2014 Darioush Sage Vineyard Red

Darioush was founded by Darioush Khaledi, who grew up in Iran’s Shiraz winemaking region. His father made wine as a hobby and when Darioush immigrated to the U.S. in the late 1970s he turned his interest into collecting wine toward the idea of having a wine estate. After a career owning and running a grocery store chain in Southern California, Darioush created an estate on the Silverado Trail with vineyard appellations in Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder and Oak Knoll. The 22,000 square foot winery is modeled after ancient Persian monumental architecture. Darioush makes Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Malbec, Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Noir and a dessert wine.

Mount Veeder AVA was established in 1993, though its origins as a wine producing district date to the 19th century. A German Presbyterian pastor named Peter Veeder was one of the first landowners in the area, and by 1864 one of his neighbors, a German sea captain named Stelham Wing, was producing wine commercially. The area continued to attract German agricultural entrepreneurs, some of whom established the estate that would later become the Christian Brothers Mont La Salle winery. Today the AVA includes about 1,000 acres of vineyards, most of them at relatively high altitudes. The Mayacamas vineyard, for instance, is at 2,400 feet. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most frequently planted grape, followed by Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.