2014 Daou Micho
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One of the standouts is the 2014 Micho, which is one of the few Merlot-heavy wines I'm able to taste from Paso Robles. Made from 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon that's aged 20 months in 80% new French oak, it's a sensational, full-bodied, complex and layered 2014 that's loaded with meaty, black olive, earth, chocolate and dark fruit-driven aromas and flavors. It has plenty of underlying depth and structure, yet it has more than enough fruit to shine today. Drink it over the coming decade.
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Josh Raynolds
Josh Raynolds
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Opaque purple. Smoke- and spice-accented cherry and dark berries on the powerfully scented nose, and a hint of candied licorice in the background. Sappy black currant and bitter cherry flavors gain sweetness with air and pick up suggestions of mint and dark chocolate. Shows very good energy and lift on the impressively long finish, which features youthful tannins and an echo of juicy dark fruit.
Bright violet color. Fresh cherry and dark berries on the nose, with complicating hints of licorice and pipe tobacco. Lively cherry and blackcurrant flavors show very good clarity and a touch of mint that builds with air. Finishes with solid thrust, a hint of bitter chocolate and firm tannins. Shows a lot of structure for a blend containing such a high percentage of Merlot.
Coming entirely from estate fruit (I think all of their wines moved to estate fruit starting in 2014), the 2014 Micho has a touch more Cabernet than the '13 and is 58% Merlot and 42% Cabernet Sauvignon. More hedonistic and voluptuous, it has straight-up awesome notes of tobacco leaf, coffee beans, earth, ripe plums and cassis all emerging from the glass. Layered, full-bodied and expansive on the palate, it should pretty much knock your socks off on release and drink well for a decade or so after that.