Eisele Vineyard / Araujo Estate

Grapes were first planted on the property in the 1880s by Jackson G. Randall together with neighbor Charles Nathan Pickett, and early varieties included Zinfandel and Riesling. Cabernet Sauvignon was first planted here in 1964. Milt and Barbara Eisele bought the property in 1969. Bart and Daphne Araujo acquired it in 1990 and founded Araujo Estate, with a 1991 Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon as their first vintage. In 2013 the Araujos sold the winery, property, and brand to the Pinault family's Artémis Group, owner of Château Latour. The 2012 vintage was the last bottled under the Araujo Estate label, and in 2016 the estate was renamed Eisele Vineyard Estate.

• The 2013 deal included the Eisele Vineyard and its 38 acres of vines, the winery and cave complex, the brand, and existing inventory
• Under the sale terms the brand names Araujo Estate and Altagracia stayed with Artémis
• In early 2023 the estate bought the neighboring Alfred Frediani Vineyard, nearly 28 acres with 21 acres planted to vines
• The Eisele name appeared on Cabernet Sauvignon bottlings from this vineyard made by Joseph Phelps, Conn Creek, and Ridge

The vineyard is fairly flat and lies below the Palisades, a series of jagged rock outcrops in this part of the Vaca range. Water, wind, and gravity have moved sediment and volcanic rock from the mountains into two alluvial fans that take in the Eisele Vineyard and nearby vineyards, and the shallow soils sit over an old creek bed with rounded alluvial stones. A gap in the nearby Mayacamas mountains, close to Sonoma County, often brings cooling afternoon breezes from the northwest, and this part of the valley has some of the greatest diurnal temperature changes, often up to 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit at certain times of the year.

• 162-acre property with 38 acres planted to vine, minutes from Calistoga; much of the property is steep forested hillside
• The vines are organized into 12 primary blocks, originally numbered and now named
• Some of the best terroir on the property borders the winery and is bisected by Simmons Creek
• More than 500 olive trees grow on the property, and small amounts of olive oil are bottled from them

After buying the vineyard, the Araujos replanted much of it and added new varieties, including Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc. They began farming organically in 1998, and in 2000 removed the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines, dating to 1964, because of virus. The Araujos hired Bordeaux enologist Michel Rolland as a consultant and then converted to biodynamic farming. Under Artémis, grapes are harvested with scissors rather than pruning knives, sulfur inputs through the year have decreased, smaller sections within vineyard blocks are fermented separately, and expertise from France guides the barrel program, cooper selection, and toast levels.

• Planted primarily to Cabernet Sauvignon (75%), with Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot, plus smaller blocks of Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Musqué
• All Eisele Vineyard wines are estate grown
• During their ownership the Araujos built a winery, tunneled caves into the nearby hillside, and built a home on the property
• Very limited estate Viognier was bottled until the 2014 vintage; those vines have since been pulled out
• At the 2013 sale, the winemaking team led by Françoise Peschon was set to remain with the estate under the new ownership

The Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon makes up about half of annual production, alongside a second Cabernet Sauvignon, Altagracia, a Syrah, and a Sauvignon Blanc. Total production is usually around 5,000 cases a year. The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon is 100% varietal, aged 21 months in 70% new French oak barrels and 30% new Austrian oak foudres. The 2024 Sauvignon Blanc is 76% Sauvignon Blanc Musqué and 24% Sauvignon Blanc, aged on its lees for 12 months. Bart Araujo used to describe the vineyard as producing estate wines that have “weight but without heaviness”.

• Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: the flagship, about half of annual production
• Eisele Vineyard Altagracia: the 2023 is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot
• Eisele Vineyard Syrah and Eisele Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc round out the lineup
• Roughly half the wines are sold direct to consumer; visits to the property are reserved for allocation members

Wine Spectator described Araujo Estate in 2013 as one of Napa Valley’s elite Cabernet Sauvignon producers. Announcing the 2013 purchase, Frédéric Engerer, CEO of Château Latour, said in a statement that “Araujo Estate and its jewel, the unique Eisele Vineyard, have been producing consistently one of the very best wines of Napa Valley”. Antoine Donnedieu de Vabres was general manager in 2016 and was Eisele Vineyard’s Managing Director.

• The 1971 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon from Eisele fruit was the only vintage Ridge winemaker Paul Draper made from the vineyard
• Historically the vineyard produced fruit for several wineries, including Joseph Phelps and Robert Mondavi
• After Lyncrest Vineyard offered lots of wine at auction, Conn Creek bought a 1974 Eisele Cabernet Sauvignon made by Lyncrest and bottled it among its first releases
• Eisele Vineyard is one of several Napa Valley wineries that are partners of Ficofi, a luxury group serving wine collectors

Primary sources (producer's own site): none used. The producer's site, https://www.eiselevineyard.com/, returned a bot challenge to both curl and browser fetches on 2026-09-23 and was not reachable. Secondary sources: https://www.napawineproject.com/eisele-vineyard/, https://www.winespectator.com/articles/napa-s-araujo-estate-bought-by-owners-of-bordeaux-s-chateau-latour-48711, https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/latour-owner-araujo-eisele-vineyard-napa-305638/. Last verified 2026-10-12.