2012 Eisele Vineyard (Araujo) Cabernet Sauvignon

100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Farmed organic, certified by COF, and biodynamic, certified by Demeter. Vinified by the Araujo team and then blended by the new Eisele team directed by Mingot. The first 100% Cabernet Sauvignon since the early 1990s. More shy on both aromatics and palate than the Altagracia wines or the 2013 Eisele. Red fruit and spiced notes with very fine, beautiful tannin. Lovely sapidity and balancing acidity with a wash of spice all the way through a long finish. A sweet core of fruit flavour reflects the generosity of the vintage. The impressive structure of the site still shows here but the fruit dominates it slightly. There is more interest in oak, and less apparent freshness here in the 2012 than in the 2013, though this is still a nicely honed wine, reflecting not just the vintage contrast but also the shift in winemaking. The baby fat of 2012 will likely fall away with a bit of age. (ECB)

Araujo's 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard opens with enticing aromatics. Sadly, there is not much follow through on the palate, where the wine feels hollow, lean and lacking in depth. The 2012 was off the charts when I tasted it from barrel. From bottle, it has never lived up to that early promise.

100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Farmed organically certified by COF, and biodynamically certified by Demeter. Vinified by the Araujo team and then blended by the new Eisele team directed by Mingot. The first 100% Cabernet Sauvignon since the early 1990s.  Less obvious aromatically and on the palate than the Altagracia wines or the 2013 Eisele. Red fruit and spiced notes with very fine, beautiful tannin. Lovely sapidity and balancing acidity with a wash of spice all the way through a long finish. A sweet core of fruit flavour reflects the generosity of the vintage. The impressive structure of the site still shows here but the fruit dominates it slightly. There is more interest in oak, and less apparent freshness here in the 2012 than in the 2013, though this is still a nicely honed wine, reflecting not just the vintage contrast but also the shift in winemaking. The baby fat of 2012 will likely fall away with a bit of age. (ECB)