Soul of A Lion
฿฿฿
Rated 97/100 by Wine Enthusiast (top 6% of their reviews).
From our sommelier team
A rich, structured Bordeaux-style red blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon (typically around 75-80%) with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, showing dark fruit (blackberry, black cherry, blueberry), baking spice, and toasted oak from extended aging in 100% new French oak, with concentrated, velvety tannins.
Soul of a Lion is DAOU's flagship wine and comes exclusively from the estate's high-elevation "DAOU Mountain" vineyards in the Adelaida District of Paso Robles, where calcareous soils are cited as a key factor in the brand's rapid critical rise; the wine typically spends around 22 months in new French oak barrels.
Producer history
DAOU Vineyards was founded in 2007 by Lebanese-born brothers Georges and Daniel Daou on a 212-acre hilltop estate in the Adelaida District of Paso Robles, California. The brothers had earlier built and sold a technology company (Daou Systems) before turning to winemaking, aiming to prove Paso Robles could produce world-class Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties. The brand grew quickly into one of the fastest-growing luxury wine labels in the U.S., and in October 2023 Australia's Treasury Wine Estates agreed to acquire DAOU Vineyards for up to $1 billion (completed December 2023), with Georges and Daniel Daou remaining involved as founders.
Signature pairings
- Grilled dry-aged ribeye steak — The wine's firm tannin structure and dark fruit concentration are built to cut through richly marbled, char-grilled beef.
- Braised short ribs — Slow-braised, collagen-rich beef matches the wine's dense fruit and toasted-oak spice without overwhelming it.
- Aged hard cheeses (Manchego, aged cheddar) — Firm, salty aged cheeses balance the wine's tannin and oak while echoing its savory depth.
Daou Vineyards sits on the Adelaida District's eastern bench—a limestone-rich plateau at 1,200–1,400 feet elevation where Pacific fog burns off by mid-morning, concentrating diurnal temperature swings that sharpen phenolic ripeness. The vineyard's calcareous soils demand deep root systems and naturally limit vigor, a terroir condition that Daou has stewarded since 2007 to produce Cabernet-led blends of structural precision.
Soul of a Lion is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend aged in French oak (proportion undisclosed by producer) for an extended regime that builds complexity without masking the site's mineral spine. The wine's name references the producer's philosophy: power without pretense. This is a wine built for the Adelaida terroir's limestone minerality and cool-climate tannin architecture, not for fruit-forward softness.
The 2021 vintage (most recent release) captures a cooler growing season's hallmark: restrained alcohol, pronounced acidity, and tannins that remain structured rather than plush. Drinking window: 2024–2035.
Details
- Country
- USA
- Region
- California
- Subregion
- Adelaida District
- Variety
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Vintage
- 2021
- Bottle size
- 750 ml
Taste profile
- Body
- Full
- Acidity
- Medium
- Tannin
- Medium
Pairs well with
- Grilled red meat & steak
- Braised & slow-cooked meat
- Lamb dishes
- Cured meats & charcuterie
- Creamy pasta & risotto
Sommelier’s pick: Grilled ribeye with rosemary and sea salt · Braised short ribs with red wine reduction · Herb-crusted lamb shoulder
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