Preparing for a great evening of food and wine at Indigo Moon in Cambria
the night before the NAPA-PASO Cabernet Challenge
12 out of the 14 of us who will share a fabulous weekend.
Serious wines
Prepping our taste buds for the next day
--------------------------
AND NOW.......THE MAIN EVENT!
THE 2012 NAPA-PASO CABERNET COMPETITION
We all know and love the historic “Judgment of Paris” story
that shocked the wine world in 1976. This
legendary event put California on the map and
recognized Napa Valley
as a world class wine area when 2 California wines
defeated France in a blind
taste competition in Paris .
What you don’t know, is the recent story of the “Napa-Paso Competition”----where
7 highly regarded Napa Cabernets were blind tasted against 3 Paso Robles
Cabernets.
When: August 4th,
2012.
Where: Daou Vineyards, Paso Robles, California
Who: Seven couples, ranging in age from their 20’s
to 60’s. Not elite wine connoisseurs,
not wine experts or critics, or wine professionals, just 14 people with a
common love of good wine. 14 people constantly
seeking out new, innovative wines and winemakers….the great and the soon to be
great.
We are the people
with a passion for boutique, exciting wines.
We are the consumers! We are the
people who talk about the wine, who vote with their taste, and don’t chase
after the current “best” or “highest point” or current “in” wine, but look for
the best of the hidden gems. We are 14
people with somewhat discerning tastes, who know what they like…and know what
they love.
Invited to participate in a blind tasting of the “Napa vs. Paso Cabernet
Sauvignon Challenge,”
we enthusiastically accepted.
Daniel Daou of Daou Vineyards, taking a chance, put 3 of his
Cabernets on the line against 7 of Napa ’s
esteemed Cabernet names. Names that are synonymous
with Napa .
The Set Up----Preparing to accept the challenge
At 4:00pm on August 4th, 7 couples took their
seats around the large tasting table at Daou Vineyards, atop Daou Mountain ,
in Paso Robles, California . In front of each couple were 10 numbered
glasses, each with a 100ML pour, along with pen and tasting note sheet. Seven premium Napa Valley Cabernet
Sauvignons, and three Daou Vineyard Cabernets.
Silence around the table….2 hours of tasting, analyzing,
smelling, sipping, eliminating, re-visiting and judging. Trust your Taste. Going back, comparing, whittling down. Trusting your Taste and thinking about your
first impressions. The color, the nose,
the mouth feel, the flavors, the finish…
Trust your Taste.
One by one, each person handing in their score and comment
sheet. Each wine rated from 1 to 10
(10
being the best), along with tasting notes and comments.
Waiting for the tally and results, we were finally able to
talk to each other about the wines.
Incredible, wonderful, so difficult to tell apart. Such subtle nuances between them all. But most of all, the honor all of us felt to
be invited to partake in the experience, to be able to judge 7 Napa Valley gems,
against 3 Daou Cabernets. Napa , known for their
Cabernets, Paso, known for their Rhones----and a winemaker dedicated to proving
that Paso can and will produce a cabernet that will stand equal among highly
regarded Napa Valley Cabernets.
The results are in.
We are told that the scores are close.
Less than 1.75 points separate the #1 rated wine from the #10 rated wine
on the 10 point scale.
Taking a chance, Daniel Daou has put his wines in the gun
sights. How will this new Paso Cabernet
producer fare pitting his three cabernets against the Cabernets of Napa?
Nothing ventured, nothing gained……Only the
final results remain:
#10: Berringer Knights Valley
# 9: Passenger Cabernet, from Stag’s Leap
district, 2009
(a new
project from Kimberly Jones and Chris Blanchard)
# 8: Paul
Hobbs Napa
Valley
# 7: Daou Cabernet, 2011, soon to be released
# 6: Honig
Napa Valley
# 5: Relic Artifact, Napa Valley
# 4: Daou Reserve Cabernet 2010, soon to be released
# 3: Schraeder, RBS Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyards
Cabernet, 2009
# 2: Caymus
Napa Valley
AND THE WINNER IN THE NAPA
separated by ½ point from #3, and by .22 points from #2
# 1: Daou's 2010
ESTATE CABERNET, SOUL OF A LION
(release date, February 2013).
Daniel Proudly Announces: And the Winner Is: Daou's Soul of A Lion
2010 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
What does this prove? In the opinion of 14 of us, there is NO question
that PASO ROBLES CAN AND DOES PRODUCE A CABERNET SAUVIGNON THAT STANDS SHOULDER
TO SHOULDER WITH NAPA CABERNET STANDOUTS .
WHEN will the industry recognize this? WHEN will the world recognize this?
AND WHEN, will there be an official competition that proves
what we and so many other Paso wine lovers already know: Paso produces world class wines-and world class Cabernets.
MAKE ROOM NAPA
CONGRATULATIONS TO DAOU VINEYARDS!
Just hanging out after the tasting
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