2016 Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Community Tasting Notes (11) Avg Score: 96.9 points

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  6/1/2023 - csimm wrote: 97 Points

  2016 Napa Cults Blind - and a few Champs and such for fun: Red and black fruit, expressive but tannic on the back end, finishing dry but not without requisite flavor and length. With air, the layering continued, though it was a bit unresolved and slightly blocky at first. Similar to the MacDonald, it was wrapped up like a burrito baby swaddle blanket and never fully came out of its shell. True to form, this being an Eisele has me continuing to believe these are at their best with a decent tick of time under their belts. Try again after 2026 minimum (more like 2030).

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  5/17/2023 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine:

  This was a 2016 vintage blind of: Abreu Thorevilos, Colgin IX, MacDonald, Scarecrow, Bond St. Eden, Eisele, Futo Oakville, Colgin Tychson and Vice Versa M7. Each wine had a decant of approximately five hours before the first sip, except for MacDonald, which had around three, and the Futo, which I believe was PnP. There were nine tasters, including CSIMM1161, wine proprietors and a prominent winemaker.
  
  I’d really love to post notes on all these wines, but unfortunately time is scarce, and I don’t think I would be able to get to it anytime soon. I am sure CSIMM will post a ton on each, so that should fill the gap. Instead, I am going to give the broad strokes here.
  
  The first thing to note is all these wines could have used more air, especially the MacDonald. We shorted it in the tasting, and I think there was an impact on how it showed. The other thing that could have impacted how the wines showed is bottle shock. Most of these bottles were packed onto an airplane a couple days prior. While I didn’t note any overtly off bottles, there is no doubt it could have played a role.
  
  I know a lot of folks that hate blinds. It can really test your palate, and crowing a winner means the other great bottles must “lose”. If you haven’t done it before, it can also wear you down and things can blend, so it does take a methodology and consistency to do it well. That said, all these wines were spectacular.
  
  While we didn’t have the group rank order them all, we did ask for a top 3. The consensus was 1. Magnificent 7 2. Futo and 3. Scarecrow. There were certainly others than received votes in the top 3, but overall, it was uniform across the group. Those top three were easily 99-100 pt wines, and the others were not far behind. A few comments on each (in no particular order outside the top 3):
  
  1. Magnificent 7: almost universally the #1 wine in the tasting, this had all the elements of perfection. Suave and powerful, with super refined tannins, excellent purity, unreal depth, and a finish for days. Nothing harsh and pure class without any element out of balance.
  
  2. Futo: super focused wine with precision, this wrapped power and grace into a regal package. Showed dark chocolate and powerful fruit intensity backed up by impressive levels of freshness and acidity. Simply outstanding.
  
  3. Scarecrow: the most opulent, plush, and sexy wine of the bunch. While some of the other wines were trying to get all the pieces to fit together, this one was complete on every level. Beautifully integrated with supple tannins and wonderful energy and balance.
  
  4. Colgin IX: the only mountain/hillside wine of the bunch. This wine really progressed over the course of the tasting to the point where it was gaining on the leaders. Lovely red soil profile with deep mineral driven flavors, the mid palate began expanding over time and produced a complex, powerful yet refined wine with fantastic length.
  
  5. MacDonald: this was one of the wines that was a bit discombobulated, and I attribute that mostly to lack of decant time. It showed more spice and woodsy character than usual and was a little rough around the edges despite clearly having the class, pedigree, and overall intensity to be amongst the best wines in Napa.
  
  6. Colgin Tychson: this had a soft, supple entry with opulent fruit and gorgeous floral notes. The mid palate stayed tight throughout, and it never really blossomed into what I am sure will be an epic wine. I love this bottling, and this is going to be spectacular with a bit more time.
  
  7. Eisele: another wine here that needed more time to unfurl. This showed possibly the best complexity of the bunch, both on the nose and in the glass. It had all the hallmark savory character, but the fruit was wound up tight and there was a bit of oak obscuring things. I’ve had this when its blown my mind, just needs more air or more time.
  
  8. Abreu Thorevilos: the most disappointing wine for me in this tasting. I was expecting it to vie for top honors and it couldn’t get out of its own way. It was super unresolved and reductive, with oak and tannin obscuring most everything. This is a fabulous vineyard and winemaker, so I am sure it will come around, and part of me wants to attribute this showing to bottle shock.
  
  9. Bond St Eden: another wine that was within striking distance of the leaders. Rich, textured, beautiful and still grippy, it showed a ton of class with hallmark red earth notes and killer concentration and length.

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  6/9/2022 - csimm wrote: 98 Points

  Party with some 100 pointers: Initially a red berry and cedar dominant profile, which quickly gave way to vivacious black cherry, spice, gravel, and faint hints of Italian seasoning (dried thyme and oregano). The spice and cedar elements jive well with a bit of dry earth, adding frame and complexity to the red/black core. The liveliness and thoughtful acid placement brings the whole package into perfection.
  
  I would say this is on par with the 2018, with the darker fruit and perhaps slightly more complex profile inching out the 2016 for me, but there really is no question that both vintages are superb. The 2018 (to which I had a few days prior) took some time to open up. This 2016 was fun and jumpy much earlier on. Though I would certainly say wait another 4+ years on this 2016, it still has the capacity to reward for anyone looking for some instant-ish gratification. Even more room to grow here. Awesome potential. One of my top wines of the night (and that’s with Harlan and Macdonald in the room).
  
  A baller wine generously gifted by Cristal2000.

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  5/26/2022 - msuwine wrote: 95 Points

  This incredible wine manages to be both ripe and savory, with the exuberance you want in youth and the structure you expect to go the distance. Dark red in color and medium in body, the wine offers aromas of black cherry, cardamon, and graphite. The flavors are surprisingly integrated for a wine this young (impressive in a vintage that, at least to me, has never been marked by precision), with notes of blackberry, gravel, and dried herbs, with a layered and lingering finish. 14.8% alcohol. Decant two hours if drinking now.
  
  This is more open-knit and laid-back than my favorites of the 2016 vintage so far (probably Abreu Thorevilos and Kinsman Rhad), but it is a tasty and classy wine. To cue the music, the Eisele is more Bach than Beethoven, more Goo Goo Dolls than Nirvana, more Chuck D than Eminem - yes, less intense, rich, and singular, but more elegant, balanced, and subtle. I personally lean in the noisier direction, but this is still an exceptional Cabernet. 95+ for now, with upside in 2025 and beyond.

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  3/13/2022 - SmokeTaint Likes this wine: 100 Points

  opened half bottles of '15 & '16
  both are pure perfection, with '16 having a very tiny edge over '15 at this time.

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