Darioush Winery

4240 Silverado Trail, Napa, CA 94558

Website: https://www.darioush.com/

This winery is named after its owner Darioush Khaledi. Darioush grew up in Shiraz, Iran where his father made wine as a hobby. He became a collector of fine wines as an adult and immigrated to the United States in the 1970’s.

Darioush’s elegant tasting room

The winery visitor’s center opened to the public in August 2004. It is located off the southern end of the Silverado Trail in the Oak Knoll district. The architecture was designed after Persepolis, the ancient capital of Persia. Materials and furnishings for the winery were brought in from exotic locations. A beautiful fountain and 16 stone columns stretch the length of the walkway to the entrance of the tasting room. Once inside the tasting room, I felt like I was in an art museum or a fancy Las Vegas hotel. My impression was that this was a place for wealthy people and I felt under-dressed in my casual clothes.

I found the tasting fee to be a little high for a sampling of 5 current release wines. The Darioush Estate includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. The wines are high quality but a bit pricey. This was a very pretty winery to see but I felt it was geared toward more affluent visitors.