Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Earthy scents of truffle and licorice tempt the palate, encouraging further investigation. Mint coats a deep, rich blackberry core. Black-tea and dark-chocolate tannins wrap around the tongue as crushed stone intertwines with dried heather, creating a chalky sensation. This blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cab Franc is almost more Bordeaux-like than Paso—but it’s arguably more Paso than any other wine in the world.
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Jeb Dunnuck
From vines around the winemaker's house, the 2018 Patrimony Caves Des Lions is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc that will see 28 months in new French oak. Lots of smoke tobacco, blackcurrants, chocolate, damp earth, vanilla bean, and Asian spices dominate the bouquet, and it has a pure, already complex style aromatically. Rich, full-bodied, and gorgeously textured on the palate, it's another winner that's going to drink nicely right out of the gate yet also evolve for 15+ years.
96-98 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Caves des Lions is powerful and velvety, a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Cabernet Franc made with free-run juice and aged 28 months in 100% new French oak. It needs plenty of air before unfolding to singular aromas of fresh tobacco leaves and mushroom powder, potpourri and bitter chocolate, shifting from savory fruit to stony mineral notes in the glass over time. The cashmere-textured palate offers youthful Morello cherries and spices, kaleidoscopic and persistent, its flavors lingering long after the last sip is gone. Rating : 98+
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James Suckling
Extremely perfumed and bright with blackberry and blueberry character. Some dried tobacco, too. Full-bodied, tight and focused with savory flavor. Soft, fine tannins. Seaweed and soya to the dark-fruit flavors. Ripe fruit in the center palate. Drinkable now, but better in three or four years with bottle age. 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% cabernet franc.
An ecological gem rising from the hills of the ascendant Adelaida District in California’s Paso Robles AVA, Patrimony Estate is blessed with exceptional terroir and the extraordinary conditions to create powerfully elegant wines that rival the world’s best Bordeaux producers.
Patrimony Estate is the creation of brothers Daniel and Georges Daou, proprietors of DAOU Vineyards & Winery. Hailing from Lebanon by way of Paris, France, Daniel and Georges moved to the United States as young men and soon achieved success in business. But that was just the beginning. They had a fearless goal—to produce wines that rival the best in the world, and to curate a lifestyle to match. From terroir to winemaking to architecture, they leave no detail unexplored. They have fulfilled that goal with Patrimony.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
