Daou Vineyards Soul Of A Lion Adelaida District Red Blend 2013

94 points - new discovery                      Daou is making some of the best Cabernets in Paso Robles today. Highly recommended. 96 Points Robert Parker: "One of the gems in this stacked lineup is the 2013 Soul Of A Lion, which is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend that includes 10% Cabernet Franc and 8% Petit Verdot. Aged 22 months in new French oak, this full-bodied, rich, mineral-laced and incredibly textured beauty offers up classic California notes of graphite, coffee bean, ripe black currants and chalky minerality. Drink this full-bore, pedal to the metal effort anytime over the coming 10-15 years (and I wouldn't be surprised to see it keep for longer either)...   ...This was a massive tasting with brothers Daniel and Georges Daou, who have a large estate located high up off of Adelaida Road. While they release a terrific Syrah blend, their focus is on Bordeaux varieties, and along with l'Aventure and Booker, they make the finest Bordeaux blends from Paso Robles. To give some perspective on how good these wines are, I did a blind tasting of top 2012s and 2013s from Napa with three wines from Daou, their Patrimony, Soul of a Lion and Estate Cabernet. I’m thrilled to report that all three Daou wines showed beautifully. My scores/ranking from the blind tasting were 2012 Hundred Acres (100 points), 2013 Scarecrow (99 points), 2013 Daou Patrimony (98 points), 2012 Schrader CCS (98 points), 2013 Daou Soul Of A Lion (96 points), 2012 Dominus (95+ points), 2012 Schrader RBS (95+ points), 2012 Chappellet Pritchard Hill (95+ points), 2013 Daou Estate Cabernet (93 points). In short, these are beautiful wines that readers shouldn’t miss." In the golden, oak-studded hills of Paso Robles' fabled west side, not far from William Randolph Hearst's magnificent castle, there is a man with a Homeric vision. His name is Daniel Daou and he is devoting his life and every imaginable resource to creating, first and foremost, a Cabernet Sauvignon that rivals the very best in the world. Gracefully perched atop a stunning promontory at 2,200 feet, the DAOU Spanish Colonial style winery is embraced by a tangible serenity. This kind of synergy happens rarely: superlative climate and terroir, super intensive vineyard culture, and cutting edge viticultural practice. You're more likely to find it in Bordeaux than Central California.

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