1. rowing up in Paris was one of the
most exciting and educational
parts of my experience with
wine. My friends were always generous
with their pours of “cheap and cheerful”
French and German wines when we got
together. My French girlfriends were
always there to teach me the correct pro-
nunciations of wine labels. My hunger for
new friendships and flavors was insatiable.
But the question at every party was, “Do
Persians drink wine?” As a teenager who
had just left Iran after the 1970s revolu-
tion, I used to very proudly say, “Well yes,
we have been for over 2,500 years!” Then
I would explain that the very first wines in
the world were made in the foothills of the
city of Shiraz for the Persian Kings ruling
in Persepolis, the capital of Persia.
Sometimes I would show off a few of my
antique coins that dated back to the era of
King Darius II that had images of grapes
and wine-related artwork embossed on
them. Naturally everybody believed my
romantic story.
It was in the mid 1980’s that an
archeological discovery in Iran finally
confirmed my story. The origins of wine
making as we know it today, date back to
the 4th century B.C. around the city of
Persepolis near Shiraz where the old Silk
Road merchants traveled. These early
business travelers would frequently visit
their favorite vineyards and wine bars.
They referred to the rich fragrant red
wines they had come to love as Shiraz
since it was made from local grapes grown
in the city of Shiraz, which is also famous
for its most fragrant bright fuchsia-colored
roses.
Today my youthful claim has
been reborn through the visionary and hos-
pitality king, Mr. Darioush Khaledi in the
Valley of Wine. Darioush’s own love affair
with wine began at the early age of six
when he and his sister would sneak into
the basement of their home in Shiraz and
would take sips of their father’s home-
made sweet red wine straight from the bar-
rels. Today his desire for sharing that
impressionable wine has become a reality
at Darioush Estate Winery in the Napa
Valley.
Khaledi spent many years
researching soil and growing climates both
in Bordeaux, France and in the Napa
Valley area. He finally selected a ninty-
five acre vineyard site in the lower part of
Napa Valley where the climate is about 10
degrees cooler in the nighttime than in
other areas. Hence he is able to grow
grapes that are more about personality and
character of the terroir, producing wines
with finesse and complexity rather than
with overpowering ripeness, sweetness
and high alcohol.
Steve Devitt is in charge of the
rigorous daily “hands-on” adventure of
vineyard management. Vineyard
WINE
Darioush Estate Vineyards
Pride of the Persian Empire in Napa
Daniel Mahdavian
G
77 The Virginia Sportsman Feb/Mar 2008
Mr. Darioush Khaledi

2. micromanagement is crucial to producing
individually expressive wines that are
sustainable both in farming practices and
the longevity of the wines. This old world
farming practice has become synonymous
with the Darioush brand of Bordeaux-style
wines. Steve has been the wine maker at
Darioush Estate Winery for the past 10
years. I have never known him to get tired
of caring for his vines or checking up on
each barrel of wine aging gracefully in the
underground cellars at the winery.
Daniel De Polo, the president of
Darioush Estate Winery, told me this:
“Because of the location of the property,
the work we put into the vineyards and the
style of the wines that we are making, we
feel that we have been able to introduce a
third dimension in winemaking. These
wines are focused on true secondary fla-
vors: great fruit, spice, minerality, firm
tannins and the poise that Darioush wines
are known for.”
Here are some of my tasting
notes on my favorite Darioush wines:
2004 Darioush Signature Shiraz is a well
structured monument of a wine. A
reminder of the younger days of the
infamous Grange from Australia, this
wine is a chocoholic lover’s dream with
flavors of cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, ripe
dried blackberries and baked cherry on a
hot brick. If the Persian kings’ winemakers
could ever have made a Shiraz like this, I
don't think the Empire would have ever
invaded the rest of the continent!
2005 Darioush Signature Cabernet
Sauvignon is elegant with a core of juicy
red currants and ripe forest blackberry.
The nose is aromatic with exotic vanilla
bean extract. The wine is spicy, and
complex with hints of Arabic roasted
coffee beans and nutmeg. A statuesque
beauty in the bottle.
2004 Signature Merlot is crafted from
their low-yielding vineyards on Mount
Veeder and the Darioush Estate. This
Merlot goes full throttle with dark ripe
stone fruits, dark exotic Belgian chocolate
and feminine grace on the finish.
2004 Caravan is the second bottling of
Darioush. With a retail price in the mid 30s
and great fruit and spice complexity, it is
an everyday drinking wine for any
Bordeaux lover who does not have the
time to wait for the first growths to mature
in the cellar.
2006 Darioush Signature Viognier is a
very sexy and intense wine with an exotic
Asian pear finish followed by a hint of hot
spice such as cloves. The wine offers a
fresh jasmine floral bouquet and is vibrant
with healthy ripe citrus acidity. This is
truly what King Darioush would have
called “the nectar from heaven.” Steve,
who makes this Viognier, cannot squeeze
enough grapes to meet the huge demand.
Through my Persian relations, I heard that
Reza Pahlavi enjoyed sipping this wine on
his birthday a few vintages ago.
2005 Darioush Signature Chardonnay is
made from Russian River fruit. This is a
cool and confident Chardonnay that
explodes with brightness of ripe sun-
drenched citrus with hints of orange
blossoms. A dark blond supermodel
dressed up as a California Chardonnay!
Shahpar is Darioush’s little jewel of a
dessert wine that is made only in very
exceptional years, and I have tasted it only
once. It was delicious and concentrated
with hints of ripe French melons, Turkish
apricots and sweet Meyer Lemons.
I remember watching the workers
building the limestone monument for the
Darioush Estate Winery at the start of the
Silverado Trail in Napa where I used to
ride my bicycle from winery to winery. I
had visited the property many times
before its official opening in 2004. Persian
hospitality is evident in every corner of
this stunning boutique hotel lobby turned
wine tasting room. Fires burning in hand-
carved stone fireplaces and Persian
pistachios in golden serving dishes are
some of the attention to detail that
welcome guests from around the world. I
have tasted every vintage of the wines, and
I have fallen in love with these wines.
Darioush’s Persian hospitality oozes out of
every bottle, and also from the staff who
treat you with personal touches such as
noting the wines you like all the way to
making dinner reservations for you at a
popular local Napa restaurant. Who would
have ever thought a royal lifestyle could
be so delicious and affordable!
Daniel Mahdavian is the president of
Refuel Consultants, a hospitality and
liquid assets consulting company based in
Washington, DC. Daniel regularly writes
for consumer and trade publications. He
invests in wine for collectors and manages
private and corporate wine-related events.
He is always on the go to vineyards around
the world in search of the next delicious
bottle of wine. Questions:
daniel@refuelconsultants.com
78 The Virginia Sportsman Feb/Mar 2008