History
In wine, there is nothing so immutable as the land. Vintages offer variation, as do winemakers and proprietors. Mother Nature is capricious, always wanting the last word. But the land is a constant, its geology and composition immovable. At the heart of every great wine is a piece of land like no other.
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.
Our vision is nothing less than to re-embrace the long history of Eisele 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.
The history of the 162-acre Estate reaches back to a time before grapes began to dominate the Napa Valley, and mirrors the events that shaped this extraordinary grape growing region.
The earliest stewards of what is now the Eisele Vineyard were the Wappo, native gardeners and land conservationists who until the early 1800s maintained a delicate balance among wildlife, vegetation, and human occupation.
By 1841 the Eisele lands had become part of the 18,000-acre Mexican land grant, Rancho Carne Humana, awarded to Edward Turner Bale by his uncle-in-law, General Mariano G. Vallejo. Bale continued to graze cattle and horses on the land; he also cultivated grapes and grew vast quantities of wheat, building a large gristmill that is said to be one of the first meeting places of the Anglo settlers who staged the Bear Flag Revolt.
In the early 1880s Jackson G. Randall, one of Napa Valley’s pioneer viticulturists, and his neighbor Charles Nathan Pickett, one of the Valley’s largest wine producers, were the first to plant grapes on what is now Eisele Vineyard. Pickett and his family retained this vineyard land until the Second World War.
From the 1880s to the late 1960s the lands remained under continuous grape cultivation, surviving successive owners as well as the financial catastrophes of phylloxera, Prohibition and the Great Depression. During these years the Napa Valley wine industry languished but vines persisted.
During their twenty-three years of stewardship of the Eisele Vineyard, the Araujos were committed to maintaining links with Napa Valley’s rural history while building on the Eisele’s accomplishments. Taking an exceptional piece of land for growing Cabernet Sauvignon, the Araujos created an authentic winegrowing estate. They replanted the vines, introduced organic farming and became among the first Napa Valley vintners to embrace the principles of biodynamic farming. They re-designed the estate grounds and safeguarded a diverse eco-system to ensure the health of the land.
The Araujos also constructed the first winery on the property, including temperature-controlled caves, tastefully
integrating the architecture with the natural and historic landscape. And they produced outstanding wines, exquisite Cabernet Sauvignons that secured a world-class reputation for the Eisele Vineyard and created a touchstone for Napa Valley.
In 1990 the Araujos also identified a small number of Syrah vines within a Cabernet block dating from 1978 grafts, and from these vines they developed a dedicated Syrah program. Additionally, they brought Sauvignon Blanc to an east-facing slope of the Eisele Vineyard. The Araujo’s contribution to this property – its beauty and vitality, its wines and its stature – cannot be overstated. Their work will speak through this place as long as vines are in the ground.