Winemaker Notes
The 2021 DAOU Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is emblematic of Paso Robles as a world-class region for Bordeaux-style wines. Intense purple-red hues foreshadow deep aromas of black fruit, pomegranate, tobacco, mocha, and bay leaf. Trailing notes of clove, nutmeg, and vanilla emerge as the wine opens up in the glass. Opulent textures expand across the palate with flavors of red fruit, blueberry, and chocolate-covered raspberry. The overall experience is fresh and rich, concluding with velvety tannins and impressive length.
Blend: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Dark and focused aromas of cherry, clove and caramel meet with creamy milk chocolate and mahogany on the layered nose of this bottling. Showing a deft mastery of tannins, which is the Daou hallmark, the palate is silky and yet structured, offering rich fruit and lightly bitter walnut flavors.?
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James Suckling
Beautiful cabernet character here with blackcurrants and blackberries at the perfect level of ripeness, together with hints of walnuts, cedar and black olives. Graphite, too. Medium- to full-bodied, so silky and polished. Tightly packed tannins but refined and delicate at the same time. Lingering finish. Even and long.
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Tasting Panel
Aromas of ripe black cherry, dark chocolate, and cedar define this athletic, full-bodied red; it's sinewy and muscular, with finely grained tannins and layers of blackberry, black currant, vanilla, and graphite. It shows vigor and stands tall, flexing its might with pure grace.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Petit Verdot, 1% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc matured in 50% new French oak for 16 months. It has inviting aromas of chocolate, cigars, dried herbs and classy oak spices over a core of dark fruit. The medium-bodied palate is silky and fresh with a long, flavorful finish, although it feels youthfully wound and will benefit from a few more years in bottle.
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Vinous
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is a total pleasure to take in as sweet mint and cherry sauce come together with hints of graphite, orange zest and blackberry. It sweeps across the palate with ease, silken yet lifted and refined. Crunchy mineral tones lend contrast to depths of tart red berry fruits. The 2021 leaves behind an air of mentholated herbs, white pepper and a tinge of dark chocolate, finishing long, complex and structured as fine-grained tannins resonate yet don't impede the momentum.
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.
As Paso Robles, California has soared in number of wineries and gained in popularity, Cabernet Sauvignon has firmly taken root as the region’s number one varietal. Alone, it accounts for just over 40% of plantings and is grown throughout both the western and eastern sides of the appellation. Though viticulture here dates back to the 18th century, Cabernet Sauvignon didn’t emerge as a significant grape here until the 1970’s. But since then it has definitely made up for lost time.
Legendary winemaker and consultant Andre Tchelistcheff first recognized Paso’s potential with Cabernet Sauvignon in the early 1960’s. The calcareous soil and dramatic diurnal temperature changes of Paso’s westside particularly intrigued him. Today modern winemaking techniques and focused experimentation with various clones, rootstocks and vineyard strategies optimize the region's ideal combination of soil and climate to deliver the best fruit possible.
The results are evident in the glass. Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon can be mesmerizing, with rich aromas and flavors of blackberry, cassis, black cherry, graphite, toasty oak, vanilla and spice. The structure, balance and unbridled opulence of these wines impress from first sip to last. Not surprisingly, Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignons have steadily grown in reputation, not just in the U.S., but around the world.