2003 Araujo Altagracia

Araujo Estate is a 38-acre vineyard in northeast Napa Valley, now called Eisele Vineyard . It was established in 1990 when Bart and Daphne Araujo bought the historic vineyard from Milt and Barbara Eisele, who planted the vines in the 1960s. The estate was an early leader in organic and sustainable winemaking and has been farmed organically since 1998 and biodynamically since 2000. The Araujos’ commitment to sustainable winemaking is yet another accolade for the vineyard, which has been regarded as one of valley’s great vineyards 50 years. The Araujos completed many renovation projects after they acquired the estate, and planted such varietals as Petit Verdot, Syrah, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. The estate’s signature wine is its highly regarded Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2013 the Araujos sold the estate to the owners of Château Latour.

Napa Valley AVA is the most famous winemaking region in the United States and one of the most prestigious in the world. With nearly 43,000 acres of vineyards and more than 300 wineries, it is the heart of fine wine production in the United States. Winemaking started in Napa in 1838 when George C. Yount planted grapes and began producing wine commercially. Other winemaking pioneers followed in the late 19th century, including the founders of Charles Krug, Schramsberg, Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyards. An infestation of phylloxera, an insect that attacks vine roots, and the onset of Prohibition nearly wiped out the nascent Napa wine industry in the early 20th century. But by the late 1950s and early 1960s Robert Mondavi and other visionaries were producing quality wines easily distinguishable from the mass-produced jug wines made in California’s Central Valley. Napa Valley’s AVA was established in 1983, and today there are 16 sub-appellations within the Napa Valley AVA. Many grapes grow well in Napa’s Mediterranean climate, but the region is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay is also very successfully cultivated, and about 30% of the AVA’s acreage is planted to white grapes, with the majority of those grapes being Chardonnay,