Paso Robles trailblazers Georges and Daniel Daou describe the Patrimony project like this: In the end, this land is not ours—it is an inheritance forged by faith, family and heritage. We are called to be its shepherds, and to prepare it for those who come after. Patrimony is the summit of this calling. With this wine, we aim to provide pleasure in the deepest sense of the word, signifying purity and grace. And through such pleasure, we achieve purpose: to leave a lasting mark that all may enjoy.
After growing up in Beirut, Lebanon, then living in Paris and the South of France as teens and young men, Georges and Daniel moved to California in the early 1980's to pursue their American dream. They both enrolled at UC San Diego and studied Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering. Industrious and driven to succeed, Georges and Daniel followed in their family’s entrepreneurial footsteps and started their own company, DAOU Systems, a networking technology company that would revolutionize hospital computer systems.
In 1998, after taking DAOU Systems public, Georges and Daniel sold the company, and a new dream arose, a dream with its roots in France. For years, Daniel had been making wine in his garage in rural San Diego, tending to a one-acre vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon, and reading every book he could find about winemaking. He knew he was destined to be a winemaker and knew it was time to start a winery. Everyone told him he was crazy, but with Georges as his business partner, Daniel told his father, “I’m going to buy this property in Paso, and I want to become a winemaker, and I think I can make one of the best wines in the world.” Without hesitation, Joseph said, “Go and don’t look back. Go full throttle.” And Daou was born.
This vintage is the epitome of a terroir-driven wine that has immense power without sacrificing any elegance. The wine explodes out of the glass with boysenberry fruit, crème de cassis, cedar, cigars, crushed stone and lead pencil accompanied by a perfume of violets. Deep and full-bodied, rich with astonishing texture, it manages to stay fresh and balanced throughout with a finish that does not stop.
Lastly, the 2019 Patrimony Cabernet Sauvignon follows suit, revealing a dense purple hue as well as awesome notes of black raspberries, cassis, scorched earth, graphite, new leather, vanilla, and exotic spices. It's another stunning, magical wine that offers full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannins, and just a great, great finish. 97-100 Points.
The 2019 Patrimony is fresh and minerally at this stage. Still in barrel, it's made entirely of free-run Cabernet Sauvignon and will be aged for 30 months in 100% new French oak. Deep ruby-purple, it's scented of blueberry liqueur, thyme, mint chocolate and dried herbs with savory wafts of soy sauce. The full-bodied palate is grainy and fresh, with a long, spicy finish. It has the detail and balance to allow it to pick up complexity as it continues along its evolution toward bottling. 95-97 Points.