Inspired by the land, its history and its growers, the Araujo family produces Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc wines in the Napa Valley as Accendo Cellars. Previously, Bart and Daphne Araujo, as proprietors of Araujo Estate Wines and the Eisele Vineyard, worked with an outstanding viticultural and winemaking team. Since founding Accendo Cellars in 2013 with their children, Jaime and Greg, two generations of the family continue to now work with the same winemaking and viticulture teams today.
The wines of Accendo Cellars are inspired by Napa Valley's early modern era—the 1950s, 60s and 70s—derived from grapevines rooted in some of the finest vineyard sites and nurtured by growers devoted to the land. The Accendo wines express the nobility and purity of the terroir the Araujos have long admired about this region.
The collective knowledge and experience of their esteemed team—winemakers Nigel Kinsman and Françoise Peschon, consulting oenologist Michel Rolland, viticulturist Steve Matthiasson, and Biodynamic consultant Jeff Dawson—ensure an uncompromising and meticulous approach to winemaking in both the vineyard and the cellar.
The portfolio includes Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, and soon a new Bordeaux-style blend called “Laurea” to be released in spring 2021. Made at Wheeler Farms' state-of-the-art winemaking facility in Saint Helena, each wine is a carefully curated blend of grapes selected predominantly from vineyards in Oakville and Yountville.
Accendo Cellars launched in 2013, and from the first vintage, the wines have exhibited a passion reflecting the same level of excellence and attention to detail as previous Araujo projects.