2011 | Verite | La Joie

On the nose sweet red and black fruits abound; red and black plum, ripe redcurrant and tart black cherry. Balancing the fruit are elements of pencil lead, pen ink, powdered mushroom, fresh cut herbs and menthol. These notes are all framed with oak elements of powdered cocoa, toast, clove and nutmeg. A subtle, earthy component of freshly turned topsoil underscores the finish.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: A Médoc-inspired wine, the 2011 La Joie (2,800 cases) is composed of 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and the rest small quantities of Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec. It reveals a slight austerity (typical for this vintage) as well as dry tannins in a reasonably long finish for a 2011. The deep ruby/plum/purple color is followed by notes of tobacco leaf, forest floor, blackcurrants, chocolate and vanilla. Medium-bodied with an impressive attack and mid-palate, some hard tannins give the wine an angular aftertaste.

• Stephen Tanzer: Bright saturated ruby. Extremely dark aromas of crushed blueberry, violet, bitter chocolate, licorice and camphor. Peppery and precise but not green, with outstanding dark fruit and violet intensity accentuated by an electric impression of energy. This seriously tannic Le Desir will need at least eight years of cellaring before it approaches its plane of peak drinkability.

Producer Information

Vérité Winery is a wine producer based in Sonoma County in California. It is most famous for its three Bordeaux-styled blends: La Muse, La Joie, and Le Désir, which have all received 100-point scores from American wine critic Robert Parker over several vintages. Winemaker Pierre Seillan got his start working with Bordeaux varieties at his family's estate in Armagnac. Before moving to the United States, he worked at Château de Targé in Saumur-Champigny in the Loire Valley, and at several châteaux in Bordeaux. Upon meeting California wine pioneer Jess Jackson in the 1990s, Seillan was convinced to move to Sonoma to make Bordeaux blend wines. Vérité sources fruit from the Alexander Valley, Bennett Valley, Knights Valley and Chalk Hill AVAs in Sonoma County. This range of sites provides more than 40 different types of soil, a range of altitudes and several different mesoclimates. Each vineyard block is vinified separately before a final blend for each wine is created. In a slight departure from the standard approach, Seillan made a 100 percent Tannat from Alexander Mountain Estate (which sits on the western Mayacamas Mountains overlooking the Alexander Valley) in 2010, although it appears this wine was a one-off. The three Vérité blends are dominated by a different Bordeaux variety. La Muse is Merlot-based, La Joie is Cabernet Sauvignon-based, and Le Désir is primarily Cabernet Franc. Due to the wines' success with the press, they are only available through a mailing list. The wines are still made by Seillan, although he is now joined by his daughter, Hélène, who has taken over assistant winemaker duties. Jess Jackson died in 2011.

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