DAOU Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

I keep finding this bottle in cellars I build. The West Austin project we just finished had six of them on the cable rack. The family who owns a 3,000-bottle vault in Westlake has a case. My own fridge has two right now. There is a reason. At $22-28 this drinks like a $50 Napa Cab — dark cherry, blackberry, a cocoa finish that lingers without getting heavy. The tannins are soft enough to open tonight but structured enough to sit in your cellar for 3-5 years if you forget about it. The 2021 vintage in Paso was warm and ripe, and DAOU leaned into it. This is the bottle I hand someone who says 'I want to start collecting but I don't want to spend Napa money.' Start here. Work your way up. You will come back to this one anyway.