Soul of A Lion

Name: Daou Soul of A Lion
Brand: Daou
SKU: WRW6200AD

฿฿฿

SKU:WRW6200AD

WE97

WA96

JS95

Renowned

Rated 97/100 by Wine Enthusiast (top 6% of their reviews).

Strong Vintage

WNLQ9 vintage signal, averaged from Wine Enthusiast Wine Vintage Chart 2026 Edition's 4 closely-agreeing California 2021 ratings (Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon; Sonoma Pinot Noir; Central Coast Pinot Noir; Paso Robles Reds).

A vintage grade rates the growing season in this wine’s region — not this specific bottle. Source.

From our sommelier team

Researched by our team from producer and independent sources — not supplied by the seller.

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.

Why it tastes this way

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.

About this bottle

Product information compiled from producer, importer and reference sources.

Adelaida District Cabernet blend from limestone slopes; 96+ point intensity without oak heaviness.

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.