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TECHNICAL REVIEW w A n emaTkI iOn g N iVIGA N On Top of Daou Mountain Brothers grow and bottle premium Bordeaux-style wines in Paso Robles By Andrew Adams The 92-acre estate vineyard is planted mostly to Bordeaux varieties and some Zinfandel and Syrah. D aniel Daou can't stop talking about the dirt. He's spent millions acquiring a ranch in Paso Robles, Calif., building a showcase winery atop a mountain and even securing the neighboring wine estate to expand his total production. But as he recently toured the grounds of Daou Vineyards & Winery, which he owns with his brother Georges, Daou kept coming back to the soil. It's a major reason why the Daous, who had the resources to purchase land anywhere in California—or even France, picked the Central Coast. Daou said he and his brother came close to buying land in Napa Valley as well as a prime site in Knights Valley near the Peter Michael Winery in Sonoma County, Calif. They mulled purchasing an estate in Bordeaux but decided there were just "too many barriers to entry." Drawn by the soil Ultimately, in 2007, the Daous chose the 600-acre ranch on a hilltop off Adelaida Road because the soil and climate presented excellent terroir. The property also has some legacy in the region, as it is part of what was once the 1,200-acre ranch owned by Dr. Stanley Hoffman. Hoffman consulted with famed Napa Valley enolo46 W in es & V i ne s J U LY 2 0 13 gist André Tchelistcheff before becoming one of the first pioneers to plant Cabernet Sauvignon vines in Paso Robles during the 1960s. Situated at 2,200 feet elevation, the estate is one of the highest vineyards in Paso Robles. Daou said a near-constant breeze blowing through the Templeton Gap from the Pacific Ocean, which is Highlights • aniel Daou and his brother Georges D are focused on demonstrating that Paso Robles, Calif., can be the source of excellent Cabernet. • fter successful careers in technology, A the Daous invested in planting vineyards, building a winery and buying a neighboring estate. • ow-yield viticulture practices are L complemented with meticulous sorting and extended maceration in the cellar to craft wines with restrained alcohol levels and natural acidity. less than 20 miles away from the winery, moderates the site's average high temperatures. The elevation also provides natural frost protection. Unlike many growers in the Central Coast, Daou said he dodged the devastating frosts of 2011, though he did have to manage some mildew issues that year. Perched above the coastal fog, away from the heat of east Paso Robles and with roots digging into calcareous soils, Daou said the grapes reach ideal ripeness without losing their natural acidity. "I detest to add tartaric acid. I really think it screws around with the balance of the wine," he says. Daou is so adverse to acid additions that he only uses free-run wine. History After growing up in Lebanon and France, Georges and Daniel Daou came to the United States to attend college; both earned degrees from the University of California, San Diego. After graduation, Georges launched Daou Systems Inc., which manufactured and managed computer programs for hospitals. Daniel joined the company later, and the two helped lead it to achieve one of the largest IPOs in the late-1990s. After retiring at age 31, Daou decided winemaking would be one of his next pursuits.