2020 Daou 'Soul of a Lion' Proprietary Red Paso Robles
This wine explodes from the glass with a kaleidoscope of aromas and flavors, including blackberry, blueberry, blackcurrant, dark cherry, sweet tobacco and licorice. An added floral dimension imparts an integrated sense of elegance and freshness. While full-bodied with ultra-high phenolic levels, this wine maintains its evenness and poise through an extraordinarily long finish. Structured, balanced and powerful, the 2020 Soul of a Lion will reveal its full magnitude after several years of careful cellaring.
Up on the highest vineyard in Paso Robles, brothers Georges and Daniel Daou have raised the bar for Bordeaux-style wines in central California. The brothers, engineers by trade, were raised in Paris and Cannes before immigrating to the US in their 20s. By their early 30s, they had sold a successful computer networking company, and Daniel promptly retired from tech and threw himself headfirst into learning winemaking. Between 2007 and 2012 the brothers purchased 212 hillside acres on the west side of Paso Robles. Legendary consulting winemaker “Maestro” André Tchelistcheff originally consulted on the first Cabernet vineyards here in the 1960s, and described the Daou’s hill as “A jewel of ecological elements,” referring to the site’s high altitude (2,200 feet, which is where Napa’s famous Howell Mountain tops out), limestone soils (a true rarity in the US), and cool climate, which allows the wines to attain full ripeness and deep colors without having to be acidified. Cab lovers, this is a winery to watch. Here we have unique terroir, fanatically scientific winemakers who use only free-run juice, and reality pricing, not vanity pricing. These three wines would make up a great mixed case to sock away and savor. We concur with this sentiment: “These are easily the greatest Bordeaux blends I’ve tasted from Paso Robles.” – The Wine Advocate.
Wine Advocate
The 2020 Soul Of A Lion, made from free-run juice, is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot matured for 22 months in 100% new French oak. It has a deep ruby color and pure aromas of blackcurrants, tobacco, truffle and thyme with touches of leather and graphite. The full-bodied palate has a pleasantly rustic texture and savory character, finishing with tobacco accents.
Wine Enthusiast
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.
James Suckling
Seductive and enchanting nose with aromas of wild berries, dried herbs, pencil lead, bark and leather. It's full-bodied with fine tannins. Well-built with the harmonious structure supporting a velvety core of berries and chocolate which caress the mid-palate.
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Soul Of A Lion is tighter and more backward than the 2019 (which was also tight and focused at this stage as well), offering lots of ripe black fruits, new leather, mineral, and iron nuances to go with a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, structured style on the palate. It's unquestionably a beautiful, outstanding wine.
Decanter
Full, voluptuous and complex wine which will only improve with age. The fruit is dominant now, but the tertiary notes are knocking on the door. Aromas of dark berries, blackberries and blackcurrants, confirmed on the palate alongside mocha, chocolate and black liquorice notes. Medium-plus to firm tannins that will continue to integrate with age. A lengthy finish. This wine has a long life ahead.