Paso Robles winery to build new hospitality center, upscale restaurant — and a cheese cave
Brothers Daniel and Georges Daou, proprietors of Paso Robles’ acclaimed Daou Vineyards & Winery, are expanding their operations again.
It’s part of their mission to enhance the worldwide reputation of Paso Robles-area wines, especially their top-of-the-line Daou Patrimony cabernet varietals.
Those Patrimony wines are much an essential part of the Daou legend that the brothers have named their newest upscale enterprise Patrimony Estate.
In 2019, the Daous paid $3.5 million for a property in Paso Robles’ Adelaida region.
The 270-plus acre parcel, formerly home to Luna Matta Vineyard, borders the vineyard blocks where the brothers were growing the Bordeaux grapes that go into Patrimony wines.
Winemaker Daniel Daou said that the property is located to the west of Daou Mountain, the brothers’ hilltop estate at 2777 Hidden Mountain Road. From its perch at 2,200 feet above sea level, the expansive hospitality center and tasting room overlook the Paso Robles area and way beyond.
The Daou Vineyards team recently released artist’s renderings that show the soaring plans for Patrimony Estate. They include an eight-bedroom hospitality center, a cheese cave, a cigar room and an upscale restaurant that Daniel Daou is confident will win Michelin star ratings.
To get Michelin stars, “you hire the best Michelin-trained chef,” he said, noting that the Daous have already narrowed their search to three talented candidates.
The Daous hope to submit their Patrimony Estate plans to San Luis Obispo County within a couple of weeks, Daniel Daou said, and open the estate open in 2024.
While county officials review those plans, the brothers will be circling the globe in search of treasures for their new project.
Daniel Daou said those could include a roof, old floors and fountains from France as well as 250-year-old olive trees.
According to Daou, the Patrimony Estate concept is designed to give visitors a complete wine experience, not just a quick tasting room visit. That could include lunch, dinner and even an overnight stay, he said.
“We want to reflect the wonderful, warm community spirit and hospitality (of Daou Vineyards),” he said.
Paso Robles vineyard property to be replanted
Daou said he and his brother replant the entire Patrimony Estate property. They plan to have about 70 acres of grape vines in the ground by next year.
As is the case on their present vineyards, Daniel Daou said, “We’ll grow 95% organic products and irrigate them as little as possible.” Vines stressed from a lack of water produce better grapes, he explained.
It’s a delicate balance, but one he and his team have mastered in a process Daou described as being “a very green, solar, carbon-fiber, farm-to-table” operation that uses as many local products and people as possible.
Since escrow closed on the Luna Matta property, the Daous, their staff and consultants — including San Luis Obispo architect Heidi Gibson — have been in plan-and-design mode.
“There are such great talents in this area,” Daniel Daou said. “Why go outside of it?”
The new venture’s Patrimony Estate name honors Daou Vineyards’ Patrimony, which retail for $275 a bottle, frequently sell out fast and draw rave reviews from wine experts.
Wine Enthusiast magazine, in nominating Daou Vineyards for American Winery of the Year in 2017, said the winery is “putting Paso on the global radar for collectible reds.”
This year, Daou wines will be sold in all 50 U.S. states and 50 countries, Daniel Daou said, and he’s expecting more rave reviews and quick sellouts.
What else is in store for Daou winery?
Patrimony Estate is not the only Daou project on the corporate drawing boards.
In December 2018, the Daou brothers won a bankruptcy auction and paid $4.3 million for the former Centrally Grown compound in Cambria, located directly across Highway 1 from the ocean.
After conducting detailed studies and consulting with county and California Coastal Commission staffers, the brothers have decided they must raze the current structures, then design and create a new Daou Ocean facility that will reflect the beauty of the area.
In January 2020, the Daous bought the former Bank of Italy building at 1245 Park St. in downtown Paso Robles, with the aim of creating a ground-floor hospitality venue and tasting room, with offices upstairs in the historic building. They’ve never released the purchase price — out of respect for the previous owners, the brothers said.
Daniel Daou estimated that, allowing for the county and Coastal Commission permitting processes, that Daou Ocean could be ready to open in three or four years.
He said the Daous hope to have the concept for their downtown Paso Robles project nailed down by the end of 2021, but he didn’t have a projected opening date yet.
While Daniel Daou acknowledged that the coronavirus pandemic “has slowed us down” in many ways, the energetic, globe-trotting brothers and their team are proceeding on all fronts with their characteristic optimism.
