Wine Tasting: DAOU 2023 'Soul of a Lion' Red Blend, Adelaida District, Paso Robles, CA

by Andrew Chalk

It has been a decade since I discovered DAOU, toured their spectacular rolling estate vineyard, and tasted their wines. A lot has changed since. In 2016 Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines flew under the radar, unmentioned in Napa and Sonoma Cabernet reviews. Now, they are recognized for their quality, with DAOU as one of the flagship wineries and its region, the Adeleida District, drawing attention of its own.

Bring on the 2023 vintage of DAOU’s flagship wine ‘Soul of a Lion’. A red blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot. I recently had the opportunity to taste this and build the WSET-style note below. 

The TL;DR would be that this is an immensely complex red wine that has the approachability to be drunk now yet the structure to keep for a decade or more. It can be very slowly quaffed over a full-length movie, or paired with red meat dishes over a big meal with friends. I and The Moll drank it with leg of lamb, King Oyster mushrooms, corn on the cob, steamed cauliflower, air-fried asparagus spears, and steamed rice. It was an ever-changing, uplifting experience. That said, the red meat could alternatively be your favorite variant of barbecue: maybe Texas, Kansas City, or Korean. This is a versatile wine.

TASTING NOTES

NAME:	DAOU 2023 Soul of a Lion Red Blend, Adelaida District, Paso Robles, CA
	COMMENTS
APPEARANCE
Clarity	clear
Intensity	deep
Color	Ruby
NOSE
Condition	clean
Intensity	Pronounced
Aroma Characteristics	Background layer of pyrazines, profuse forward truit of bluberries, herbes de Provence, hints of cinnamon, cigar box,
PALATE
Sweetness	dry
Acidity	medium
Tannin	medium plus/
Alcohol	medium plus/
Body	full
Flavor intensity	pronounced
Flavor characterstics	Dark fruit (blueberries, cassis) leads, chewy tannins, baking spices, herbs de provence, forest floor.
Other observations	Complex, ever yielding.
Finish	Long
Quality Assessment	Outstanding
Bottle aging	Suitable.

Sample.