Perfect 100 Points - limited                             
Napa's legendary Eisele Vineyard needs no introduction as it is one of the greatest estates in Napa and among the finest in the world. Several years ago the owners of Chateau Latour in Bordeaux purchased the winery and vineyard from founders Bart & Daphne Araujo under the renamed winery as Eisele Vineyard.

100 Points Robert Parker: "Deep purple-black in color, the nose of the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon slowly unfurls to reveal a gorgeous perfume of violets and roses over a core of kirsch, boysenberries and cassis, plus hints of redcurrant jelly and menthol, emerging into wafts of pencil lead and truffles. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is built like a brick house, featuring very firm, wonderfully ripe, grainy tannins and bold freshness to support the vivacious, tightly wound black and red fruit layers, finishing long and mineral laced. It's a stunning, evocative, singular wine that so beautifully captures the long, slow-maturing grace of the 2019 vintage. "This is the first complete expression of this vineyard, using all the dedicated blocks (to the west) for this label," winemaker Helene Mingot mentioned. Indeed, coming up on eight years since the Pinault family purchased the estate, this 2019 has a compelling effortless harmony—a joy to taste!"

100 Points James Suckling: "This is sophisticated and intellectual, with an incredible wall of fine tannins that take you deep down into the soul of the wine. Full-to medium-bodied, tight and soulful. Tar, ash and volcanic-soil flavors. White pepper, too. Great length. Shows the first-growth quality of the vineyards, harking back to the wines of the mid-1970s. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. This needs at least six to seven years of bottle age. Best after 2028."

... 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."