Winemaker Notes
The 2021 vintage displays remarkable intensity in the glass with dark, inky ruby-purple hues. Abundant fruit aromas of black cherry, blackberry, blueberry jam and black currant are interwoven with accents of baking spices, sage and graphite. A voluminous entry introduces sumptuous layers of chocolate-covered blueberry, tobacco, mocha, vanilla and toasted oak. The mouthfeel is concentrated and elegant, with round, vibrant tannins that carry into a commanding finish. A wine of immense staying power that will evolve favorably for many years to come.
Blend: 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Extremely dark in the glass, it starts with heavily spiced aromas of vanilla, mocha and walnut cream that balance the rich black cherry and roasted berry fruits. The palate’s tannins are immensely grippy yet expertly polished, framing flavors of loam, black olive and graphite.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Soul Of A Lion is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot. It was matured for 22 months in 100% new French oak, bottled in August of 2023 and tasted in late September. It takes some time to unfold scents of blackcurrants, blueberries, green pepper, dried lavender and sage and continues to open as it spends time in the glass. The palate is stunning! It has ripe, detailed fruit, pixelated tannins and seamless acidity and finishes with fantastic length and perfume. It's an especially elegant example of this cuvée and should be very long lived.
Rating: 96+ -
Tasting Panel
Made with fruit that hails from an elevation of 2.200 feet on DAOU Mountain, this proud, sumptuous wine makes a grand entrance on a boysenberry-blue carpet surrounded by dark chocolate and lavender. Sturdy tannins soften as it opens up, mellowing out on the suede-lined finish.
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James Suckling
Perfumed and fruit-driven with elegant notes of blackberries, coffee beans and dried herbs. The palate is full-bodied with silky tannins and bright acidity, giving complex notes of blackcurrants, graphite, salt brine and cedar. Wonderfully balanced. Made from a blend of 82% cabernet sauvignon, 12% cabernet franc and 6% petit verdot.
Brothers Georges Daou and Daniel Daou set forth across the globe to find an unrivaled terroir for producing Cabernet Sauvignon, a quest that led them to a place of foretold greatness: DAOU Mountain in the Adelaida District of Paso Robles. DAOU Family Estates is a family owned and operated winery committed to producing collectible, world-class wine to rival the most respected appellations. Situated on a 212-acre hilltop estate in the Adelaida District of Paso Robles, this remarkable mountain was once described by André Tchelistcheff, legendary winemaking authority, as “a jewel of ecological elements.”
DAOU Mountain stands alone at an elevation of 2,200 feet, rising from the heart of the Adelaida District in the rugged coastal range west of Paso Robles. The steep slopes here reach up to 56 percent, with uniform exposure to the elements across the estate. It is a terroir of power, purity and symmetry, with every natural asset necessary to pursue the perfect Cabernet Sauvignon—including calcareous clay soils that emulate Bordeaux’s Right Bank and a climate that mirrors St. Helena.
There is a power within this Mountain they call home. It is a power that can turn mere raindrops and roots into extraordinary wines—and into lasting relationships—that will endure for decades. Everyday the winery strives to create an experience as beautiful as these wines, ensuring that everyone feels like family. There is nothing more important than human connection.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
