2022 Daou Reserve Seventeen Forty
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Cassis, spicy oak, lead pencil, and smoky tobacco emerge from the 2022 1740 Reserve. A blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Cabernet Franc, 14% Merlot, and 13% Petit Verdot, aged 20 months in 80% new French oak, it shows remarkable purity, a layered, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, building tannins, and a great finish. This beautifully textured, impressive blend will drink nicely over the coming 15+ years. Drink 2025-2040. Daou Vineyards continues to make some of the finest Bordeaux blends in California. Their 2022s show the hotter style of the vintage yet stay beautifully balanced, with sound structure and depth. They’re better than most 2022s from Napa, and these are well worth your time and money.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate
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The 2022 Seventeen Forty Reserve is a barrel sample of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot maturing for 20 months in 70% new French oak. "The Cabernet Franc wasn't even through veraison during that heat," proprietor Daniel Daou notes of the historic heat wave in early September, "and some of the Merlot had already been picked." It's showing very well at this stage and seems to be developing into an approachable, easy-drinking wine. It begins with explosive aromas of cassis and blueberry with accents of graphite, cigars, charcuterie and sagebrush. The full-bodied palate is loaded with plush, grainy tannins. Its concentrated, fragrant fruit is enlivened by bright acidity, and it has a long, floral finish.
The 2022 Seventeen Forty Reserve smolders up with a dark and intense blend of dried rose and violets, crushed black cherries and autumnal spice. Pure elegance on the palate, it is weighty and nearly velvety in feel, with polished wild berry fruits and citrus tones guided by cool-toned acidity. The finish tapers off with exceptional length and balance, leaving sweet tannins to frame a hint of citrus-tinged blackberry and graphite mineral tones. While typically a Cabernet Franc-dominated blend, in 2022 the Seventeen Forty Reserve is a beautifully balanced blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Cabernet Franc, 14% Merlot and 13% Petit Verdot.