In the last five months, a team of experts have worked relentlessly to initiate the Daou Vineyards project on the west side of Paso Robles.The team, led by Daniel Daou, included individuals who were able to put their expertise in action to be free to create what they thought all along was not something that could be accomplished. From the vines chosen to the posts delineating all the rows, no corners were cut to create a vineyard that we believe will one day produce wines that Georges and Daniel Daou would be proud to label after their family name.
We would like to recognize in this article the team that lead the day to day management of this project all the way to completion:
·Scott Erwin
Scott spent years in Napa working for many wineries including Beringer. He moved to Paso Robles about 10 years ago and has been involved in many development projects. Appointed to be the team leader for all development issues, Scott worked with the rest of the team to fulfill the project in a very short period of time.
· Lee Alegre
Lee has spent many years in the Paso Robles region. A graduate of Cal Poly, he has been involved in vineyard management for over 10 years. Lee felt a special calling being involved in this project as he wanted to create what he would call “the perfect terroir”. Working closely with Scott Erwin, Lee oversaw the planting of the vineyard in this first phase.
Other team members played a big role in helping make this first phase successful that we would like to recognize including Rich Ellis (Operations) and James Hendon (Winemaking).
In this first development phase, 25 acres of vines were planted on the Daou Mountain. The unique soil prevalent around the property, rich with very high levels of limestone ranging from 83% to 97.7%, was used to plant this first phase. All the vines were planted on a six by three configuration for a total of 2,234 vines per acre. The cordon is being set at 18 inches to increase the polyphenol extraction in the grapes. Special posts were brought in from out of state to create a sturdy and unique trellising system. All the vines purchased were certified virus free and were chosen from the best nurseries in California.
The following varieties were planted in this first phase:
Cabernet Sauvignon: 10 acres
Syrah: 3 acres
Petite Sirah: 3 acres
Zinfandel: 6 acres
Merlot: 1 acre
Petit Verdot: 1 acre
Cabernet Franc: 1 acre
In the first release to the market, the wines will carry the Daou Vineyards label and five estate produced and bottled wines will be made available: a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, a 100% Syrah, a 100% Zinfandel, a Petite Sirah blend as well as a Bordeaux blend (Meritage).
Wanting to keep with their family tradition of producing olive oil, the Daou brothers have planted 1,100 olive trees on the property. It is anticipated that in the next three years, two olive oils will be produced. The two types of olive trees chosen were: Arbequina and Arbosana – both are Spanish varietals that yield an exquisite olive oil.
