Wines Like Daou & Justin: Paso Cabs to Try
If you love Daou — or its Paso Robles neighbor Justin — what you love is the modern, plush, polished New-World Cabernet: ripe blackberry and cassis, mocha and vanilla from oak, velvety tannins, and a rich, crowd-pleasing finish that drinks great the night you open it. Daou put Paso Robles Cabernet on the map for exactly that style, and Justin runs in the same lane. The good news: Paso is full of bottles doing the same thing, and so is the wider California Cab world. Below are six Cabernets we carry in New Jersey that live in the Daou and Justin mold, from an $11.99 Paso value up to a cult-favorite splurge. Same rich, modern, drink-now job. In a couple of cases, a bottle worth discovering.
The short answer: The closest Paso swap for Daou and Justin we carry is Foxglove Cabernet ($19.99) — same warm, plush Paso fruit at a knockout value. For the same easy style for even less, grab Poppy Cabernet ($16.99), or step to the polished Postmark Cabernet ($24.99). Want to step up? Tamber Bey Napa Cabernet ($39.99) and the cult-favorite Austin Hope Cabernet ($60.99) bring the plush style with serious depth.
| Pick | Region | Price | Why it's like Daou / Justin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foxglove Cabernet | Paso Robles, CA | $19.99 | Warm, plush Paso fruit — the value entry |
| Poppy Cabernet | Paso Robles, CA | $16.99 | Ripe, polished, easy-drinking Paso Cab |
| Seaglass Cabernet | Paso Robles, CA | $11.99 | Soft, fruit-forward, everyday value |
| Postmark Cabernet | Paso Robles, CA | $24.99 | Polished, modern, oak-framed — the sweet spot |
| Tamber Bey Napa Cabernet | Napa Valley, CA | $39.99 | Plush Napa fruit with more structure — the step-up |
| Austin Hope Cabernet | Paso Robles, CA | $60.99 | Big, lush, cult-favorite Paso splurge |
What Daou and Justin Have in Common
Daou and Justin both come out of Paso Robles, and both helped define what a modern Paso Cabernet tastes like. Paso runs warm — warmer than Napa — which means the fruit gets very ripe, and the resulting Cabernets are plush, generous, and round, with bold blackberry and cassis, sweet vanilla and mocha oak, soft velvety tannins, and a rich finish. Daou's standard Cabernet became a runaway value hit for exactly this profile, and Justin's Paso Cab plays the same game with a slightly more structured, classic edge. Both are made to taste expensive and drink easily on release, and both deliver.
Here's the useful part. That style — ripe Paso (or warm-California) fruit, oak-driven polish, velvety drink-now texture — is a recipe, and a lot of producers work in it. Paso itself is loaded with Cabernets doing the same plush, modern thing, several at genuinely lower prices than Daou and Justin have crept to. And if you want to step up, the warmer corners of Napa and the wider California Cab world give you the same lushness with more depth. So whether you're after the same wine for less or a richer version of what you love, you've got options across the price ladder.
A note on who's telling you this: we're Cambridge Wines, a three-location New Jersey wine shop that ships out of state. Every bottle here is one we carry. We pulled them because they do the Daou and Justin job, and our buyers would put any of them in your hand across the counter.
The Value Lane: Three Paso Cabs Under $25
This is the heart of it. If you came here for the plush Paso style at the everyday price, start here. Three Paso Robles Cabernets, all under $25, all ripe, round, and easy to love.
Foxglove Cabernet Sauvignon — Paso Robles — $19.99
Start here, because this is the most direct "same warm Paso fruit, smaller bill" swap on the list. Foxglove is the value label from a respected Paso producer (Varner), and it overdelivers — ripe blackberry and black cherry, a little cocoa and cedar, soft tannins, and a generous, juicy finish. No heavy oak makeup, just clean, plush Paso fruit. At $19.99 it's the bottle that proves you don't need to spend Daou money to get the Daou feeling. The everyday call.
Poppy Cabernet Sauvignon — Paso Robles — $16.99
The polished crowd-pleaser. Poppy pours ripe and rounded — blackberry, dark plum, vanilla, and a touch of mocha — with the smooth, velvety texture that makes Paso Cab so easy. It's a notch more polished and oak-framed than Foxglove, landing right in the heart of the Daou-and-Justin profile. At $16.99 it's the bottle for a dinner with mixed company where you want everyone to enjoy it on the first sip without anyone thinking about the price.
Seaglass Cabernet Sauvignon — Paso Robles — $11.99
The pure-value entry, and the bottle to buy by the handful. Seaglass is a soft, fruit-forward Paso Cab — ripe dark berry, a little vanilla, easy tannins, an approachable finish. It's unfussy and immediately likeable, exactly what you want for a casual weeknight or a crowd. Around $12 for a genuine, plush Paso Cabernet is a real deal, and it does the easy-drinking part of the Daou job without blinking.
If you want the full price-sorted range, our Cabernet Sauvignon collection lays the whole lineup out by region and price.
The Sweet Spot: The Closest Polished Swap
If you want to land right on the Daou-and-Justin target — modern, polished, oak-framed Paso Cab built to impress — this is the pick.
Postmark Cabernet Sauvignon — Paso Robles — $24.99
The most on-the-nose swap on the list. Postmark is a modern Paso Cab built in exactly the Daou style — ripe blackberry and cassis, sweet vanilla and toasted oak, mocha and baking spice, with velvety tannins and a long, polished finish. It's the bottle that tastes like it costs more, designed to drink beautifully the night you open it. At $24.99 it's the closest single bottle to "Daou, but you discovered it yourself" — the polished, plush, modern Paso experience for around the price Daou used to be.
The Splurge Lane: Two Bigger Cabs Worth Stepping Up To
For the occasion, these two take the plush New-World style up a level.
Tamber Bey Napa Cabernet Sauvignon — Napa Valley — $39.99
The Napa step-up, and the move when you want the same plushness with more structure. Tamber Bey is a small, well-regarded Napa producer making a rich, polished Cab — dark berry, cassis, cedar, and cocoa, with firmer but ripe tannins and a longer finish than the Paso bottles. It keeps the velvety, drink-now character Daou fans love but adds Napa depth and grip. At $39.99 it's the bottle for the steak dinner that deserves a real step up.
Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon — Paso Robles — $60.99
The cult-favorite splurge, and the biggest, lushest bottle here. Austin Hope is the wine that became a phenomenon for exactly the style Daou and Justin built their names on, taken to the maximum — opulent blackberry and cassis, dark chocolate, espresso, and sweet toasty oak, with a huge, velvety, mouth-coating finish. It's bold, polished, and unapologetically rich, the Paso Cab people line up for. If your Daou love is really a love of plush, oak-driven, big-flavor Cabernet, this is the upgrade to remember. Both of these splurge bottles, plus everything in between, sit in our Cabernet Sauvignon collection.
If You Love Daou or Justin, Should You Just Keep Buying Them?
Honest answer: both are good wines, and if they're your house Cab and you're happy, keep pouring. We carry them. We're not running a takedown.
But here's the case for branching out. As Daou and Justin have gotten popular, their prices have climbed — and Paso Robles is full of bottles doing the same plush, modern thing for less. Foxglove ($19.99) and Poppy ($16.99) give you the warm, velvety Paso style for everyday money, and Postmark ($24.99) lands right on the polished target. Step up to Austin Hope ($60.99) and you get the maximum version of what you love. The point of finding wines like Daou isn't to drink worse for less — it's to discover the Paso bottle you'd have walked right past. That's the fun part.
People Also Ask
What wine is similar to Daou Cabernet?
The closest Paso Robles swap we carry is Foxglove Cabernet ($19.99) — same warm, plush Paso fruit as Daou at a knockout value. For the polished, oak-framed version closest to Daou's modern style, Postmark Cabernet ($24.99) is the pick, and Poppy ($16.99) is the value of the trio. All three deliver the ripe, velvety, drink-now character Daou fans love.
Are Daou and Justin similar wines?
Yes — both are Paso Robles Cabernets in the modern, plush New-World style: ripe blackberry and cassis, vanilla and mocha oak, velvety tannins, and a rich, drink-now finish. Daou's standard Cab leans a touch more polished and fruit-forward; Justin's is a little more structured and classic. They're close enough that a fan of one will usually like the other, and the same Paso bottles — Foxglove, Poppy, Postmark — work as swaps for both.
What is a good Paso Robles Cabernet under $25?
For plush Paso Robles Cabernet under $25, three bottles stand out: Poppy ($16.99), a polished crowd-pleaser; Foxglove ($19.99), a clean, juicy value; and Postmark ($24.99), the most Daou-like of the three. All deliver ripe, velvety Paso fruit built to drink now.
Why is Paso Robles Cabernet so popular?
Paso Robles runs warm, so its Cabernets ripen fully — giving plush, generous, fruit-forward wines with soft tannins and a rich, polished finish, often framed by sweet oak. That style is crowd-pleasing and drinks great on release, which is exactly why Daou, Justin, and Austin Hope built big followings there. It's the New-World Cabernet style at its most approachable and immediately likeable.
Browse Cambridge's Cabernet Selection
Every bottle named here is one we carry — our buyers picked them because they do what Daou and Justin do, several for a lot less. The fastest path is the quick-picks table up top: pick your price, click through, done. If you'd rather browse the whole range by region and price, our Cabernet Sauvignon collection is the place to start, and our buyers' selections collect the bottles we'd hand you across the counter.
If your Cabernet taste runs to the plush Napa style, our wines like Caymus guide covers that lane — including a bottle made by Caymus's own winemaker. And if you'd rather we just build you a mixed box of discovery bottles, The Case is our hand-picked selection.