DAOU Vineyards

rs; I can confidently say that the team at Daou, and especially Nicole Ervin, are the best in the business. Our experience (and of course the wine!) was outstanding. Working with Nicole was one of the smoothest and most enjoyable experiences we had while planning our wedding. The level of care and attention Nicole put into every detail and interaction was unmatched — she is the ultimate professional and quickly became a friend throughout the process. Nicole not only guided us in selecting the perfect wine but in bringing a vision to life that we and our guests would enjoy. Being an analytical wine nerd, I really appreciated her expert insights and found I could trust her immediately. We discussed a range of wines and vintages, and she was incredibly knowledgeable about every option. We delved into great detail, talking through the tasting notes and weather conditions for each vintage I was considering. She helped us determine the ideal bottle size based on our guest count and the expected weather, and shared helpful best practices on opening and serving an ultra-large format wine. Nicole also patiently worked with me to design a surprise custom engraving for my wife. Nicole's team tested several font options on spare bottles and sent me multiple pictures of the different mock-ups to ensure it was exactly what I had envisioned. The final engraving on the 18L bottle was flawless, scaled appropriately to suit the large format, and perfectly matched the bottle. Nicole ensured the bottle was shipped safely and on time, taking proactive steps to plan a ship date that accounted for everything we might encounter — an upcoming holiday, avoiding weekend delays, heat exposure on the shipping route, and a number of other factors. She even prepared for a worst-case scenario, allowing ample time to ship a replacement if needed. This thoughtful attention to detail was invaluable in the hectic weeks leading up to our wedding when so many other final decisions, small details, payments, and deadlines were converging. The bottle arrived in perfect condition at cellar temperature. My groomsmen and I opened the bottle and shared the first toast of the day — a memory I'll never forget. Our family and guests were blown away by the bottle and the engraving. Many had never seen a bottle so large before! The wine itself was incredible, and our guests could not stop raving about it. As time passes, our wedding feels more and more like a wonderful dream. We love looking at pictures and watching videos, but there only are a handful of physical things that exist in the same form today as they did on our wedding day. The bottle now not only serves as a stunning centerpiece in our cellar but is one of the few tangible things we still have from our wedding day. It has the power of bringing us back to those cherished moments…This alone has made purchasing the bottle worth it. Nicole has continued to stay in touch after our wedding and even helped us plan an amazing trip to Paso Robles. We are so grateful for Nicole and the Daou team for their time and partnership bringing this vision to life, their efficient and transparent service, and for the special buzz (literally and figuratively) it brought to our wedding celebration. I highly recommend working with Nicole and the Daou team!