During an excellent dinner at Log Haven restaurant recently, I enjoyed a spectacular red wine blend from Daou Vineyards called Bodyguard. The story behind the name of the wine – Bodyguard – is an interesting and unique one about the experience of brokenness and, ultimately, healing and strength.
The story and the lesson of Daou Bodyguard is as follows: “When they were children, Georges & Daniel’s [Georges & Daniel Daou, founders of Daou Vineyards] home was hit by one of the first bombs in the Lebanese Civil War. Both brothers suffered grave injuries and as a result of the bombing, the family fled to France. Their mother, Marie Daou, summoning her innate strength and courage, led the family to safety in France where they would build a new life. This impactful time, defined in their history by love and hope, inspires Bodyguard. Chapters later, when the family would lose everything yet again, Georges & Daniel would find themselves the new guardians of the Daou Family.”
The Daou family speaks of the Japanese art of kintsugi, where broken pottery is mended and turned into something even more beautiful. They analogize their own broken lives, saying that the brothers discovered that “Light comes from darkness and courage knows no bounds, and that true happiness is safety in the arms of love.” In other words: Bodyguard.
This beautiful blend of Petit Syrah and Petit Verdot is a medium-bodied wine with an intense nose of blueberry, raspberry and chocolate with hints of mint. It is quite lush on the palate with dark, brooding fruit flavors of blackberry, currant and cherry. The tannins are a tad tight right now with the 2020 vintage but will develop into an even more gorgeous wine with some aging. Bodyguard was a very good pairing with Log Haven’s Seared Beef Tenderloin with brown butter potatoes and shiitake bordelaise. Any red wine lover would be thrilled to find Bodyguard under the tree on Christmas morning.
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THIS CONTENT IS FROM UTAH BITES NEWSLETTER.
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Originally trained as an anthropologist, Ted Scheffler is a seasoned food, wine & travel writer based in Utah. He loves cooking, skiing, and spends an inordinate amount of time tending to his ever-growing herd of guitars and amplifiers.
