Deep ruby in color, this wine boasts aromas of cassis, blueberry, pomegranate, and currants. Notes of tobacco, chocolate, and toasted spices follow, bringing an immense depth to this wine. The palate is full-bodied and rich with ideal balance between concentrated fruit and freshness. From its mouthwatering acidity and flawlessly integrated oak, it finishes with notes of blackberry jam, cacao, and mocha complemented with herbaceous tones of fennel and thyme.
Review:
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon is cut from the same cloth as the 2019, yet is perhaps richer and more expansive, with slightly less elegance. Currants, chocolate, toasted spices, and tobacco all define this beauty, and it has full-bodied richness, flawlessly integrated oak, good acidity, and a great finish. Anyone doubting the quality that can be achieved in Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles owes it to themselves to try one of these wines.
-Jeb Dunnuck 97-99 Points
DAOU Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Petit Verdot.
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.
Review:
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is blended with 23% Petit Verdot, made entirely with free-run juice, and it will be matured for 16 months in 50% new French oak. Opaque ruby, it offers pure aromas of cassis, violet, grilled meats, desert sage and bell pepper. The full-bodied palate is powdery, energetic and detailed with a long, layered finish.
-Wine Advocate 94-96 Points
DAOU Vineyards Soul of a Lion is made from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot .
The 2020 vintage presents an alluring profusion of black cherry, mulberry and Oregon blackberry aromas with notes of leather, cigar box and dark chocolate. Hints of desert sage and crème de menthe accent the rich fruit. The palate is silky and voluptuous, delivering loads of currant, cassis, black raspberry and ripe cherry. Notes of fig and baking spice are underscored by earthy tones of dates and truffle. Mature, ripe tannins yield a weighty, velvety texture integrated with a limestone minerality and subtle oak. A lengthy finish leaves lingering impressions of blackberry, plum and espresso with a touch of white pepper. A wine of immense staying power that will evolve favorably for many years to come.
Review:
Impressively dark in the glass, this bottling pairs intense purple fruit and flower on this nose with more roasted, umami-laden aromas. The elegant palate is a master class in tannin management, proving firm in structure yet soft in mouthfeel. Flavors of blackberry jam, cocoa, walnut and cracked pepper ride a lingering acidity into the finish.
-Wine Enthusiast 97 Points
DAOU Vineyards Soul of a Lion is made from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot .
The 2020 vintage presents an alluring profusion of black cherry, mulberry and Oregon blackberry aromas with notes of leather, cigar box and dark chocolate. Hints of desert sage and crème de menthe accent the rich fruit. The palate is silky and voluptuous, delivering loads of currant, cassis, black raspberry and ripe cherry. Notes of fig and baking spice are underscored by earthy tones of dates and truffle. Mature, ripe tannins yield a weighty, velvety texture integrated with a limestone minerality and subtle oak. A lengthy finish leaves lingering impressions of blackberry, plum and espresso with a touch of white pepper. A wine of immense staying power that will evolve favorably for many years to come.
Review:
Impressively dark in the glass, this bottling pairs intense purple fruit and flower on this nose with more roasted, umami-laden aromas. The elegant palate is a master class in tannin management, proving firm in structure yet soft in mouthfeel. Flavors of blackberry jam, cocoa, walnut and cracked pepper ride a lingering acidity into the finish.
-Wine Enthusiast 97 Points
DAOU Vineyards Soul of a Lion is made from 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot.
Barrel Aged: 22 months in 100% new French oak
Named for the father of Georges and Daniel Daou, Soul of a Lion is the crown jewel of DAOU, and an emblem of our quest to produce unsurpassed Cabernet Sauvignon from the terroir of DAOU Mountain.
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.
96-98 Points by Robert Parker
Review:
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.
-Wine Enthusiast 97 Points
Daydreamer Red Blend is made from 60% Pinotage, 20% Shiraz and 20% Grenache.
Bright red and black berry fruit with pink pepper and a hint of violets on a silky palate with fine tannins, that offer weight and length on a fresh, juicy finish.
Benjamin Romeo Predicador Tinto is made from 96 percent Tempranillo, 2 percent Garnacha, 1 percent Graciano and 1 percent Mazuelo.
Predicador, or “Preacher,” named after Clint Eastwood’s everyman character in the 1985 film Pale Rider, is composed of 96 percent Tempranillo, 2 percent Garnacha, 1 percent Graciano and 1 percent Mazuelo. The grapes are sourced from 15 different plots within San Vicente and Briones in Rioja Alta which on average yield less than 2 kg per vine. The wine is fermented in oak and stainless steel with a two-day cold maceration and aged for sixteen months in new French oak. The wine was filtered but not fined. This vintage some La Cueva del Contador, Contador and La Vina de Andres were added for concentration and balance.
The aromatics open up with crushed red cherries, balsamic notes and the sweet baking spices of cinnamon and clove. The fruity and spicy characteristics found in the nose follow through on the palate, along with dried cranberry, black cherry and elegant fine-grained tannin supporting the tart red fruit and adding to its length and depth.
Review:
The red 2021 Predicador has notes of ripe black fruit and dark spices and is a little earthy, powerful, concentrated and generously oaked but balanced and integrated. A modern, powerful red Rioja produced with Tempranillo and complemented with 3% each Graciano and Mazuelo and 2% Garnacha, it has a juicy palate with plenty of power and abundant, fine-grained tannins. It's ripe without excess at 14.7% alcohol. 90,000 bottles produced. It was bottled after spending 19 months in used French oak barrels.
-Robert Parker 93 Points
Colour ,cherry, purple rim. Aroma ,fruit expression, floral, spicy, red berry notes, black fruit, complex. Flavour ,flavourful, fruity, good acidity, long.
-Guia Penin 93 Points
Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec.
The 2022 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon shows notes of plum, blackberry, licorice, chocolate, violet, and warm spice. Dark plum and black fruit carry through to the palate. Fresh and lively with plush tannins and a polished structure.
Review:
"A solid representation of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine sources fruit from St. Helena down to Carneros, with the bulk of the blend coming from the Wappo Hill property in Stags Leap. All five Bordeaux varieties are included in the blend. Fermentation begins with a cold soak in stainless steel, followed by 26 days on skins, and 18 months of ageing in 31% new French oak. The wine opens with powerful Kirsch aromatics, lifted by bright Bing cherry, warm baking spices, new wood cedar, and white pepper. It is plush and layered on the palate, with black-toned fruit and robust, lingering tannins that carry through a long finish of dark red and black fruit, warming spices, and mineral tension. A balanced expression of power and fruit-forward ripeness, this vintage showcases both depth and structure, making for a bold yet polished Napa Cabernet."
- Jonathan Cristaldi, February 2025 Pts. Decanter
A very good introduction to Napa Valley cabernet for drinkers who are unfamiliar. This offers ripe, generous red and black fruit on a velvety texture of fine-grained tannins. Black cherries, dark plums and blackberries come up in the aroma and then go deeper on the palate. Contains 7% petit verdot, 8% merlot, 3% cabernet franc and 1% malbec. Aged in all French barrels, 31% new, which add accents of cinnamon and cedar. Drink now or hold.
-James Suckling 92 Points