Today we present the wines of Elusa. What began in 2001, Elusa acquired their estate vineyard in 2010 and soon enlisted Thomas Rivers Brown who began crafting estate wines from the existing Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon vines. After yielding four years of estate wines, the next several years were spent investing in the land and winemaking process to focus on Calistogan terroir.
The new wines were fabulous coming from the slightly cooler 2023 vintage. I love the 2023 ‘Elusa Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 97) which is a dazzling wine that has so much flavor density and aging potential. Learn more at https://www.elusawinery.com and here are my reviews from the new Elusa releases.
2025 Elusa ‘Tofanelli Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc- The 2025 Elusa ‘Tofanelli Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc comes off grassy on the nose with kiwi and starfruit tones. The palate is loaded with lush citrus and melon fruits with a smooth mouthfeel. Drink 2026-2033- 92
2023 Elusa ‘Interlace’ Red Wine- A blend of equal parts Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2023 ‘Interlace’ is a beautifully-textured wine that has excellent nuance and flavor density. Mocha, tar and anise combine with loamy soils on the palate. Drink 2026-2048- 94
2023 Elusa ‘Napa Valley’ Cabernet Franc- The 2023 Elusa ‘Napa Valley’ Cabernet Franc comes off juicy and soft with hints of orange bell pepper, tar and loamy soils on the palate, with dark chocolate shavings. Drink 2026-2034- 93
2023 Elusa ‘Napa Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2023 Elusa ‘Napa Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon offers tobacco leaf, dried herbs and shades of violets on the nose. The palate is lush and rich with terrific flavor density and plenty of great damp soil character. Drink 2026-2038- 94
2023 Elusa ‘Kenefick Ranch Vineyard’ Cabernet Franc- A forward and delicious Cabernet Franc, the 2023 Elusa ‘Kenefick Ranch Vineyard’ offers bitter chocolate, dried herbs and blackberry compote flavors that mingle well with stony nuances on the palate. Well-structured and textured, this is already beautifully-evolved stuff that has at least another fifteen years in front of it. Drink 2026-2041- 95
2023 Elusa ‘Armstrong Ranch’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Inky in the glass, the 2023 ‘Armstrong Ranch’ Cabernet Sauvignon shows black florals, mocha and tar notes on the nose with a graphite edge. The palate comes off weightless as this glides throughout the drinking experience. Seamless and silky with its core of molten chocolate, dark currants ad exotic spices, enjoy now and over the next fifteen years to come. Drink 2026-2041- 95
2023 Elusa ‘Pozzan Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Sourced from this Calistoga Vineyard, the 2023 Elusa ‘Pozzan Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a dizzying bottling that stands jet black in the glass. Turkish coffee and scorched earth tones mark the nose alongside beautiful black florals. The palate is dense and seamless throughout the ranking experience, with magical weight and verve. This is very intense, mineral-laden stuff that has a long life ahead of it. Drink 2026-2045- 96
2023 Elusa ‘Kenefick Ranch Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2023 Elusa ‘Kenefick Ranch Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a delicious and inviting bottling. Once on the nose this takes on sandalwood with Asian spices, black currant compote and stony soils that all meld in the glass. The palate is plush and generous with great lift and length. Drinking marvelously now with its core of heady dark fruits, with stony nuance, enjoy over the next fifteen to tweety years. Drink 2026-2041- 95
2023 Elusa ‘Elusa Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The dazzling 2023 Elusa ‘Elusa Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a stunning wine that has a long life ahead of it. Once on the nose this takes on violets, creosote, black currants and shades of wild blackberry pie. The heady aromatics brings you back to the glass for more hedonistic enjoyment. The palate is silky and elegant with serious texture, weight and verve. A total heavyhitter, with plenty of salty and stony tension, savor this beauty now and over the next twenty years to come. Drink 2026-2046- 97