Special kids get chance to play
Benefit held for crash victim
WSU vs. Milwaukee
Home > Blogs > Uncorked > Archives > 2008 > February > 25 > Entry
Araujo vertical, 1991-2004: tasting every vintage of a cult wine
Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world’s most sought-after wines, and has been since its debut vintage in 1991, the year after Bart and Daphne Araujo purchased the historic Napa Valley vineyard from Milt and Barbara Eisele.
Simply put, bottles of this wine are impossible to come by, or when they do become available at auction, the wines are astonishingly expensive, selling for several hundred dollars a bottle (A four-bottle vertical of this wine, vintages 2001 through 2004, attracted a bid of $1.300 just yesterday on Winebid.com..
Three Dayton-area wine enthusiasts who taste wines together started comparing notes on their partial Araujo collections and discovered that together, they had a full vertical - at least one bottle from every vintage from the label’s inception in 1991 through 2004. They often threatened to combine forces for a full retrospective tasting, but frankly, that’s the kind of tasting that is talked about but often never comes about.
Except this time, it did. Boy, did it ever.
Earlier this month, a small group gathered at the Springboro home of Mark Dreher, one of the Araujo collectors, who organized the tasting along with his fellow Araujo vintage owners George Punter and Brent Bamberger. (Punter also oversees the wine department at Dorothy Lane Market’s Oakwood store, by the way.) Punter’s son, George Punter III, and his son’s former restaurant colleague Dave Nelson, both culinary school grads/chefs in the Louisville area, came to Dayton to prepare a multi-course meal to accompany the wines.
That is a recipe for an unforgettable evening. First, here’s the menu that the young Punter and Nelson prepared, and the order and flights in which the wines were served:
— California Duck Confit Roll with Carr Orange w/soy glaze (served with assorted Burgundies as a warmup to the Araujos)
— Lamb “Lolli” w/Potato Gratin with red wine essence (served with Araujo Eisele Vineyard Cabernet 1991-92-93)
— Tuna Steak Au Poivre (served with Araujo Eisele Vineyard Cabernet 1994-95-96)
— Risotto Gorgonzola Fritter with micro greens (served with Araujo Eisele Vineyard Cabernet 1997-98-99)
— Pork Mignon with Pan Truffle Sauce (served with Araujo Eisele Vineyard Cabernet 2000-01-02)
— Monkfish w/Lobster Sauce (served with Araujo Eisele Vineyard Cabernet 2003 & 2004)
— Key Lime Cheese Cake with Guava/Raspberry Garnish
More on the dinner later. First, the wines (Note: these vintage tasting notes are a collaboration between fellow attendee Doug Lehrer and myself):
— 1991 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Cassis and dark fruits dominate the aromas, which initially had to be coaxed with vigorous swirling. On the palate, the wine shows tremendous power and concentration, with a solid core of fruit, a firm structure and backbone of acidity. Chocolate notes pave the way to a long, balanced finish. This wine is still bound by fierce tannins, and there was some discussion of whether/when this might soften (and what fruit will remain). The consensus was that the wine has years of beautiful drinking ahead of it. This got the most votes for ‘wine of the night.’ What a debut vintage!
— 1992 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Much more French in styling, with iodine and lead-pencil notes intermingling with very bright and forward cassis in the nose. Complex flavors. The solid core of fruit sneaks through in the finish. Some tasters found the wine (in stark contrast to the 1991) a bit short on structure, and overall a little softer than they would have preferred.
— 1993 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: The cork crumbled upon removal, and the wine initially exhibited a burnt toast-dill pickle juice nose that seemed like oxidation. But those components largely dissipated with airing, and the wine’s flavors of chocolatey fruit were a pleasant surprise. It was the structural “baby bear” of the 91-92-93 flight, neither too soft nor too tannic. Some found the finish a bit short.
— 1994 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: The nose was initially rather muted and had just a touch of the oxidative notes described for the 1993 & 1995, and it seemed the wine was going through a closed stage. Initial notes of grilled meat yielded with time to the signature fruit aromas that the entire collection displayed. In contrast to the reticent nose, the flavors were explosively fruity, almost jammy, from the start. Not as complex as some of its stablemates, but that could change with more time in the bottle.
— 1995 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Initially, this wine had aromas almost identical to the ’93 - burnt toast and pickle juice. Again, amazingly, those aromas faded with airing, and the wine revealed a solid core of fruit and very fine tannin-acid structure. It proved to be a very complete wine, full vibrant aromas, vivid flavors, silky mouthfeel, and long, satiny finish.
— 1996 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Balanced and complete, with a meaty, eucalyptus-accented nose intermingled with red and black fruits. Giving the sweetest impression of the 1990’s wines, the fruit rides through the moderately long finish. A rich, deep and complex wine.
— 1997 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Everything that the 1996 displayed, this ’97 exhibited as well, with perhaps a bit more toasty oak and tannin, but everything in the proper balance for a long life ahead. Showing remarkable complexity, perfect acidity, and a tremendously long finish that really struts its pedigree, this is what California cab was meant to be.
— 1998 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Vanilla aromas mingle with red fruits, this well-balanced wine seemed a bit more straightforward than the previous two blockbuster vintages, with solid fruit dominating the medium-length finish. While it made a very nice showing for an oft-dismissed vintage, it certainly suffered in comparison to its flight-mates — the 1997 and 1999.
— 1999 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Initially a bit closed on the nose, with concentrated flavors of cassis and blueberries, as well as a touch of saddle leather, finishing with an intriguing and appealing trace of bitterness.
— 2000 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Bright, gushy fruit dominates the nose, and is confirmed on the palate, which packs in plenty of dark fruits and cassis. This is a wine that isn’t showing all of its dimensions yet, although with a long and inviting finish, who can complain?
— 2001 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Concentrated dark berry fruits dominate again, this time with a more chocolatey component adding interest. This wine had the most impressive density of the flight (00-01-02) and finished beautifully.
— 2002 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: A young, packed wine with a muted nose for now, but a concentrated core of fruit, glycerin and chocolate notes, and that pleasant trace of bitterness in the finish that the ’99 also displayed. Some tasters thought the structure a bit soft, particularly given its tender age.
— 2003 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark fruit shares the stage with iodine and chocolate on the nose, which also delivers a bit of an alcohol tickle. The alcohol (14.6%) makes its presence felt in the finish as well, and not very pleasingly (especially given the condition of the tasters!).
— 2004 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Nose is peppery and hot, reminiscent of Australian shiraz. This wine is almost liqueur-like, with plenty of glycerin, but the alcohol (14.8%) cuts short the finish. The final two wines seemed to emphasize alcohol and glycerin more than their predecessors, which makes me wonder about their ageability.
The wines delivered great pleasure, and the ability to taste the full vertical was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We were all impressed by the judicious use of oak by the winemaker, never making itself an obtrusive note in even the youngest wines. The final two wines seemed to emphasize alcohol more than their predecessors — Araujo collectors can judge that development for themselves, over time. Overall, the wines were stunning, and this tasting was an education unto itself, a chance to explore the development of one of California’s flagship cabernets.
Now, about the food. Many of us, by the end of the night, remarked that we were just as impressed - if not more impressed - by the fabulous meal we were served as we were by the wines. Punter and Nelson put together a succession of creative, satisfying dishes to complement the wines. In particular, the Pork Mignon with Pan Truffle Sauce, which the chefs said they have spent years perfecting, elevated pork tenderloin to new heights. If these guys ever open a restaurant in Louisville - or anywhere else, for that matter - we’re talking road trip!
By night’s end, each of us felt a bit like Bacchus. And I think we looked like him, too.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
(Photo courtesy of Jon Warner)
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Comments
By George Punter
February 26, 2008 8:40 PM | Link to this
As one of the major contributors and instigators of this event. It was for me a total Wow and it did not suck. It will be hard to try and outdo this. I agree with Mark, it was an exceptional group of wines, food and friends all in same place at the same time. Wow again!
By Jim T
February 26, 2008 6:28 AM | Link to this
Definitely interesting stuff. I bought a bottle of the 1997 when it first came out and since it’s a “single” bottle I’ve been reluctant to open it. From your description I’ll wait a few more years. I loved the vineyard when Joseph Phelps made the wine.