I am aware of this vineyard but actually have never had a bottle - I do have 2018 in my cellar and am thinking about trying one now. Curious what those who have knowledge of this vineyard and the wines think about how things have gone especially since the transition in 2013 to new ownership. Also thoughts about Accendo and Wheeler and how those wines may compare to pre-2013 Eisele. Thanks for any replies.
Jack
The 2019 Eisele was my wine of the year for 2024 until December when I met with KK up at Bryant Estate and tasted her 2021’s (the 2021 Bryant Estate then became my wine of the year).
Eisele in a word is “special”. I also had a 2015 in December that showed zero sign of the 2015 crazy heat and was so pure and so fresh I could NOT believe it was a 15. Was a fan of their stuff way before Latour took over but I am a bigger fan today. Definitely not a fan of the price though…… 
My favorite Napa Vineyard
Bryant is outstanding for sure although it is tough to be a fan of its price also! Thanks for the reply.
Predictably, I love the old Phelps wines, and think the new generation of Eisele have been pretty well obliterated of all the great things that made this property one of the jewels of Napa. Most of the terroir has disappeared under a sheath of sweet fruit, fat and opulence, resulting in wines that lack the precision and the layering of the originals.
Last vintage tasted was 2014.
BTW I did taste twice the famous 1971 Ridge Eisele against the Monte Bello, and in both cases preferred the Monte Bello. The other unusual bottlings are Page Mill 1991 and Conn Creek 1974 are in the cellar, and I plan to try them in the next year or so.
I don’t know who owns it now but in the Phelps and early Araujo days, it was the only CA cab I could pick out in a blind tasting. A distinct and, I thought, delicious wine.
I’ve recently had the 94 and 95 Araujo Eisele Cabs. Both remain wonderful examples of California Cabs from a time when great wines were consistently turned out by Araujo and other producers. I have no experience with recent Eiseles, so I can’t comment on how their styles compare with the 94 and 95 (both of which I’ve had a number of times since their release).
I like the Phelps versions the most (maybe ebcause they have the most age). The latest versions are very polished and modern styled, but I think they lack some character. I wonder how much they will improve with age.
Francois Pinault, the owner of Latour bought it in 2013
Mark,
I have to respectfully disagree. Eisele of today is without question a much different wine than what you write. They are fresh, elegant and precise. No fat, over extracted opulent fruit. I haven’t had many between 2005-2014 but have had a lot of 2015-2021’s and i find them very much in the style that i speak of above.
Dustin,
What are your thoughts on their Sauvignon Blanc?
Cheers
I’m a fan. more musque than sauvignon (about 70% or more usually) so has aromatics that scream from the glass which i love in my SB’s.
Its usually in my top 5-8 SB’s in the valley. Always good and in some years is a total home run!
Dustin is right on the money with all of this.
Latour took over in mid-2013 and starting making everything more focused and precise. In broad strokes: much less new oak, no Rolland, earlier blending, and even more attention on farming. It’s an incredible site.
The only things I didn’t like were that lost Francoise and the viognier, which were regrettable. The price increases also make it a bit inaccessible.
Quick anecdote - when Mr. Pinault acquired the property he came to visit with his daughter-in-law. All he wanted from the visit was a jar of estate honey, bottle of estate olive oil, and a 375mL of the SB. He just wanted to taste the site he had bought.
I’ve not tasted Accendo or Wheeler, but it’s apples and oranges in trying to compare it to Eisele.
I would have asked or the grappa as well. down to my last few bottles
One of Napa Valley’s iconic vineyards, to be sure. The old Phelps Eisele Cabernets are remarkable — about 8 years ago I did a side-by-side comparison of a 1974 Phelps Eisele Cab with a 1974 Phelps Backus Cab and the differences were stark — the Eisele was easily the much better wine to my palate, still tasting fresh and alive over 40 years after its bottling. I also love the Araujo versions — to me, they always stand out from the crowd. I haven’t tasted any of the Helene Mingot-made Eisele Cab flagships but I do have some 2013 — 2016 Eisele Altagracia Cabs that I’m waiting on in my cellar. The price increases by Latour have been a big turn-off for me. It’s no coincidence that my favorite Kinsman Eades Cab is its La Voleuse Du Chagrin, made from fruit from a neighbor vineyard to Eisele (Geeslin Vineyard) that used to go into the Araujo Eisele Cabs.
That is good to know, what if the clone in your SB? Is it similar?
Not sure I agree, as I haven’t had any recent ones. But the climate has certainly changed in the last 50+ years. I truly loved the old Phelps wines, built to last, intense and perfectly balanced.
Agree on climate being a major factor, but I think there was a shift in winemaking. Phelps for instance seemed to have changed with the 1994 vintage, and I am no great fan of the Insignia 1994, which does not seem any more interesting than it was 30 years ago. Just softer. In fact, they would probably have done the same with Eisele if they still made them in the nineties.
Indeed but in the reverse. We are about 70% clone 1 and 30% musque (give or take a few % depending on year).
Thanks for that, and without going too much down the rabbit hole how would you describe the difference between the two clones?