2009 Sauvignon Blanc Eisele Vineyard
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Tasting notes
The 2009 Sauvignon Blanc (includes 1% Viognier in the blend; 875 cases produced) offers up beautiful scents of Thai lemon grass, honeyed grapefruit, melons and crushed rocks. Fresh, medium-bodied and very perfumed with beautiful intensity as well as a seductive personality, it can be enjoyed over the next several years. One of the most extraordinary vineyards of Napa Valley is the Eisele Vineyard, which boasts a 40+ year history of producing compelling wines. It is hard to argue with the track record of this hallowed ground in the northeastern sector just southeast of the old cowboy town of Calistoga. I had a chance to retaste Araujo’s 2007s, which were surprisingly less promising than my barrel tastings suggested. Both the Altagracia and the Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard have improved – slightly. Tel. (707) 942-6061; Fax (707) 942-6471
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(70% sauvignon musque, 29% sauvignon blanc and 1% viognier; vinified for the first time entirely with native yeasts) Bright, pale yellow-green color. Knockout nose combines tropical fruits, melon, lime and licorice, complicated and lifted by botanical herbs. Juicy, spicy and vibrant, with an almost painful intensity to its flavors of lime skin, grapefruit, pineapple, flowers, herbs and crushed stone. Offers outstanding lift and an impression of weightlessness. Finishes extremely long, with an exotic explosion of kaffir lime leaf and an impression of sappiness. I do not ordinarily publish notes on unfinished white wines from California, but this one promises to be special.
About the producer
Eisele Vineyard is one of Napa’s oldest properties, first planted in the 1880s. Today owned by François Pinault of Ch. Latour, it is known for its top Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as the unique Sauvignon Blanc.