2013 Eisele Vineyard (Araujo) Cabernet Sauvignon

Both 2013s are clearly the finest Eisele wines made under the administration of François Pinault and his top lieutenant, Frédéric Engerer, who also runs the show at Château Latour. The utterly compelling 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon in this vintage and 1,800 cases were made. The wine is off-the-charts great, with an opaque bluish/purple color to the rim, an aroma of pen ink, graphite, blackberry and blueberry fruit, a hint of licorice, camphor and incense. The wine is full-bodied, with extraordinary concentration, remarkable equilibrium and noticeable, but sweet, well-integrated tannin. This is a large-scaled Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, but flawless and with no edges. It is an amazing effort and a great achievement from this incredible terroir. Drink it over the next 30-40 years.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Farmed organically certified by COF, and biodynamically certified by Demeter. Lovely floral notes – deep violet and forest flowers – and fresh herbs lift from a mix of dark, fresh fruits and crushed black rock minerality, iron dust and just a hint of spice. The flavours are seamlessly wed to the structure and a core of power that radiates from the wine without effort. The power and amplitude here feels native to the wine rather than from extraction, and the wine offers an impressive balance of concentration with freshness. There is a greater sense of purity throughout here, still with a sense of precision and lovely persistence. The oak presence here is subtle, offering a light lift in the presentation of the wine. This wine will not peak for a long time. Nicely done. (ECB)

Fresh, silky, vibrant and exciting, the wine offers serious levels of concentration with a spine of dark chocolate and lush, juicy, perfectly ripe, blackberries, plums and a hint of blue fruit. Length, purity, complexity and balance in a great style that feels as good as it tastes! What more could you ask for? 98 Points