Wine Advisor
Araujo, Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The preliminary core blend of the 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard, 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot, looks to be top-flight stuff. It was a cooler growing season overall, but a much hotter harvest, which is evident in the wine’s voluptuous, fruit-forward, opulent personality. Its black/purple color is accompanied by sumptuous aromas of smoke, blackberry as well as cassis liqueur, and melted licorice. A viscous, rich, concentrated effort, it seems less delineated than the 2001, but it is super-well endowed as well as brilliantly pure and expressive. It should drink well young yet keep for two decades. (Release date Fall 2005) Tel. (707) 942-6061; Fax (707) 942-6471
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A potential candidate for perfection is the exquisite 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard. A 1,650-case blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot made from extremely low yields, it boasts superb intensity, flavor, elegance, and nobility in addition to a marvelously complex nose of minerals, licorice, cedar, creme de cassis, vanilla, and spice. Exceptionally rich, nuanced, and precise, it is a magnificent expression of Cabernet Sauvignon that offers the elegance of a Bordeaux with the power and potency of Napa Valley Cabernet. A tour de force, this wine can be drunk now or cellared for up to two decades. (Release date 9/05) Tel. (707) 942-6061; Fax (707) 942-6471
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Araujo’s spectacular 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard is a 1,700-case blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot from a vineyard tucked in the lower hillsides of northeastern Napa Valley, not far from the quaint town of Calistoga. Araujo has enjoyed an incredible string of top-notch vintages from 2001 through 2005 and again from 2008 through 2010. Extremely youthful at age ten, the 2002 is a candidate for perfection. Its dense blue/purple hue is followed by abundant aromas of cassis, incense, crushed rocks and spring flowers. Full-bodied and opulent as well as pure, rich and authoritative, with abundant but beautifully integrated tannins, this opulent, plush 2002 can be drunk now or cellared for another 20-25 years. Tel. (707) 942-6061; Fax (707) 942-6471
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Fine Wine Experience vertical in London. Deep black inky hue. The nose again is very backward, blackberry and a touch of tobacco leaf. The palate is full-bodied and very concentrated, powerful with a huge, arcing dimension, but showing little signs of elegance and finesse. This finish is a little medicinal. Not my style of wine, but you have to admire its bravura. Tasted May 2006.
About the Producer
Araujo produces four wines regularly: the Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon; the Altagracia Bordeaux blend that also contains fruit from other Napa Valley vineyards: as well as small volumes of Eisele Vineyard Syrah; as well as a Sauvignon Blanc. In some years, Araujo also produces an Eisele Vineyard Viognier.
