisele Vineyard has quickly garnered a reputation as "an utterly classic Napa Cabernet," as famed critic Jeb Dunnuck noted on the 2019 vintage. Routinely scoring in the high 90s and receiving perfect scores, Eisele Vineyards has catapulted to global stardom in the past decades, showing that each of the estate's wines is a magnificent choice. Explore our carefully curated Eisele Vineyard wine collection and purchase your bottle today to experience the essence of Eisele Vineyard wines.

A "Great Terroir": Robert Parker on Eisele

"Readers should note that the relatively new owners of what was formerly known as the Araujo Estate have finally changed the name to the Eisele Vineyard. This is one of the greatest terroirs in all of Napa Valley, if not all of California. It certainly makes sense to promote its name. For old-timers out there, the first single Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon I remember was made by Paul Draper in 1971 at Ridge. That was followed by a one-off, but a phenomenal wine, the 1974 Conn Creek Eisele Vineyard (the wine was purchased at a bankruptcy sale and bottled by Conn Creek). Then there was a succession of great Eisele Vineyard wines from Joseph Phelps, including the 1975 and 1978, all of which today remain vibrant and incredible. Certainly, when the Araujos arrived they also produced world-class wines of first-growth quality. It is no coincidence that the Eisele Vineyard is now owned by a first-growth proprietor from France, François Pinault, of Château Latour in Bordeaux and other significant estates in France, especially the tiny jewel of a vineyard in the Rhône Valley, Château Grillet. The tasting I did seemed to show that all is proceeding brilliantly at the Eisele Vineyard, with two of the three Cabernet Sauvignons I tasted thoroughly compelling—so the greatness from this fabulous terroir continues unabated." — Robert Parker, *The Wine Advocate*, October 28, 2016