James spoke over Zoom recently with the wife and husband team at Eisele Vineyard in Napa Valley, Antoine Donnedieu de Vabres, general manager, and Helene Mingot, technical director. They made a gorgeous sauvignon blanc in 2019 and some impressive reds in 2018 from their amazing Araujo estate. The vineyard – the Eisele Vineyard – has wonderful pedigree for Napa Valley as it was the source of many great Joseph Phelps cabernet sauvignons in the 1970s and 1980s. It was first planted in the 1880s with Zinfandel and then in the 1960s it went to cab. It’s now tended biodynamically.
During their tasting they discussed the 2019 vintage, which may prove to be even better than the 2018 due to a more balanced grape growing season with precipitation in the winter and nice growing conditions the rest of the year. They also talked about some of the problems they faced in 2020, and you can hear them discuss the evolution of Napa Valley wines. "Now you really see how the wines are made in a way that they tell the story of the vintage,” James said when talking about how far Napa wines have come.
Watch the video to hear the highlights of the conversation and see what they thought of the wines.
Read the full Napa report here: NEW NAPA VALLEY WINES HIGHLIGHT HARMONY AND REFINEMENT WITH 2018 VINTAGE (1,093 WINES RATED)
Below are the wines that were tasted during the call. Click the links to see the tasting notes and scores (subscribers only).
Eisele Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley 2019
Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2018
Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Altagracia 2018
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