DAOU Family Estates

Family owned and operated, DAOU Family Estates is committed to producing collectible, world-class wines to rival the most respected appellations in the world. Situated on a 212-acre hilltop estate, our remarkable geology, favorable microclimate, and 2,200 feet elevation were once described by renowned California winemaker André Tchelistcheff as “a jewel of ecological elements.” As stewards of this beautiful terroir, the Daou brothers’ vision is to produce California “first-growth” wine, fulfilling the Adelaida District’s destiny as the world’s next benchmark for Bordeaux varieties.

When Andre Tchelistcheff discovered what would later become DAOU Mountain, high in the west hills of Paso Robles, he found it to be the perfect soil and climate for growing world class grapes. In 1964, Dr. Stanley Hoffman purchased a 1,200 acre ranch and, with the assistance of Tchelistcheff, planted the first vines. This founded Hoffman Mountain Ranch Winery, the first modern commercial winery in Paso Robles. Dr. Hoffman’s Cabernet Sauvignon earned high accolades in the United States and across the globe, helping to establish Paso Robles as a premier grape growing region.

Georges and Daniel Daou founded DAOU Family Estates in 2007, and in 2012 they purchased the original Hoffman Mountain Ranch Property and immediately began restoring the original red-wood winery to preserve a vital part of Paso Robles history. They have continued Tchelistcheff and Hoffman’s vision and now have close to 120 acres under vine, placing their focus firmly on Bordeaux varietals.

The most beautiful expression of wine comes from terroir. In simplest terms, terroir is soil and climate. Great wines require exceptional terroir. DAOU Mountain is created from a very rare soil, calcareous clay. This soil, famously found in Saint-Émilion and the right bank of Bordeaux, is composed of clay with a calcareous and limestone subsoil perfect for growing Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux varieties. This is the soil Georges and Daniel Daou sought when they searched around the world for their dream vineyard.

DAOU Mountain rises 2,200 feet in elevation in the hills of the Adelaida District on the west side of the Paso Robles AVA. With its steep mountain slopes of up to fifty-six percent, DAOU Mountain rises dramatically above the Coastal Range with breathtaking views from the highest winery on the Central Coast of California. The mountain is cooled by the Pacific Ocean, fourteen miles away, and gentle breezes that flow over the Templeton Gap. Warm, temperate days and cool nights guarantee even ripening and vine balance every year.

“We have, arguably, the most perfect climate in the world to ripen Bordeaux varieties and Cabernet Sauvignon” - Daniel Daou

The terroir of DAOU Mountain yields harvests of fruit with extraordinary phenolics, small berries with intense flavors, aromas, and deep colors from a low skin-to-juice ratio. Georges and Daniel Daou promise to fulfill this mountain’s destiny of becoming one of the world’s greatest vineyards.

Winemaker Daniel Daou combines intensive research with his own sensory talents to drive one of the world’s most innovative winemaking programs. Daniel spends countless hours in the vineyard to maximize the flavors, phenolics and purity of our fruit. All fruit from DAOU Mountain is hand-picked, then sorted by cutting-edge optical technology. All of our wine is fermented with native yeast cultivated from the Estate and made from free run juice. Each fermentation is managed with continual phenolic analysis, ensuring an exquisite mouthfeel in each wine. With these and other proprietary techniques, Daniel is able to make age-worthy wines that consistently exhibit depth, balance and first growth elegance.

DAOU’s cultivated yeast, “D20," is cultured from DAOU Mountain chosen from early trials involving 100 different native yeasts. The differentiator here is its unusual ability to maintain acidity; extract color; amplify flavor and texture; and produce lower alcohols.

Daniel has also developed an advanced phenolics management system (a science based system that measures the level of phenolic compounds in wine) which combines rigorous data collection and analysis with his own sensory observations, allowing him to achieve consistent color, tannin and mouthfeel year after year. Measuring phenolics gives us the ability to be objective vs. subjective when measuring the quality of a wine, vintage or terroir. 

In addition to native yeast and phenolics, DAOU Family Estates uses custom French oak barrels for aging. DAOU’s custom barrels come from rare extra tight grain pink oak aged in the elements for up to five years and is prized for imparting an array of complex yet subtle flavors. The custom barrels are also designed to increase aromatic compounds and rounds out tannins for early approachability. Each of these barrels is finished with Daniel’s custom toasting, which reduces char in order to bring nuance and length to the wine’s finish.