Merlot Receives 93 Rating and Highest Praise
03/01/2010
Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine - March 2010
"A highly distinctive wine. Likely to be memorable"
"Taking its accustomed placement at the forefront of wines whose concern for richness is paramount, the new Darioush Merlot is an immense, highly extracted offering whose extravagant oak is comfortably married to equally extravagant ripe-cherry fruit. It is absolutely brimming with a stunning array of both sweet and savory spices, and, while quite full in body, it surprises by staying in balance even as grippy tannins take hold at the finish. While so rich and seductive as to justify drinking now with the likes of well-seasoned lamb, it is far from reaching its best and should be held for five or more years." 93 Points | $48.
"Limited Production."
"Medium red, balanced, good depth, medium tannin, beef and lamb"
"Drinkable now. Further bottle aging can improve this wine."
Click here to view tasting notes and purchase 2006 Signature Merlot.
'Outstanding' Review for 2007 Estate Caravan
12/29/2009
Wine Advocate #186 - December, 2009
"A terrific bargain in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, this blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and the rest equal parts Petit Verdot and Malbec offers a subtle toasty oak note intermixed with espresso roast, chocolate, black currants, and black cherries. It possesses soft, velvety tannins, medium to full body, and beautiful purity, texture, and length. Approachable now, it should evolve easily for 15 or more years. This is a sleeper of the vintage." -Robert Parker Rating: 90 | $40.
Click here to purchase 2007 Caravan Cabernet Sauvignon.
A 91 Rating for 2006 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon
12/01/2009
Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine - December 2009
"A highly distinctive wine. Likely to be memorable"
"9% Merlot; 3% Cabernet Franc; 3% Malbec. Taking its usual place near the head of the class as far as sheer opulence and lavish oak are concerned, this year's offering from Darioush is as hedonistic and voluptuous as ever with so much deep fruit that it finds success in a style where success does not always come easy. Some will no doubt find it a bit over the top, but it has the balance and structure to improve with age, and it will never be accused of being wimpy or wan." 91 Points | $80
"Cellar for future drinking. Will improve with bottle aging"
"Medium red, balanced, good depth, medium tannin, beef and lamb"
"Generally available in most markets."
Click here to purchase 2006 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon.
Large Formats are available for a limited time.
1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Rated 92 in Retrospective Tasting
11/02/2009
"The 1999 California Cabernet vintage was a great success when it was released, delivering many of that decade's best wines. Now 10 years old, the top Cabernets of that harvest have, for the most part, aged the way wine lovers who cellared them hoped they would; time has worked to their advantage."
Wine Spectator - November, 2009
1999 Darioush Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley - Rated 92
"Complex and distinctive, this big, ripe and balanced red shows a mix of dried currant, blackberry, black cherry, lead pencil and mineral. Gets more interesting on the finish, where the earthy, leathery scents are more prominent. 1999 California Cabernet blind retrospective (2009). Drink now through 2014. 2,443 cases made. –JL"
Click here to see other top wines rated in 1999 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon retrospective.
91 Rating for 2006 Shiraz
11/01/2009
Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine - November, 2009
"A highly distinctive wine. Likely to be memorable."
“...we fully confess to being quite impressed by this absolutely opulent Syrah, and its amazing richness and fruity depth are compensation enough for its excesses. It is an immense wine by any and all standards, and it is bound overpower all but the most flavorful foods, yet over the next decade it is sure to shine with the likes of slow-cooked, garlicky lamb stews." 91 Points | $68.
"Limited Production."
"Robust Red. Full tannin, intense flavors. For highly spiced meat dishes.."
"Drinkable now. Further bottle aging can improve this wine."