Darioush – 114
Monday, July 11th, 2005
I’ve had a lot of folks asking when I was going to blog Darioush. The brainchild and love child of Persian-born Khaledi Darioush, this is truly a landmark in the Napa Valley for it is not a Tuscan villa, a French château, or any form of modern temple.
What Khaledi did was reach back into his heritage and create what is known affectionately in the valley as the "Persian Palace." Referencing the historical Persepolis, which was the capital of the Achaemenid Empire founded by Darius the First in 518 BC. The Napa version is huge, ostentatious, and decidedly exhilarating.
The walkway towards the building is lined with sixteen columns, which I believe area almost twenty-feet high. Each column is topped with a bull figure, derived from the Babylonian bull, an important mythological creature from the story of Gilgamesh. The grounds surrounding the building include long, cool fountains with lotus flowers, historic wine vessels (amphoras) scattered amidst flowers, and a number of sculptures which are oddly modern in this ode to ancient history. During the summer, there has been some tents set up to invite guests to stay and linger, out of the bright sunlight.
The tasting room is a delight in light and air. The columns theme continues, with a tremendously huge centerpiece of flowers drawing one’s eye to the tasting area. The surrounding area includes a fireplace, some lovely items for sale, mostly of an historic theme including recreation ceramics, Persian pistachios, and Middle Eastern cookbooks. There are also a scattering of Eames chairs around shattered glass tables (the glass is shattered but contained, giving it a crackled look).
2001 Red Table Wine – 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc. Medium red in color, dark earthy aromas of spice, hints of green bell pepper, with an undercore of oak. Black fruit on the mouth entry that is very fruit forward. Anise shows in the mid-palate with dusty cocoa and espresso on the finish. $38.00
2004 Signature Viognier – 100% Viognier. Sweet nose with honeydew, white peach, and floral qualities. Tangy entry that blossoms to show bright acidity. Creamy finish that has a bit of a bite. $34.00
2003 Signature Chardonnay – Classic California Chardonnay with creamy butterscotch up front. Layers of white fig and melon in the mouth feel with a core of apple. Rich and creamy finish. $41.00
2002 Signature Merlot – 100% Merlot. Dark, concentrated purple color. In the nose, blueberry and brambleberry. Hot, alcoholic entry of dark currant with layers of spicy oak. There is some cocoa in the finish, but is a bit too hot to detect. $44.00
2002 Signature Shiraz – Distinct blackberry liqueur in a rich bouquet that subsides to show some soy sauce and barbecue meat. Stunning aroma that anticipates the mouth entry but gets a bit hotter, showing licorice and cocoa. $64.00
2002 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon – 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 1.5% Petite Verdot, and 1.5% Malbec. At 14.8% alcohol, I thought this wine intensely hot. I could sense dark berry but underneath and in the flavor was espresso and oak with hints of cedar. $68.00
Darioush ~