Blackberry and tile aromas with tobacco and spice. Some chocolate, too. Medium to full body and firm, velvety tannins that show a juicy finish. Fine yet dusty tannins. Rich for the vintage. Delicious now or hold.

Score: 94 James Suckling (JS), JamesSuckling.com, February 2020

This vintage has a bit less Petit Verdot than usual, but basically remains about 85% Cabernet Sauvignon with splashes of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Altagracia leaps from the glass, offering bold, expressive notes of blackberry pie, Black Forest cake and warm cassis with hints of garrigue, mossy tree bark, dusty soil and black pepper plus a fragrant waft of cinnamon stick. Medium to full-bodied, the palate offers a great core of rich, spicy black fruit preserves, framed with firm, chewy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing earthy.

“It was the four hot days in June 2017 that impacted our vines most—it gave us tiny berries,” said Eisele Vineyard´s winemaker Hélène Mignot. “Very tiny berries meant we had very little juice—we had to be very gentle on extraction. Then we had to take our time with macerations, to make sure we got all the good stuff. We had to adjust the toast for our barrels. We used more toast to extract less tannins. We pushed bottling time too—we bottled one month later. In the end, everything fell into place, but we had to be patient. This was not our usual recipe. Each lot had to be considered carefully. We had to let go of what is usually one of our better lots, because the tannins just didn’t get there. Production is down about 30% this year.” Like other Napa wineries where quality is of utmost consideration, Eisele Vineyard has managed to produce a very impressive pair of 2017 reds that demonstrate sensitive crafting and remarkable poise. “2018 was nice for us—it was an easy vintage,” Mignot continued. “The conditions for ripening were ideal. It was a nice, cool summer. We didn’t have too much problem with vigor. Our vines are 25 years old, so our yields remained 2.5-3 tons per acre. It was a long harvest because we could harvest when we wanted. This year was the highest color we ever recorded!” Like many of the best 2018s I’m tasting from barrel right now, Eisele Vineyard’s 2018s are packed with purity, vibrancy and energy. I expect the finished wines will be real head turners.

Score: 93 Lisa Perrotti-Brown (LPB), The Wine Advocate (WA), November 2019