The 2018 Cave des Lions is a barrel sample of about 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Cabernet Franc, aging in 100% new French oak. It comes from fruit that grows in front of the Daou family home. Opaque purple-black in color, it has the most singular nose loaded with kaleidoscopic aromas: cigar ash, English breakfast tea, rooibos, hibiscus, iron, crushed stone, blackcurrant jam, blackberry pie, vanilla bean, Morello cherries, chocolate box and cigar box. I’ve never smelled anything like this—it's like staring into a well of archetypal Cabernet Sauvignon. Medium to full-bodied, the satiny palate spreads its glorious flavor wings, with unbelievable melting tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and very layered. This is unreal!
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“There is a relentlessness required to make a wine like Patrimony. No resource, not an ounce of effort is spared in its pursuit. But the soul of the wine—that comes not from a heavy hand, but rather a discerning touch. We are ever mindful of this balancing act.
In the Santa Lucia Mountains west of Paso Robles is a gem cut from the rough of the coastal forest, ascending to an elevation of 2,200 feet. This is DAOU Mountain in the heart of the Adelaida District.
Hailed long ago as a winemaking frontier of immeasurable potential, the Mountain nevertheless remained uncharted for decades. We were stunned to discover a terroir this pristine. It stirred the imagination, calling on us to unlock its long-held promise and to create a new benchmark in Cabernet Sauvignon. Patrimony is the culmination of this quest. ”
—
DANIEL J. DAOU, Proprietor & Winemaker
DAOU Mountain towers over the coastal range, its precipitous slopes reaching nearly 60 degrees. The soils are composed of calcareous clay and limestone, comparable to Bordeaux’s Right Bank. The climate closely mirrors St. Helena in Napa Valley. This providential combination of elements produces some of the highest phenolics in the world—fostering an immensity of color, depth and structure that is enhanced by the exacting viticulture provided to Patrimony.
PATRIMONY fruit is handpicked from terraced vineyard rows that exhibit remarkable character. Each grape undergoes state-of-the-art optical sorting to ensure absolute flavor integrity. Fermentation proceeds exclusively with wild yeasts cultured from DAOU Mountain, imbuing the wine with native texture and character. The wine is made entirely from free-run juice. Maturation unfolds for 30 months in the rarest of weathered French oak barrels including those made from 362-year-old fine-grain oak, originating from a forestry program initiated during the reign of Louis XIV; only 35 of these barrels were produced from two fallen oaks in the Futaie des Clos plot of the Bercé royal forest; and a proprietary DAOU barrel created from rare, super fine-grain pink oak, or bois rosé, that is also seasoned in the elements for five years. This proprietary barrel is custom toasted with a low flame to avoid char and ultimately accentuate the wine with extraordinary length. Collectively, these barrels provide for seamless oak integration and staggering complexity over a maturation period of 30 months, all without encroaching upon the pure qualities of our DAOU Mountain fruit.
The result is a most pure expression of the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc—abundantly layered, extravagant in depth, and intricately poised to the end.
“Twelve years ago, we embarked on a journey of conviction. It began with a belief that our Estate would one day produce some of the most luxurious wines imaginable. With Patrimony, that promise has been fulfilled. Now the time has come to welcome you into this journey with joy and gratefulness, so that you may share in its abundance.”
