Daou brothers release 2019 Estate Soul of A Lion in honour of their father

In honour of their father Joseph’s birthday on April 7, brothers and co-proprietors of Daou Family Estates, Georges and Daniel Daou released their 2019 Estate Soul of A Lion.

Joseph Daou passed away in 2010. Though Georges and Daniel are embedded into the winemaking of Paso Robles, California, they originally hail from Beirut. It was the Lebanese Civil War which would turn the family’s life upside down. A missile attack in 1973 left both brothers and their sister Michelle injured. After emigrating to France in order to escape from the violence which had seized Lebanon, the brothers moved to the US when Daniel was 18 and they both enrolled at UC San Diego, studying software engineering.

Family, and the family name, is of great importance to Georges and Daniel. They have previously released a Merlot-Cabernet blend, Micho, in memory of Michelle, who died from breast cancer 12 years ago. The 2018 Soul of a Lion was also dedicated to their late father and received widespread acclaim. The 2019 vintage is described by winemaker Daniel Daou as “beautifully structured, balanced, and powerful with ultra-high phenolic levels. It’s everything I hope to accomplish with this wine and a wonderful tribute to my beloved father.”

Georges Daou remarked upon the role their father played in leaving the brothers where they are now: “His pursuit of the extraordinary drove us to discover DAOU Mountain—and to embark on a dream decades in the making.” Fittingly, it is grapes cultivated on DAOU Mountain which have been used in Soul of a Lion.

2019 was blessed with heavy rains during winter dormancy and moderate temperatures in the growing season in the Adelaida district of Paso Robles. The Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot grapes harvested (used in percentages of 78%, 12% and 10% respectively) were in perfect condition.

Daniel Daou notes that though primary aromas of “blackberry, blueberry, blackcurrant, dark cherry…and liquorice” stand out at the moment, the 2019 “will reveal its full magnitude after several years of careful cellaring.” Their mastery of phenolic management has enabled the Daous to create a wine which will age exquisitely in the bottle.

The brothers intend to release Soul of a Lion on April 7 in the years to come so that they can continue to honour their father, “the original soul of a lion”, as Georges puts it.

2019 Estate Soul of a Lion retails for $170 and can be found on the DAOU Vineyards website.