To DAOU Vineyards owner/partner Daniel Daou, winemaking is much more than a job... It's a lifestyle infused by a contagious passion which is reflected in his wines. Daniel spares no efforts in making sure that his wines are balanced, with sculpted tannins that showcase the fruit and provide the structure while the wine develops in the cellar and later in the bottle.

Daniel relies primarily on his palate fine tuned by over 20 years of tasting and collecting wines to guide him at each step of making wine. In the vineyard, he looks to achieve perfect ripeness, walking a fine line in allowing the grapes to struggle but never cross that line where they shut down. During harvest, the grape clusters are hand picked, rinsed then hand sorted before arriving to the cellar.

By using a strict yield management techniques - "saignees" - the wines average only about 120 gallons a ton. Then, extended cold and warm macerations that average 28 days promote maximum color and intensity and bring out the true varietal characteristic and terroir of each wine which is what Daniel works so hard to develop in the vineyards.

Making fine wine is an art and Daniel's approach is to provide the layers and brushstrokes by building the profile of his wines after the wines have finished fermentation and gone "dry". Then, by balancing the main components of fruit, tannin and acidity as the wine develops, using traditional techniques such as - "batonnage" - he builds a layered profile that together with the judicious use of French oak barrels develops intense flavors in the barrel for months at a time. The result are wines that display the true character of the terroir he works with, as well as wines that are elegant like the wines he grew up with in France displaying the concentration of flavors inherent in the great California teroirs.

Daniel is often described by his peers and the people who have fallen in love with his wines as a charismatic and passionate, yet humble, leader who will take Paso Robles to a whole new level. To Daniel, it's about putting his family name on the bottle and making sure it deserves that special privilege he so strongly cherishes.

Delphine Barboux - Laurent is a renaissance winemaker talent, with a solid resume of well-rounded experiences. She has worked in close cooperation with vineyard managers, managed cellar procedures, presented wines, restored cellars and analyzed wines. Delphine has an oenologist degree from University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse and has worked for Grand Crus Classes in Bordeaux. She was the winemaker at Chateau L’Evangile where she crafted superb wine in the 2000 vintage before going on to Chateau Lascombes in Margaux where she worked to elevate the quality of the wines with renowned wine consultant Michel Rolland. Daniel is delighted to bring Delphine’s Bordeaux expertise to the DAOU Vineyards winemaking team.

Peter Bowers - Director of Winery Relations

In the classic sense of the word, Peter strives to live and promote the wine lifestyle through a deep appreciation of fine food and wines. A graduate of the prestigious Vienna Hotel School, fluent in German, Spanish and French, he draws upon over two decades of fine wine and culinary experiences from around the world. On his path to Daou Vineyards, Peter was the hospitality Director at Justin Vineyards & Winery in Paso Robles and General Manager with the famous Palm Restaurant chain in Dallas, Las Vegas and Puerto Rico. He also brings seven years of experience working in Europe at top hotels like the Beau Rivage in Lausanne and the Bristol Hotel in Vienna.