1999 Syrah Eisele Vineyard Napa Valley

Bart Araujo describes the 1999 Eisele Vineyard cabernet as a very firmly structured wine, from a much lower crop level than that of 1997. In terms of hang time, the vintage is comparable to 1994, according to Araujo, although bud break, fruit set and the harvest itself were all about 10 days later in '99. Araujo Estate carried out a green harvest in 2000 for the first time, and then again in 2001.

Bart and Daphne Araujo, always looking to take their wines to a higher plane, recently brought in globetrotting enologist Michel Rolland as consultant. To date, says Araujo, changes have been minor tweaks rather than substantial tugs. "We're now pulling leaves where they block the fruit in most of our parcels," notes Araujo. There has also been a recent trend here toward less racking. "When you rack frequently, you always risk oxidizing the wine, and you often get oakier wines as a result," explains winemaker Francoise Peschon. "We're finding that we prefer the way the wood is integrated when we rack less often." My feeling is that the Araujo '97 cabernet, while outstanding by California standards, is not quite up to the potential of the vintage. But Araujo Estate has been a clear outperformer in '98 and '99, for both cabernet and syrah, and my early look at 2000 suggests that this will be another very strong year for this estate.

Bart and Daphne Araujo, always looking to take their wines to a higher plane, recently brought in globetrotting enologist Michel Rolland as consultant. To date, says Araujo, changes have been minor tweaks rather than substantial tugs. "We're now pulling leaves where they block the fruit in most of our parcels," notes Araujo. There has also been a recent trend here toward less racking. "When you rack frequently, you always risk oxidizing the wine, and you often get oakier wines as a result," explains winemaker Francoise Peschon. "We're finding that we prefer the way the wood is integrated when we rack less often." My feeling is that the Araujo '97 cabernet, while outstanding by California standards, is not quite up to the potential of the vintage. But Araujo Estate has been a clear outperformer in '98 and '99, for both cabernet and syrah, and my early look at 2000 suggests that this will be another very strong year for this estate.