(2025) Everything - everything - about this wine is massive, from the price, to the 15.2% alcohol, to one of the heaviest bottles I've ever encountered. None of those are plus points for me, and yet there is no denying what an exemplary wine this is of its hedonistic, plush, sumptuous style. Do not come here for subtlety or restraint, but if a symphony of glossy fruit, mocha coffee oak, and 'gobs of everything' is your bag, this is a quite some example. The Lebanese Daou family left everything behind after a rocket struck their family home in the 1973 civil war. Brothers Georges and Daniel were children at the time, and both were badly injured in the incident. The family fled Lebanon, relocating to Bordeaux, were the brothers eventually made their fortune as engineers. The dream to make wine then took them to California, and the rugged mountains of Paso Robles, where the land that is the Daou estate was purchased in 2007. This top wine, Soul of a Lion, is named in honour of their father who gave up a successful life in Lebanon to protect his family. The 2022 comes from their limestone hillside, and is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, along with 15% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. It spent 22 Months in 100% new French oak.

(2025) From the dry-farmed Alta Vista vineyard, planted in 1972. Far Mountain say the natural contours of this hillside planting give many different expositions, and that such old, bush vines may well have created some mutations, or perhaps there is some Cabernet Franc co-planted. This was matured in French oak, 27% new barrels. It has a deep and saturated crimson/violet colour, and classic cassis and deep plummy aromas fringed by cedar and tobacco. There's a little glimpse of black olive too. Classic stuff on the palate, that juicy black fruit but a firm Sandalwood and spice background. Tannins are really quite grippy, which work with firm acidity to give the finish structure.

(2025) I've been a great fan of this wine over the years and the 2018 follows up on the 93-point 2017 in some style. The Don Miguel vineyard is in the west of Sonoma County and benefits from cooling breezes and fogs funneling through from the Pacific. It is aged 11 months in new French oak barrels. A medium garnet colour, attractive aromas of cherry and small redcurrant fruit mingle with some smoky spice and cedar. There's a glimpse of something floral too. In the mouth it has weight and texture, and becomes quite lush, the fruit fleshy and supple, tannins creamy and fine and the acidity adding a red berry tartness that lifts the picture. Spice again and a little mocha and toast the barrels into the long finish.

(2024) From Rutherford in the Napa Valley, organically-grown Cabernet Sauvignon makes up 91% of the blend, along with Cabernet Franc, Carménère, Merlot and Petit Verdot. It spent 22 months in a complex mix of 65% New French Oak, 32% Neutral oak and 3% Terracotta Amphora. What a svelte and elegant opening, silky aromas are so polished, succulent black fruit is touched by violet and kirsch, a dark cocoa and cedar in the background. The palate follows on seamlessly, plush and intense, the tannins chocolate-smooth and the acid really juicy and fine. That extends the wine into a long, tapering finish.

(2022) All fruit from the Daou Mountain, hand-picked,l and sorted by optical technology. The wine is fermented with proprietary native yeast from the estate, and aged 22 months in French oak barrels. Immediately aromatic, an intense mulberry and blackcurrant glossy depth with spice and cocoa notes, but there's a higher-toned floral aspect too, adding to the complexity. The palate has a silky texture and a smooth, velvety core of pure cassis and black plum. Lots of juiciness here, but also pot-pourri aromas and spices continuing. Touches of roses and patchouli continually draw one back to the aromas. A large-scaled but beautifully proportioned wine, where the attention to detail is writ large in every mouthful.

(2021) A certain dustiness and sweet plummy fruit depth here, a touch of tapenade and also some sweet floral aspects as cassis asserts. Smooth and silky on the palate, more toast and nutty oak components showing through, but everything polished and creamy, tannins and acids integrated with the substantial fruit. Stylish. Price and stockist quoted is for a more recent vintage at time of review.

(2018) A blend of two vineyards, the Occidental Road Vineyard, a 1990 planting of a Massal selection, plus their own sandy vineyard, O'Connel. Andy describes it as "A crafted wine, rather than a grown wine," with some whole bunches in the ferment, very few punch downs, more gentle remontage, and a long fermentation. It sees 45% new French oak. Fantastic glossy, deep black nose, almost cassis ripeness, Some char and coffee richness, graphite too. Delicious balance again, with the ripe plushness and just a touch of briar character, again texturally rich and dense, but the cherry freshness of the acidity cleanses beautifully. This tastes very youthful, but has such obvious quality.

(2018) Gorgeous perfume of violet and fragrant floral character, bursting cherry and cherry-stalk briar notes. Then delicious sweetness in the mouth, touches of mocha and plush, ripe fleshiness, pure and long, the tangy and bittersweet cherry skin quality extends the finish against the sweet fruit.

(2018) LIke all of DuMOL's wines it seems, again the perfume here is magnificent, slightly more ripe almost moving into dried cherry and dried fruit, extreme sweetness. This lacks the nuance and layering of the 2013 for me, but the fruit is so pure, so deliciously all-encompassing, encouraging you to simply drink deeply.

(2018) Served from magnum and the cool old cellars of Raeburn Fine Wines, this has the earthy, lightly salty, truffle and meatiness, with juicy cherry ripeness and freshness, rich, sandy tannins and keen concentration of fruit, texture and acidity. It has retained remarkable freshness though the wine is nicely developed, touches of game and flowers melding with the creamy fruit and oak of the finish. Price is for a magnum.