What is Daou planning for its oceanview wine property in Cambria? Here are some hints
As engineers, architects and planners work toward finalizing plans for the future Daou Ocean facility on Exotic Garden Road, each participant in the complex process has an eye on the past, too.
In mid-December 2018, Georges and Daniel Daou of Daou Winery in Adelaide/Paso Robles paid $4.3 million at auction to buy the scenic property that for decades had housed the Hamlet restaurant and gardens, and then the Centrally Grown complex.
Ever since escrow closed on the property, the Daou brothers, their staff and consultants have been engrossed with the preliminary design and complex permitting process for their planned Daou Ocean project.
Meanwhile, they are building their staff. Daou senior vice president Maeve Pesquera announced in a recent email interview that Cambria resident Elaine Rivera-Glenn will be Daou Ocean’s executive chef.
“Elaine is a talented culinarian whose career is rooted in the California farm-to-table movement,” Pesquera said.
Plans for the project
Everything revolves around the redesign-and-revamping project for the buildings and the land.
According to the Daou brothers and Pesquera, the undertaking will respect and honor the history of the approximately 3-acre property with a sweeping view of the sea.
For instance, Pesquera said the property’s trademark garden area “will expand upon the heritage of the existing succulents and add to the special ‘sense of place’ that is Cambria.”
She said an important benchmark ahead is the pending “approval for the permit on the small outbuilding and garden area in front,” an OK they hope to have by the end of January.
Once that’s in hand, “we will begin construction on the small building immediately,” estimating that the work would take from 12 to 16 weeks. Daou Winery has not yet provided an estimated opening date for the property.
“The updated outbuilding will feature a gorgeous blue onyx tasting bar, lit from within, which mirrors the signature white onyx bar on Daou Mountain,” Pesquera described. Daou Mountain is the Adelaida location of the Daou vineyard and dramatic wine-tasting complex.
At Daou Ocean, “we will then begin permitting and construction on the larger building, which is in need of a lot of love and care,” she said. “Our plan is to bring it back to its original intention; that of an architectural gem along with gardens and outdoor areas for guests to enjoy.”
Pesquera continued, “The architecture will keep within the ‘Monterey/Big Sur organic design style,’ using natural elements; stone, wood and glass. We will be bringing back the demonstration gardens along with many upgrades to the interior and exterior of the existing building ... all to keep in line with the original intent of the architectural style.”
