Description
Darioush route themselves in ancient Persia, one of the oldest cultures to celebrate wine as the great gift it undoubtedly is. Born and bought up in Iran and trained as a hydrological engineer, he quickly emigrated to California to search for the American dream. Success came with a grocery business which became the largest in California.
Alongside his wife Shahpar, Darioush then founded his winery in 1997. He had been taught the love of wine and winemaking craft by his father in Iran, and it was a natural task for him to turn to next. He wanted to makes wines which celebrated the heritage he bought across the water with him, plus the dreams and aspirations of the local area.
Founding Darioush in the southern end of Napa, specifically in the broad, maritime-influenced geology of the valley floor and lofty slops of Mt Veeder. Spanning Oak Knoll AVA, Mount Veeder itself and staight Napa Valley, they've planted vineyards with a strong Francophile heritage with flashes of Persian culture and history coming over in the labelling and the style.
Hope Goldie has been the winemaker since 2018, having worked alongside the former winemaker Steve Devitt for a decade. Michel Rolland also consults.
"Produced from a blend of fruit from Carneros, Oak Knoll and Russian River (less than 15% of the total), Darioush's 2021 Chardonnay is a barrel-fermented effort that saw 50% new French oak and was inoculated for malolactic fermentation. The result is a wine with toasty, slightly buttery aromas, plus plenty of pear, apple and caramel-like shadings. It's medium to full-bodied, rich and voluptuous, broad and silky-textured on the palate." 89 Points, Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate