Eisele's Altagracia Cabernet Is in a Class by Itself
A couple years back I was lucky enough to get the full tour of Eisele Vineyard with General Manager, Antoine Donnedieu. After walking the vineyard and spending a few hours tasting with Antoine, I was able to fully understand how Eisele’s Altagracia Cabernet is differentiated from the Eisele Vineyard Cabernet "proper."
First off all they are from the same vineyard. The famed plot of land that is Eisele Vineyard is really quite a small, fairly inconspicuous parcel of vines just south of Calistoga, a little ways off the Silverado Trail. The vineyard itself is quite parcellated, dissected by a couple of creeks that are visual markers of the varied, gravely soils below. Eisele's flagship bottling is taken from the prime tenderloin of the estate and the oldest vines. Younger vines and the eastern portion of the vineyard, while farmed and made the same way, go into the Altagracia bottling. So Altagracia really does let you get a taste of this famed Napa terroir for considerably less than the “Grand Vin.”
On tasting them side by side I must say the difference is far less than the price point might indicate. Yes, fifty years from now my money would be on the top wine, however, if you’re planning on drinking the wine within the next 5 to 15 years you'll want to be giving the Altagracia a long, hard look. It has same signature Eisele black and purple fruit elements, floral aromatics, gravelly mineral tones, pencil shaving, new leather, and loamy earth. The tannins are fine and long; the acidity beautifully vibrant lending a freshness that evades some of its peers. A wonderfully refined wine choosing precision and focus over brute force, but powerful none the less. While not exactly inexpensive, I'd say all things considered this represents a very smart buy in the world of iconic, age-worthy, pedigreed Napa Cabernet, especially in this spectacular 2018 vintage.