Step inside Darioush winery and you’ll be blown away with the jaw-dropping beauty of the confines. Modeled after a Persian palace, Darioush was started by businessman Darioush Khaledi who was enamored with the wines of the Napa Valley and longed to create his own.

The Darius II is the top wine produced by Darioush. It is always a Cabernet Sauvignon dominant wine and in many years it has more than 90% single varietal. Current vintages of this wine are predominantly sourced from the Darioush Estate Vineyard, as well as their Sage Vineyard on Mt. Veeder. Wines are crafted by winemaker Steve Devitt with Michel Rolland serving as consulting winemaker. Each wine has a beautiful label as Darioush has partnered with the Victoria and Albert Museum in London to showcase Persian art that varies each vintage.

The Vintages

2012 Vintage: 2012 was a near-perfect growing conditions, coming off the very cool 2011 and 2010 vintages. Weather overall cooler than 2013 and 2014.

2013 Vintage: A warmer growing season, 2013 had dry summer conditions with Cabernet Sauvignon achieving some great hang time. 2013 had hot conditions but no major heat spikes.

2014 Vintage: 2014 saw another warm growing season, as some have seen this year as having new perfect conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Wines:

Each wine was singing in its own right. The 2012 Darius II (OB, 95) is less fleshy, softer and more refined than the more bombastic 2013 (OB, 96) and also unabashedly hedonistic 2014 (OB, 96). Quite honestly, all three wines showed so marvelously it was an embarrassment of riches going back and forth between the wines. They all are delicious to consume right now and will each cellar well for at least another ten years. Learn more about these wines at darioush.com and here are my tasting notes from vintages 2012-2014 of Darioush ‘Darius II’ Cabernet Sauvignon.

2012 Darioush ‘Darius II’ Cabernet Sauvignon- You have to love the development of the 2012 ‘Darius II’ now at the nine year mark. Taken from a slightly cooler growing season than the 2013 and 2014 wines, this is a highly elegant but also very gratifying blend of nearly all Cabernet Sauvignon (95%) with 5%Merlot. Ripe dark currant tones mingle with loamy soils, pipe tobacco and loganberry preserves on the palate with chocolate and cedar underpinnings. Fresh and lithe, this is drinking beautifully now and will continue to evolve over the next decade. Drink 2021-2031- 95

2013 Darioush ‘DariusII’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Rich and heady, the 2013 ‘Darius II’ is starting to fall right in its sweet spot. This is the first vintage that marries Darioush and London’s Victoria & Albert Museum, as the bottle displays detail from a man’s cloak or ‘Aba’ which was woven in Kashan, Iran in the 1870s. Once on the nose very sweet cassis fruit greets you alongside suggestions of coffee grounds and dark chocolate shavings. Full-bodied, viscous and showing a great mineral streak, this beautiful wine exudes class from start to finish, with outstanding length and a massive core of dark fruits with firm tannins holding everything in place. Enjoy this phenomenal 2013 wine over the next fifteen years. Drink 2021-2036- 96

2014 Darioush ‘Darius II’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The intense and massive 2014 ‘Darius II’ is just starting to shed some baby fat and after some air is really blossoming nicely. The stunning label depicts the tradition of the Saghi, or Wine Bearer, an influential and heralded position in the ancient Persian royal courts. Once on the nose this takes on layers of creme de violette, woven together with tar and tobacco leaf tones that all sing in unison. Full-bodied, decadent and showing nicestucture, layers of chocoalte cake, tar and sweet pipe tobacco with leather accents all fill the palate nicely. Gorgeous to consume now, be surety give beauty this at least a two hour decant if savoring in its current nascency. Drink 2021-2038-96