2016 Le Desir
Buying options
Tasting notes
Cabernet Sauvignon takes center stage in the 2016 Le Désir. Graphite, menthol, lavender, spice, pine, dried herbs and licorice give the 2016 striking aromatic depth to match its mid-weight personality. Elegant and nuanced, but with plenty of richness, the 2016 has a ton to offer.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
82% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot, 6% Malbec. Bright ruby in colour. Complex aromatics of red cherry and red plum with dried leaves and a little camphor. Quite firm, almost austere in tannin with real bite through to the finish. Despite the chalkiness, the core of lifted red fruits and violets adds enough fruit weight to bring balance. (TP)
The 2016 Le Desir checks in as 82% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot, and 6% Malbec. Readers looking for world-class Cabernet Franc should beg, borrow, or steal to get hold of a bottle of this. Incredible floral, violet, forest floor, lead pencil, and cassis notes all flow to a medium to full-bodied red that’s flawlessly balanced, has ultra-fine tannins, and a finish that won’t quit. More intellectual and elegant than the La Joie, it’s still a wine of incredible intensity and class that builds incrementally on the palate, has an exotic, singular character, and the class to evolve for 30 years or more.
Aromas of dust, currants and black olives. Full body and round, chewy tannins. This is soft and round textured. Juicy and flavorful at the end. Try after 2022.
About the producer
The winery was the dream of Jess Jackson, the man who founded the incredibly successful Jackson Family Wines. He, however, wanted to produce truly fine wine in Sonoma County.