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White dry
Eisele Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is a highly precise Napa Valley white wine that emphasizes not just fruitiness, but also local expression, texture and calmly controlled power. The 2021 vintage is made from organically and biodynamically certified grapes and is a blend of 75% Sauvignon Blanc Musqué and 25% Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Musqué with its slightly exotic flavors and Sauvignon Blanc with its lean, pointed structure create a highly enjoyable wine that speaks of long, warm summers and dry, stony soils.
On the nose, this wine opens in layers: notes of white musk, white peach, guava and candied lemon are felt, complemented by hints of warm bread pulp, vanilla, cardamom, wet pebbles and basil. This is not a green or aggressively grassy Sauvignon Blanc style, but rather a mature, refined and multi-layered aromatic profile.
On the palate, the wine is soft, round and silky in texture, yet retains energy and direction. The finish is long, creamy, with a mineral finish and a hint of verbena. The overall style allows this wine to be described as a textural, elegant and very precisely controlled interpretation of Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc.
The character of this wine is strongly shaped by the location of the Eisele vineyard. The Sauvignon Blanc plots are located on the eastern side of the estate, where the hills protect from the afternoon sun and help maintain freshness. The producer also emphasizes dry, rocky soils, and the 2021 season was marked by low rainfall, earlier vegetation and smaller, aromatically concentrated berries.
Long aging with yeast is important in winemaking: the wine is stored with yeast sediment for 12 months: in stainless steel (21%), concrete eggs (22%), used (30%) and new oak (27%) barrels. It is this long élevage that gives the wine not only aromatic complexity, but also a creamier, deeper mouthfeel.
Serve at a temperature of 10-12 °C with fried lobster, flounder in cream sauce, seafood, fresh/ripened goat's milk cheese (Crotin).
The 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, which includes a lot of Musqu clone, is a perfumed, exotic, incredibly floral example of the variety that just about jumps out of the glass. With bright acidity, medium body, and beautiful overall balance, it can be enjoyed today but will be even better with 2-3 years of bottle age and, I suspect, will evolve for over a decade if you're so inclined.
This is a beautiful wine showing a complex range of aromas and flavours including notes of grapefruit, hints of melon and tropical fruits, fresh hay, and a mineral element that brings focus and depth to the wine as a whole. There is a pleasing mouthfeel that balances fresh, juicy acidity, with just enough tension, and textural fleshiness to keep the focus on elegance with pleasure. Fresh, refined and lengthy. It wants more time in bottle but already offers a sense of completeness that speaks well of its future. The Sauvignon Blanc from this site consistently ages a long time, so anyone who enjoys aged white wine should feel free to keep this bottle in cellar to enjoy for years to come.
Known previously as the Araujo Estate, Eisele Vineyard is now owned by François Pinault of Château Latour in Bordeaux.
First planted to vines in the 1880s, Eisele Vineyard sits in the northeast Napa Valley, just east of Calistoga at the base of the Palisades Mountain range. Farmed organically since 1998 and biodynamically since 2000, the site has been principally dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon for the last fifty years. Beginning with the inaugural release bearing the Eisele name in 1971, this iconic vineyard has received consistent recognition for possessing one of the great terroirs of Napa Valley. The wines invariably express the exceptional depth, elegance and longevity which are hallmarks of the Eisele Vineyard.
Eisele's vision is nothing less than to re-embrace the long history of Vineyard while realizing the full potential of this remarkable estate. Preserving and expanding upon the vineyard’s distinguished legacy in Napa Valley — and among the great winegrowing estates of the world — is both an honor and our aspiration. Through intellectual rigor, humility, and with the utmost respect for the land, our aim is to make wines that speak of the Eisele Vineyard in the most authentic way possible.
