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w i n ema k i n g Daou insists that he's no weekend winemaker pursuing the lifestyle rather than the hard work of building an estate and crafting fine wine. "I work seven days a week," he told Wines & Vines. "I love what I do." That passion is evident as Daou navigates a Ford truck up and down steep grades, checking on a large planting project that will expand the estate. He stops occasionally to check in with workers and answer their questions. The winery employs 30 full-time staffers with five year-round cellar workers and two people in the vineyard. All work orders for winemaking and vineyard operations come from Daou. "It's a pretty simple operation, and it allows me to keep my finger on the pulse," he said. Expanding estate The entire winery and its expansive tasting area, with views of the estate vineyards and surrounding hills, were designed by John Jensen. The property is bustling with activity— and not just because of the vineyard preparation. In February, the Daous purchased an estate winery located at the base of the hill that is topped with Daou Vineyards & Winery. That winery, Twilight Cellars, moved to a new location in San Juan Bautista, Calif., and still operates under the same name. In addition to expanding their vineyards, the Daous are also renovating the old building for a new, gravity-fed winery and storage space for 1,600 barrels. Daou said he intends to plant about an acre of Sauvignon Blanc on the site. Most of the red wines Daou Vineyards produces undergo extended maceration. Building a winery, establishing hillside vineyards or buying and renovating an old winery would be relatively ambitious projects on their own. Daou is reticent about divulging the total cost but said he and his brother had budgeted for around $10 million and have now gone "well north of that." Even as he continues his Paso Robles project, Daou said he and his brother are still intrigued by opportunities in Argentina. As Daou honed his vision of a winery, he studied viticulture and clone performance to find the best match for the estate terroir. In past years, Daou maintains, growers in Paso and large wine companies outside of the area planted for yield rather than quality, and he's looking to change that. Working with material primarily from Mercier California nursery as well as Sunridge Nurseries Inc., NovaVine and Guillaume Grapevine Nursery, Daou planted a variety of Cabernet Georges (left) and Daniel Daou are pictured in the barrel room of the winery. clones he says are a better fit for the soil and growing conditions of the area. Daou recently helped form the Paso Robles CAB (Cabernet and Bordeaux) Collective that includes Justin Vineyards & Winery, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines and others to promote the wineries making "classic" and age-worthy wines from Bordeaux grape varieties. Yet despite his focus on making premium Cabernet and Bordeaux-style blends, Daou also sells a Zinfandel and some Rhone variety wines. One of his most expensive offerings is the Mayote blend of 53% Syrah, 37% Cabernet and 10% Petit Verdot. He says the sprawling Paso Robles appellation is far too diverse to be pigeonholed for producing just one variety. "To say Paso is this and that is absurd. There's home and room for everyone." Focused on low yields Daou says he was the first to plant Cabernet clone 31, the heritage "To Kalon" clone that was developed with material from the iconic vineyard in Napa Valley. He picked clone 191 for its low yields and unique flavor profile and is waiting to plant an imported Cabernet Franc clone that he says is the same used by Chateau Cheval Blanc. The goal is reduced yields and concentrated flavors. Vines are planted with 6.5- x 3-foot spacing, and density per acre is between 2,200 and 2,500 vines. While laid out with drip lines, Daou said the estate receives more rainfall than is typical for Paso Robles, and some years he has been able to dry farm the vines. Cordon height is 18 inches to produce 4-foot canopies that fuel limited fruit production. During the spring and summer, crews drop ripening fruit to limit the vines to just 10 to 12 clusters for concentrated flavors. Viticultural practices Win es & Vi n es JU LY 20 13 47