2016 Daou - Pinot Noir Solomon Hills Vineyard

In addition to the Bordeaux focus, Daniel has also sourced fruit from two terrific Pinot Noir vineyards and is sticking his foot into the Pinot Noir waters. Starting with the 2016 Pinot Noir Solomon Hills, this comes from a cool, Pacific Ocean influenced site just outside of Santa Maria, not far from the well-known Bien Nacido Vineyard. It offers a Burgundian vibe in its earth cherry, forest floor, and leafy herb aromas and flavors. These carry over to the palate where the wine is medium-bodied, has good acidity, and a silky, seamless texture. It’s certainly going to be an outstanding effort. From high up off Adelaida Road, the Daou brothers continue to make a massive lineup of stellar wines. The 2016s are incredibly strong across the board and make the most of this brilliant vintage. In 2017, they opted to wait until after the heatwaves and then do extensive sorting, and this paid off brilliantly and I suspect they’ve made the top Bordeaux blends in the vintage. As I’ve said in the past, these wine compete with the best of Napa Valley and are some of the leading Bordeaux blends from Paso Robles.