Tasting Notes
Vinous 88
Araujo’s 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard opens with enticing aromatics. Sadly, there is not much follow through on the palate, where the wine feels hollow, lean and lacking in depth. The 2012 was off the charts when I tasted it from barrel. From bottle, it has never lived up to that early promise.
Robert Parker 97
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, is a relatively powerful statement from the new owners. Dense ruby/purple in color, with an exceptional nose of creme de cassis, a touch of mulberry and spice. The oak is completely obscured by the lavish, concentrated, ripe fruit and multi-dimensional mid-palate that expands beautifully, but with no sense of heaviness. The wine is rich and full-bodied, but with velvety tannin and stunning purple and black fruits. This is a beauty, with savoriness that’s hard to articulate. The finish goes on for a good 45+ seconds. This is a beauty that’s velvety, opulent and capable of drinking well now or in 25 to 30+ years.
Anticipated maturity: 2016-2046
JancisRobinson.com 18
100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Farmed organically certified by COF, and biodynamically certified by Demeter. Vinified by the Araujo team and then blended by the new Eisele team directed by Mingot. The first 100% Cabernet Sauvignon since the early 1990s. Less obvious aromatically and on the palate than the Altagracia wines or the 2013 Eisele. Red fruit and spiced notes with very fine, beautiful tannin. Lovely sapidity and balancing acidity with a wash of spice all the way through a long finish. A sweet core of fruit flavour reflects the generosity of the vintage. The impressive structure of the site still shows here but the fruit dominates it slightly. There is more interest in oak, and less apparent freshness here in the 2012 than in the 2013, though this is still a nicely honed wine, reflecting not just the vintage contrast but also the shift in winemaking. The baby fat of 2012 will likely fall away with a bit of age. (ECB)
Anticipated maturity: 2017-2030
