Wine List

Rating

94

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2016 - 2041

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

28th Oct 2016

Source

227, The Wine Advocate

The wines from the extremely hot drought year, 2014, were just bottled prior to my visit. The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon reflects the vintage’s precociousness and front-end loaded, flattering style. It is medium to full-bodied, shows beautiful fruit purity, deep black raspberry and blackcurrant fruit, moving toward blacker berries. There is a floral characteristic, spice, and a full-bodied, lush mouthfeel with silky tannin. Drink it over the next 25 years.

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.

Rating

100

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2019 - 2049

Reviewed by

 Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Issue Date

31st Oct 2017

Source

233, The Wine Advocate

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon charges from the gate with exuberant red and black cherries notes, black currants and mulberries with a beautiful roses and lavender perfume, plus hints of sandalwood and cinnamon stick. Full-bodied, concentrated and downright explosive in the mouth, it is still wearing loads of gorgeous puppy-fat fruit flavors, offering suggestions of the complex, multilayered blockbuster that it will emerge into. The structure deserves its own mention: wonderful, seamless freshness and oh-so-fine, pixelated tannins, with an extraordinary persistence of fruit and mineral nuances. Wow.

Rating

100

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2019 - 2049

Reviewed by

 Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Issue Date

31st Oct 2017

Source

233, The Wine Advocate

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon charges from the gate with exuberant red and black cherries notes, black currants and mulberries with a beautiful roses and lavender perfume, plus hints of sandalwood and cinnamon stick. Full-bodied, concentrated and downright explosive in the mouth, it is still wearing loads of gorgeous puppy-fat fruit flavors, offering suggestions of the complex, multilayered blockbuster that it will emerge into. The structure deserves its own mention: wonderful, seamless freshness and oh-so-fine, pixelated tannins, with an extraordinary persistence of fruit and mineral nuances. Wow.

Rating

100

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2018 - 2045

Reviewed by

 Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Issue Date

7th Dec 2018

Source

Interim December 2018 Week 1, The Wine Advocate

The deep garnet colored 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Kayli Morgan Vineyard features gorgeous crushed plums, spicy blackberries, crème de cassis and Chinese five spice with potpourri and nuances of dried herbs, lavender, black tea and loads of crushed rocks, tilled soil and underbrush accents. Full-bodied and absolutely laden with earth and spice accents, it has a firm and grainy texture with exhilarating yet seamless freshness, finishing very long.

Rating

97+

Release Price

$135

Drink Date

2013 - 2033

Reviewed by

Jeb Dunnuck

Issue Date

28th Jun 2013

Source

207, The Wine Advocate

More pure and focused than the 2009, with a slightly closer to the vest feel, the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon shows the cooler nature of the vintage and has incredible detail, purity and freshness to its aromas and flavors. A blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Merlot that spent 22 months in 100% new French oak, it offers classic black currant, spice box, coffee bean, violets and exotic spices to go with an ethereal, layered and seamless palate that delivers massive amounts of fruit and texture without any apparent weight. I thoroughly enjoyed it now, yet it will age for decades. Drink now-2033. This line up was one of the highlights of my trip through Washington and without a doubt, this awesome estate, which is run by Paul and Alex Golitzin, is producing some of the top Cabernet Sauvignon blends in the state, and I would venture, the world. While all of the wines are incredibly age-worthy, the tannins are so well managed and the textures so polished, they dish out immense pleasure even in their youth. The estate’s top cuvee, Paul’s Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon comes primarily from the warmer Champoux Vineyard located in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA, yet also incorporates smaller components from Ciel du Cheval, Klipsun, Tapteil and Galitzine. It sees roughly 22 months in 100% new French oak.

Rating

(89 - 91)

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

NA

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

31st Oct 2013

Source

209, The Wine Advocate

Not surprisingly, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon is a deeper, richer, fuller effort with a more saturated ruby/purple color as well as lots of creme de cassis, smoke, forest floor, incense and background wood. Medium to full-bodied and rich in fruit with low acidity and extremely sweet tannin, this will be a crowd-pleasing, delicious Cabernet Sauvignon to drink early on or cellar for 10-15+ years. All of Joseph Phelps’ Sonoma Coast Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs will be included in the Sonoma report in the December, 2013 issue. One of the visionaries in California’s Rhone Ranger movement that began a quarter of a century ago, Phelps continues to focus on their Syrah program. I have mixed emotions about that because they made some wonderful wines from some other Rhone varietals in the past under the terminated Mistral label. On the www.erobertparker.com website, I will be posting one of the most historical vertical tastings I have ever done, that of Joseph Phelps’ proprietary red Bordeaux blend called Insignia, which was one of California’s first proprietary red Meritage wines launched in 1974. While visiting this winery in early September, I had the privilege of tasting every vintage from 1974 to 2012. This has always been a remarkable wine and sadly I am old enough to remember the 1974, to which I gave a great rating, but then suggested it be drunk within 10-12 years. I never thought it would last. Of course, it turned out to be one of the great mature wines of the vertical tasting, but more on that on the web site. The five vintages of Insignia which consumers should be keeping an eye on are 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Here are my notes on those wines which are either on the market or soon will be. By the way, the production of Insignia over the last 15-20 years has ranged from a low of 10,000-12,000 cases to a whopping 20,000 cases, often with the highest production levels in some of the greatest years. There are usually around 750 to 1,300 cases of the Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard. Usually 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, it is fashioned from the red soils of the Oakville hillsides (a spectacular sight as you drive south on the Silverado Trail). 

Rating

98

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2022 - 2055

Reviewed by

 Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Issue Date

13th Dec 2018

Source

Interim December 2018 Week 2, The Wine Advocate

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Proprietary Red needs a little coaxing to reveal slowly unfurling notions of warm black cherries, mulberries, redcurrants and blackberry compote with touches of licorice, tapenade, chargrill and scorched earth. Full-bodied, firm, grainy and packed with layers of black fruits and savory flavors, it has a firm, grainy backbone of very ripe tannins and tons of vivacity, finishing very long.

The 2006 Barbaresco Crichët Pajé is one of the most open, accessible vintages of this wine I can remember tasting. But it's still Roagna, which means the wine is powerful and structured, but less so than is typically the case. Iron, smoke, incense, tobacco, autumn leaves and a host of ferrous, savory notes are some of the signatures. As is sometimes the case here, extended time in barrel has dried out the fruit a bit. This is a style that personally gives me less pleasure, although, as the saying goes, your mileage may vary.

-- Antonio Galloni

“Deep ruby-red. Intense red and blue fruit, floral and spice qualities on the fragrant nose, along with hints of succulent flowers and musky earth. Sappy and penetrating on the palate, offering juicy black raspberry, mulberry and cherry flavors sweetened by a vanilla flourish. Smooth tannins build slowly, adding shape to a very long, smoke- and spice-laced finish. 30% new French oak.”  Josh Raynolds, August 2020 - Vinous