2018 Daou Mayote
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Tasting notes
Checking in as 45% Syrah, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the balance Petit Verdot, the 2018 Mayote offers up lots of blue and black fruits as well as a kiss of iron and earth in its peppery herbs, smoke, and graphite-driven aromas and flavors. I love its purity of fruit, and it has silky tannins as well as a balanced, elegant style that drinks nicely today yet will also evolve for a solid decade or more.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate
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The 2018 Mayote is the last vintage that contains some Syrah in the blend—beginning in 2019, the Mayote will be a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. This iteration is a blend of 45% Syrah, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Petit Verdot, made from free-run juice and aged 22 months in 100% new French oak. Opaque purple-black in color, the nose takes time to unfold, with graphite, pipe tobacco, violets, cigar ash and savory, charcuterie-like undertones. The palate is full, plush and expansive with ubiquitous grainy tannins and a pop of freshness coinciding with floral perfume on the very long, uplifted finish. It's all elegance and grace, and though it drinks lovely now, it has an underlying minerality and the structure to offer much more with time in the cellar.