Winemaker Notes
This wine displays all the hallmarks of its cooler growing season—richness, elegance and balance. A dark, purple-black hue foreshadows the experience to come. Intense aromas of lilac, violet and spice swirl amid a deep, complex bouquet. The palate bursts with prodigious flavors of blueberry, boysenberry, plum, vanilla bean and chocolate-covered cherry, all underlain by striking minerality. Silky, integrated tannins unwind into an impossibly long finish, revealing both the power and finesse of its DAOU Mountain provenance.
Blend: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Soul Of A Lion is an incredible Cabernet Sauvignon, made exclusively from free-run juice, blended with 15% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot and aged 22 months in 100% new French oak. Opaque ruby-purple in color, the nose opens slowly, segueing from graphite and tobacco leaves, to violets and blue fruit preserves, to cinnamon, potpourri and dark spices. The palate is seamless and cashmere-like, with expansive, pure, mineral-laced fruits enlivened by a burst of freshness that highlights the perfectly ripe fruit character this vintage. The finish is very long, offering violet perfume and iron tones that linger in the mouth. This is a gorgeous wine that combines unique personality with expert craftsmanship. It drinks well now but has all it needs for a long life in the cellar. Rating : 97+
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Based largely on Cabernet Sauvignon blended with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the 2018 Soul Of A Lion offers a brilliant array of cassis, tobacco leaf, graphite, lead pencil, and earth. With full-bodied richness on the palate, it offers ripe tannins, a round, layered, yet still focused texture, and a great finish. Tight, compact, and focused, it’s going to benefit from 3-4 years of bottle age and drink brilliantly over the following 15-20 years. Rating : 95+
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.
