2013 Vérité La Joie
Wine Advocate | Rating: 100
The 2013 La Joie, which is 46% from Knights Valley, 32% from Chalk Hill and 22% from Alexander Valley, is a blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Showing loads of graphite, cedar wood, charcoal, creme de cassis and forest floor, this may well turn out to be a 50+-year wine. It tastes like a great first-growth Pauillac and has an amazing amount of complexity and richness.Drink Dates: 2015 - 2065Author: Robert ParkerIssue: 221Vinous | Rating: 96
Tasted from tank just prior to bottling, the 2013 La Joie is dense, powerful and rich, with notable depth. Still remarkable embryonic the 2013 remains deep, fruit driven and backward. This is a wine for the long haul. Crème de cassis, blackberry jam, spice, menthol, game, licorice and smoke flow through to the powerful, incisive finish. This is a strong showing.Author: Antonio GalloniIssue: Feb 2016James Suckling | Rating: 99
Sensational aromas of blackberries, blueberries, violets and wet earth. Tar undertones. Full body, chewy yet polished tannins and a long, flavorful finish. A neoclassical wine with a great future. A majority of cabernet sauvignon in this Bordeaux blend. Needs two or three years to soften still.Author: James SucklingIssue: Thursday, November 22, 2018
From high elevation vineyards in Sonoma County's Alexander Valley, Knight's Valley, Bennett Valley and Chalk Hill appellations, comes "La Joie," "Le Desire," and "La Muse." While "La Joie" is a Cabernet-based nod to Paulliac, "Le Desire" and "La Muse" aspire toward Cabernet Franc-friendly Saint-Emilion and Merlot-centric Pomerol respectively. Not unlike their Bordeux counterparts, these wines are built to last 30-50 years, so to expect a typical fruit-driven, vivacious wine would be a mistake. The care taken to craft these profound efforts has been recognized by Robert Parker, who has awarded seven 100-point scores for Verite's three blends, the first time a Sonoma County winery has received this many perfect scores.
California is the heartland of wine production in the US, and the state that brought prestige to American wine thanks to the pioneers who built early wineries like Staglin, Beringer, Ridge, Mayacamas and Chateau Montelena in the 1800s. Its large geographic area ensures a great diversity in growing sites, varieties grown, and quality levels. Generalizations about the state's wines have numerous exceptions; however, a few key facts generally hold true—ample sunshine, dry weather during the growing season, and moderate winters prevail. Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon continue to dominate the state's production—albeit in continually smaller percentages, as growers continue to diversify. More than 100 different varieties can be found throughout the state.
Collector Data For This Wine
- 178 bottles owned
- 53 collectors