Best Gifts Under $100: 2008 Holiday Gift Guide
11/28/2008

Friday, November 28, 2008

"We're not really sure what to make of the Wine Lovers of History and the Vintners of Napa Valley finger puppet series, but figured they would really appeal to wine geeks. How often, after all, can you find Jesus Christ, Rumi, Thomas Jefferson and Robert Mondavi all in the same store? $58 for set of six at Darioush winery."

Click here to view both exclusive designs and purchase online.

2005 Merlot Receives 95 Rating from Connoisseurs' Guide
11/03/2008

Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine - November, 2008

 An exceptional wine. Worth a special search of the market.

Darioush has carved out its niche as a producer of expressive, big-bodied wines, and its latest Merlot is among the deepest and most flamboyant bottlings to be found. High in sweet oak and sporting an immense measure of keenly focused, incredibly rich and succulent varietal fruit, the wine is weighty without being heavy or in any way beholden to runaway ripeness. It is eminently ageworthy and is certain to reward patient cellaring of five years or more, but it is so rich as to be wholly enjoyable now.  95 Points  | $48

   "Drinkable now. Further bottle aging can improve this wine." "Medium red, balanced, good depth, medium tannin, beef and lamb.""Limited Production."

2005 Shiraz Receives 93 Rating from Connoisseurs' Guide
11/03/2008

Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine - November, 2008

 A highly distinctive wine. Likely to be memorable.

Very much draughted in the highly oaked and unabashedly ripe style that has become this winery's calling card, this most recent Syrah from Darioush is an immense and unrestrained wine that simply demands attention. For all of its bluster and sheer power, it maintains a remarkable focus on real Syrah fruit, and, while it may strike some as too much of a good thing, those who prefer Syrahs with uncompromising richness will find it a near-perfect partner to the likes of slow-simmered, melt-in-your mouth lamb shanks or short ribs of beef.  93 Points | $68

   "Very limited availability."  "Robust Red. Full tannin, intense flavors. For highly spiced meat dishes." "Cellar for future drinking. Wine will improve with bottle aging."

Decanter's New World Greats To Lay Down
06/23/2008

  Decanter, August 2008

 2006 Darioush Signature Viognier, Napa Valley, California, USA

'I discovered Darioush Khaledi's wines last year and have been really impressed.  The acidity will keep this Viognier fresh for a good few years -- they are some of the brightest around. 2009-2012.'                                                                                                - James Hocking

2004 Shiraz makes Robb Report Magazine's Best of the Best 2008
06/01/2008

^{"The Darioush Winery, as viewed from Napa Valley's Silverado Trail, suggests what one discovers at once when one tastes the wines: They are like nothing else from the region.  The recently completed winery complex resembles a temple of Persian travertine and tinted glass rising up from the valley floor.  The building is a fascinating amalgam of ancient motifs and cutting-edge technology--an apt expression, in many respects, of the personality of its owner, Darioush Khaledi, who founded the winery in 1997. Having grown up in the Shiraz region of Iran, where Syrah originated, Khaledi has always harvored a particular passion for this grape, and he brings to his winemaking project a deep sense of tradition, as well as an entrepreneur's enthusiasm for innovation.} 

^{The Darioush Signature Shiraz Napa Valley 2004 (www.darioush.com, $64) combines the essence of Shiraz-- earthiness and substantial structure-- with the ripeness and concentration that characterizes the wines of Napa. Indeed, the perfume of this intense red wine, redolent of plum and wild berries, is almost enough to satisfy on its own; but to merely nose this wine would be to deny oneself the pleasure of its complex, lush flavors and satiny texture. --B.A."}