Darioush has to be one of those Napa winery must-see places if only because of the spectacular facility and stunning wine tasting room. The WC crew had visited before a few years ago but as we’d been tasting all day and our palates were fatigued, we skipped the wine and simply admired the place and shopped a bit.
welcome to Darioush
This is where I got my now well used copy of Silk Road Cooking: A Vegetarian Journey
savoring the wine at Darioush
Darioush, whether intentionally or not, is so over-the-top in it’s “Persian Revival” styling that you feel like you’re in Las Vegas or Disneyland while there. I like the effect a lot. It’s also a shopper’s paradise, in the mold of Wineries like Shopping Malls.
It’s named after the proprietor, Darioush Khaledi. He is originally from the Shiraz region of Iran, but, according to the pleasant tasting room hostess who served us, made a fortune in supermarkets in Southern California. That’s awesome!
We tried the $25 “tasting flight.” The winery offers a more exclusive wine tasting in a private room in the basement of the facility by reservation only. We didn’t do that because we didn’t know about it ahead of time. I’ve heard that it’s pricy but extremely fun.
Of the five wines we tried, we really enjoyed the last two. The first few seemed, well, okay. I wonder if the company invested more in perfecting the wines over decorating the winery, if things would be better? Just a thought…
this guy does not look happy at all
2007 Russian River Chardonnay: This was pale yellow with green apple, peach and smoky notes. Carey thought it was “nice.”
2006 Signature Merlot: There is 5% cabernet sauvignon blended with the merlot.
This was a beautiful rusty reddish purple. Hegui detected forest floor on the noise. It was a smooth full bodied wine with raspberry and plum. I liked it but Hegui thought it had a “plastic flavor.”
2006 Signature Cabernet Franc: This was a dark red to purple color with a pleasant non-descript aroma. It had medium body with a lot of refined tannins and a long caramel finish. We noticed some spice and chocolate. It was alright, but a little forgettable.
2006 Duel: This wine had an exciting label of two ancient Persian fighting animals. It’s a blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% shiraz.
It was a red to purple color. The nose held cherry, raspberry and other red berries. It tasted super smooth and very round with a lot of dark stone fruit and a long, long finish. “I love it” we all exclaimed.
some half bottles of Darioush cab
2006 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon: This one is 85% cab, 9% merlot, 3% each cab franc and malbec.
It was a dark purple to black color with tar, toffee and crème brulée on the nose. This was silken and creamy on the tongue with a 20 second or longer finish that blew us away! It was hard to identify a particular taste though we thought that there was cherry.
Darioush is pure-and-simple Napa fun. You should check it out!
I loved this useless knick-knack
2006 Duel from Darioush
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wow! talk about ostentatious! but fun! I always wanted to visit Iran, and I hope I will soon; my parents went there on their honeymoon and talked about it later as the most beautiful country they visited; even Agatha Christie mentions the magnificent architecture in Shiraz. But this? a bit like you say Disney! Oh well, at least he is making wines.
I had no idea kabocha was japanese for squash nor the other things Hegui mentions; you are so cultured you put me to shame! Thanks for the smart comments you leave on my blog, I love to be enlightened!
Stevie, what a spectacle, this winery. I saw the columns and stopped to investigate. Those are replicas of the columns and capitals of Persepolis. I saw one of the original bull-head capitals in the Louvre. One of the most astonishingly beautiful and large architectural artifacts I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Persian originals are three times that size. Thanks for the tour and tasting too!