A Four-Vintage Vertical Tasting of a Fantastic Wine

Santa was very good to me this past Christmas. It’s hard to pick my favorite gift, but if forced to do so, I’d have to choose the vertical wine tasting kit that Laurie got me, along with a full bottle of the same wine from Daou Vineyards. Here’s a quick recap of my tasting of these beautiful wines!

There are many different ways to taste wines, but one of my favorite options is to conduct what’s known as a vertical tasting. These tastings include samples of the same wine from the same producer over different vintages. Tasting these wines, side-by-side, allows you to see how the wine evolves and develops over time. That’s because wine is a living, breathing thing that changes in the bottle as they age. For example, tannins and acidity in red wines tend to soften over time, and the fruit fades and is often replaced by more earthy flavors. These wines also become smoother and silkier as they age.

Vertical tastings of wines also allows you to explore how climate and other conditions affect a wine. For example, comparing two of the same wines from a warmer vintage and a cooler vintage allows you to better understand how temperature impacts the taste and character of a wine. A warmer vintage often results in wines that are more fruit-forward with softer acidity, while a cooler vintage can produce wines that have higher acidity and are leaner in style.

One of my Christmas gifts from Laurie this past year was a wine tasting kit from Daou Vineyards in Paso Robles, CA. Daou is one of my favorite wineries – they specialize in premium red wines that showcase the classic Bordeaux varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Merlot. They also make some fantastic white wines as well. And their wines span the range in price, from quality wines under $20 to their flagship premium wine called Soul of a Lion, which will set you back about $150 a bottle upon release.

They also only make this wine in years where the quality of the grapes meet the highest standard – if they don’t, those grapes go into their reserve Cabernet Sauvignon instead. Soul of a Lion is always made with a blend of three different grape varieties – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Also, these wines are made in limited quantities, so over the years the cost to purchase these wines increases significantly.

Daou makes a number of different tasting kits that allow you to taste wines that you might not otherwise taste because of their price. Laurie bought me their Soul of a Lion tasting kit, which included three samples of their Soul of a Lion wine from three different vintages – 2016, 2017, and 2018. Each wine came in a separate vial that held about 3.5 oz., or a bit over half a standard glass of wine. She also tried to find me a bottle of their 2019 release of the same wine so I could compare four different vintages side-by-side, but that wine wasn’t available due to high demand. Instead, she bought me a bottle of their latest release of this wine, which was the 2021 vintage.

The Daou Soul of a Lion tasting kit

And since it’s always better and more fun to share wine than to drink alone, I invited my wine-loving friend Gerard over to taste these wines with me! We had a wonderful time tasting these amazing wines – we started with the youngest (the 2021 vintage) and worked our way down to the oldest (the 2016 vintage). We also left enough wine in each of our glasses so we could retaste them after they had spent a good deal of time in the glass, which is important since wines can change considerably when they interact with oxygen for an extended period time (hence the reason why premium red wines are often decanted before serving them).

The differences in the wines were striking. The 2021 vintage was showing its youth, with tight tannins that dried out the mouth and bright jammy fruit; it also had quite a bit of acidity to it. In contrast, the older 2016 vintage was all elegance and class, with a smooth and silky body along with soft tannins, mellow fruit, and an earthy character on the finish. These wines were so different that it was somewhat hard to believe that both of these wines were made with grapes from the same vines. The two wines in between (the 2018 and 2017 vintages) were excellent as well, with the 2018 more restrained and subdued, and the 2017 richer and fuller in fruit and body.

The wines also changed considerably as they sat in the glass. All the wines mellowed somewhat over time, but the 2021 vintage showed the most significant changes, with both the acidity and tannins more subdued and the fruit coming to the fore. Here’s a quick review of each of the wines we tasted:

• 2021 Daou Estate Soul of a Lion ($150). 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot. This wine was garnet red in color, with jammy fruit and notes of Asian spice and soy on the nose. I tasted dark cherry and blackberry fruit in the mouth. The tannins were tight and robust, and dominated the finish. A young wine that should age beautifully over the next 5-10 years. Rating: 95 points - outstanding.

• 2018 Daou Estate Soul of a Lion ($250). 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot. This wine was very restrained and subdued in style. I noted red fruit, mint, and bay leaf on the nose. In the mouth, I tasted red cherry, cola, and light oak along with a light earthy notes. Medium-bodied, this wine was the least expressive of the four we tasted, but still delicious. Rating: 92 points – excellent.

• 2017 Daou Estate Soul of a Lion ($270). 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 9% Petit Verdot. This wine was a tawny red in color with hints of black-blue fruit and intense plum notes on the nose. The mouth feel was silky smooth, and the fruit fully integrated with hints of vanilla, black cherry, and black currant. It showed floral notes and light oak on the finish. A beautiful wine. Rating: 98 points – superb.

• 2016 Daou Estate Soul of a Lion ($350). 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot. A stunning wine! This wine was rich and full, with an intense nose of vanilla, plum, and cassis. In the mouth I tasted bright cherry and blackberry fruit, along with earthy notes of leather and oak. The finish was long and smooth, with light tannins and hints of white pepper and vanilla. One of the best wines I’ve ever tasted! Rating: 99 points – superb.

Bottom line: If you can find any of these wines, do the splurge and buy them – you won’t regret it. Or alternatively, if you don’t want to spend a couple of hundred bucks on wine, just buy the tasting kit instead – it’s well worth the price!!

The tasting table for our Daou Soul of a Lion vertical tasting