Wine Advisor
Verite, La Joie 1998
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Description
Verite, La Joie, Sonoma County, California, Red, 2012
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot (85% Sonoma fruit and 15% from Napa), this fully mature 1998 should drink well for another 10-15 years. Notes of cedar, tobacco leaf, Christmas fruitcake, black currants and loamy soil emerge from this beautifully constructed, rich, full-bodied effort. It comes across like a serious Pauillac from Bordeaux.
Reviewed by: Erin Brooks
The 1998 La Joie is the inaugural vintage of this Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant cuvée from Vérité. A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot, it has matured gracefully, with a medium garnet color and continually evolving aromas of dried red cherries, cigars, leather, damp earth and mushroom that unfold slowly from the glass. The palate is soft and juicy, with delicate but persistent savory flavors. It will continue to hold in bottle over the next 3-5 years.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
(Release date 4/01) The La Joie wines are dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon with some Merlot in the blend. Again, these 2,000 cases are inter-county blends of Sonoma and Napa fruit. This wine is made from 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. The 1998 is 85% Sonoma fruit and 15% Napa. The 1998 La Joie is a backward wine, which is not surprising given the fact that it is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine has an opaque purple color, big, powerful, highly extracted flavors, amazing richness for a wine of this vintage, and a long, muscular, dense finish. It needs a good 3-4 years of cellaring, yet should keep for two decades. This wine, which Seillan calls "wine without compromise," is aged in 100% new French oak for about 13 months. Tel. (800) 769-3649; Fax (707) 579-3419
Reviewed by: Erin Brooks
The 1998 La Joie, a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot, is a pleasure to drink. Medium garnet in color, it maintains a core of dried red cherries complemented by tones of mushroom powder, wet tobacco, dust and iodine. The palate is velvety and surprisingly fresh, with high tertiary complexity and a very long finish featuring haunting touches of dried flowers and tobacco.
About the Producer
Verite is a local boutique winery located in Sonoma County, California, USA. Verite Winery is a winery owned by Jackson Family Wines. The winery name "Verite" means "truth" in French, which means that the wines produced by the winery can faithfully show the local terroir characteristics. The winemaker of the winery is Pierre Seillan, a famous winemaker with 22 years of winemaking experience in Bordeaux, France. (Haut-Medoc) winemaker and technical guide of 7 Bordeaux wineries in the production area. In the 1990s, Celine, who was a winemaker at a winery in Bordeaux at the time, met Jess Jackson, president of the Jackson family wine business, and the two hit it off. Soon Celine accepted Jess' invitation to come Sonoma County makes great wines. With the joint efforts of the two, Winery Truth released its first vintage in 1998. Over the years, the winery has been adhering to the winemaking philosophy of interpreting the truth of the soil and showing the unique terroir. The winery’s vineyards are located in the Alexander Valley, Bennett Valley, Knights Valley and Chalk Hill appellations. These appellations vary in terroir and hill topography, elevation and slope orientation, resulting in a diverse range of micro-vineyards under the estate’s entire vineyard. There are more than 40 different types of soil in the vineyard, among them, rocky and red volcanic soils provide ideal conditions for the growth of Cabernet Sauvignon (Cabernet Sauvignon) and Merlot (Merlot). In addition, the vineyard is also planted Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. During the grape growing process, the winery precisely controls the differences between different vineyards, the characteristics of the grape plants and even the subtle differences between each spore or tendril, so that the wine produced can reflect the characteristics of the local terroir. Currently, the wines released by the winery are Verite La Muse, Verite La Joie and Verite Le Desir. Among them, the creation of the Muse of Truth is inspired by the Pomerol wines and made from the quality Merlot of Sonoma County, which is balanced and elegant; the Joy of Truth has the depth and elegance of a good Cabernet Sauvignon. Strength, reminiscent of Pauillac-style wines from Bordeaux; Desire of Truth red wines with the suppleness of Saint-Emilion Cabernet Franc. The three series of blends, Le Desir, La Joie and La Muse, have all been awarded full marks by the Robert Parker Points.
