As her last name suggests, Jaime Araujo is no stranger to the world of cult Napa Cabernet. Her father and stepmother are Bart and Daphne Araujo, who famously purchased Eisele Vineyard in 1990, calling the property Araujo Estate. After 23 years spent building one of the valley’s most iconic names, they sold to the Pinault family from France in 2013, who reverted the estate’s name back to Eisele Vineyard.

During much of the Araujo Estate period, Jaime was overseas, living in the UK for ten years and Paris for fourteen years. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Language and Linguistics from Georgetown University and a Master’s Degree in Medieval Studies from the University of York, Jaime worked as an actress within the thriving ’90s London theatre scene. Fluent in French, in between roles, she landed a temp position at Moet Hennessy in London, which led to a full-time gig followed by a marketing position in LVMH’s Paris office. In Paris, she went on to found Terravina, an international marketing, communications, and strategic solutions company for the wine industry.

Just before the sale of Araujo Estate, Jaime joined her family’s business as Vice President of International Markets. A month after the sale of Araujo Estate to Pinault in July 2013, the Araujo family launched Accendo Cellars. That same year, Trois Noix was created.

Trois Noix was founded by Jaime and her brother Greg in 2013. Meaning “three nuts” in French, the name was initially a nod to their children. The first year, they made just 300 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon. A few years later, Jaime bought her brother out of the business, continuing to develop and grow the brand. Today, production has expanded to 3000 cases with nine different labels.

Last year, it was announced that Bart and Daphne were stepping back from Accendo Cellars, handing over management to Jaime and Greg. Even though her responsibilities at Accendo have increased, Jaime remains passionate about Trois Noix, which is distinct from Accendo in many ways.

"Trois Noix is about vineyard designate and lighter, modern, younger styles with more accessible price points," Jaime Araujo explains as we sit to taste through her range.

“Trois Noix is more mission-driven, whereas Accendo is more excellence driven. Accendo is a blending program to make the best possible expressions. Trois Noix is about the expression of these individual sites. Also, Trois Noix is designed to be opened and enjoyed now, whereas Accendo rewards time in bottle. There’s a purity that’s valued with Trois Noix.”

Trois Noix currently sources fruit from four different vineyards around Napa Valley. Muir-Hanna Vineyard is in a beautiful location just off Orchard Road in Oak Knoll District, providing mature-vine Chardonnay (15 to 38 years old) as well as Bordeaux red varieties. Ryan’s Vineyard, also in Oak Knoll District, offers organically grown Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Musqué. Ehrlich Vineyard in Oakville gives a truly impressive Sauvignon Blanc from 38-year-old vines. And Rancho Pequeño in Rutherford is the relatively new “home vineyard” of Bart and Daphne, delivering impressive Cabernet Sauvignon for one of the Trois Noix single vineyard labels.

Grapes for the Trois Noix wines tend to be harvested on the earlier, brighter, crunchy-fruit side.

"It’s important for us that the grapes are completely phenolically ripe but not over-ripe," says Jaime. "I want to express this valley in the purest sense. Precision and purity are my two most important words."

Meanwhile, the winemaking tends to favor neutral or very little new oak, allowing that bright fruit to shine.

“As for our 2021 Cabernet Sauvignons, the Muir-Hanna Vineyard is all neutral oak, and the Rancho Pequeño Vineyard has 25% new French oak,” Jaime tells me.

One of my favorite Trois Noix wines is a great value blend called Noisette Cuvée, which retails for $65. 

“This label was made as a mistake,” laughs Jaime. “We first made the blend blind in 2018, and it was 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Petit Verdot. It was supposed to be labeled as a Cabernet Sauvignon. After we had come up with our ideal blend, we realized that there wasn’t enough Cabernet Sauvignon to put it on the label. But we loved it, so bottled it anyway.”

Beyond the refreshing feel-good style, quality, and price, one of the essential pillars of the Trois Noix brand is sustainability.

“I think we have a commitment to try to do things in a better way,” says Jaime. “We’re a Certified B Corporation and a certified Napa Green winery. We work as organically as possible with our vineyard partners. The way I see it, we have a lot of sunshine in Napa. Unlike other regions, we don’t have to worry about sunshine, so let’s worry about being sustainable.”

Having lived and worked outside the USA almost as long as in it, Jaime has a unique global perspective on the wine industry. I ask her how this contributes to Trois Noix.

“The fact that my palate was really formed in the UK and France has deepened my knowledge and appreciation for the full palate of fine wines,” says Jaime. “This is something I specifically seek for our wines—this full spectrum. I would love to find a way to take these wines to a broader audience. We currently export a little to the UK, South Korea, Canada, and Switzerland. In the USA, we are distributed in 12 states, offering DTC (direct-to-consumer sales) to 25 states. Our wines are a great introduction to what Napa can do.”

For anyone looking for a fresh, affordable Napa Valley experience, the gate is wide open at Trois Noix.