2021 Vérité Collection Case

100PTs - La Joie: Composed of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2021 La Joie sports a deep garnet-purple color. It comes galloping out of the glass with energetic notes of fresh red and black currants, mulberries and candied violets, giving way to evocative wafts of cardamom, clove oil, and iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate is built like a brick house, delivering taut, muscular black fruit and very firm, finely grained tannins, plus a finely knit line of freshness, finishing long and energetic. It’s tightly wound and will require patience to allow the tertiary characters to blossom. Forget it for 5-7 years in the cellar and drink it over the following 30 years+. 98Pts - La Muse: The 2021 La Muse is a blend of 90% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Malbec. Deep garnet-purple colored, it pops from the glass with notes of kirsch, fresh black and red plums, and wild blueberries, leading to suggestions of crushed rocks, star anise, and lilacs. The medium to full-bodied palate shimmers with vibrant, intense red, black, and blue fruit flavors, supported by firm, rounded tannins and bold tension, finishing long with a red berry lift. Alluring to drink now, allow it another 4-5 years in bottle for that next-level experience and then drink it over the next 20 years+ 98Pts - Le Desir: The 2021 Le Desir is made from 87% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot, and 2% Malbec. Deep garnet-purple colored, it’s quite shy to start off and even more closed than its siblings (La Muse and La Joie), needing a lot of swirling to bring out notes of fresh black and red cherries, juicy blueberries, and black raspberries, leading with touches of iris, tilled loam, aniseed, and garrigue. The medium to full-bodied palate is tight-knit and intense with spine-tingling tension, delivering subtle floral, mineral, and earth-inspired sparks, finishing long with a perfumed firework display.