Araujo Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Araujo Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon comes from one of Napa Valley's most celebrated sites, in Calistoga at the warm northern end of the valley. The estate was founded by Daphne and Bart Araujo in 1990 and farms the Eisele Vineyard biodynamically; the property later passed to the owners of Chateau Latour. This is a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon from a vineyard known for gravelly, free-draining alluvial soils that limit vigour and concentrate the fruit. Calistoga's warm days drive full ripeness while cooler air drawn down the valley at night preserves acidity and freshness, giving the wine both power and lift. The 2012 was among the vineyard's smallest crops, which further concentrated the wine. Ageing runs for eighteen months in 225-litre French oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange softens the grape's naturally firm tannin and adds cedar and sweet spice. The colour is deep, dense purple. The nose is intense, with creme de cassis, blackberry, cedar and graphite. The palate is full bodied and concentrated, with ripe, fine-grained tannin and a long, structured finish that will reward cellaring. Serve at 18 degrees, decanted well ahead. It suits a rib of beef.