Almost a decade ago when Bart and Daphne Araujo completed their 2013 sale of Napa Valley's historic Eisele Vineyard to François Pinault and the team at Château Latour, all eyes turned to what the future might hold for one of California's most accomplished families. After a thirty-year run that saw their coveted Araujo Cabernet Sauvignon reach cult wine status, it was hard to envision a Napa Valley landscape without one of its biggest names.
Behind the scenes, however, Bart and Daphne quietly began tapping into decades-long connections that would soon become the foundation for their new Accendo Cellars project, which once again places them on par with the greatest wines in the world.
Over the course of his long career in Napa, Bart Araujo found himself intrigued by the longevity and staying power of many of the great California wines from the 1960s and 1970s that were blended from prime vineyard sites across the valley. Classically-style Cabernet in this throwback style was becoming much harder to find in a modern Napa Valley wine scene that had become defined by power and opulence.
Keeping his same Araujo winemaking team of Nigel Kinsman and Françoise Peschon, Araujo followed the course of producers from a generation ago, sourcing grapes from A-list vineyard sites in Napa such as Vine Hill Ranch in Oakville and Howell Mountain's Ecotone (formerly David Abreu's Thorevilos Vineyard).
Scores in the upper 90s quickly became the norm for Accendo, and it seemed all but a given that a 100-point masterpiece would soon follow as Nigel Kinsman began to hone in on the blending of Cabernet Sauvignon from these elite vineyard sources.
The 2018 vintage in Napa Valley offered the perfect canvas for Accendo to bottle its best wine to date, but Kinsman went well beyond that by crafting a 100-point Cabernet described by Antonio Galloni as "A remarkable, mind-blowing wine, it is quite clearly one of the wines of the vintage".
Today we are happy to be able to offer these three-bottle cases at global lowest market price, with delivery later in the year. Do let me know if you would like to order and I can confirm subject to remaining availability.
Accendo Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
£520 (3x 75cl) IB
100 Points | Antonio Galloni, Vinous
The 2018 Caberne t Sauvignon is just as magnificent as it was last year. Dark, sensual and enveloping, the 2018 possesses off the charts intensity and fabulous balance. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, spice and licorice all build over time, but it is the wine's mind-blowing intensity and pedigree that are once again so alluring. The 2018 is quite simply regal. (1/2022)
100 Points | Antonio Galloni, Vinous
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is extraordinary. Inky, rich, and explosive, with stunning depth, the 2018 is insanely beautiful right out of the bottle. Blackberry, mocha, licorice, red plum, spice, leather, and cedar all build as this rich Cabernet shows off its pedigree. The 2018 is quite simply the finest I have tasted yet at Accendo. Far from an easygoing 2018, the Accendo Cabernet is going to need a number of years to be at its very best. A remarkable, mind-blowing wine, it is quite clearly one of the wines of the vintage. Vineyard sources are Vine Hill Ranch, Sleeping Lady, DMVH, and Ecotone, which is pretty much as good, or great, as it gets." (1/2021)
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