Verite, Le Desir 2011

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

The opaque purple-colored 2011 Le Desir, a blend of 54% Cabernet Franc, 36% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec, tips the scales at 13.9% alcohol (the highest in this vintage). It reveals a chalky/mineral-like character along with notes of blueberries and boysenberries intermixed with hints of new oak and lead pencil shavings, a lush, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel and outstanding ripeness and concentration (especially for a 2011). It should be drinking beautifully in 2-3 years, and will keep for 15-20. All three of these cuvees are very successful 2011s. This is the flagship, luxury, world-class winery of the late Jess Jackson’s portfolio of small, high quality estates. Jackson convinced Bordelais Pierre Seillan to come to California from St.-Emilion to make these wines, and Verite has been one of the classics for well over a decade. The La Muse cuvee represents a Pomerol-styled wine, La Joie a Medoc and Le Desir a St.-Emilion. These are long-term, concentrated, tannic efforts that usually require 5-10 years of bottle age, and are meant to age for at least three decades. The 2012s possess fabulous potential. It is nearly impossible to decide which of the three cuvees is the finest (it probably depends on your own personal stylistic predilections), but the alcohols are normal for a top California vintage, ranging from 14.1% to 14.3%. Obviously, 2011 was a much more challenging vintage, and the wines reflect that although they are unquestionably successful, even in this vintage. Pierre Seillan told me that the harvest was extremely late, and there had to be an enormous amount of selection done both in the vineyard and the winery to create these cuvees. A relatively cool, late-harvest year with a tiny crop, the 2010 vintage required a tremendous selection process as well as meticulous work in both the vineyard and winery. All three offerings have turned out to be surprisingly approachable for young Verite wines. A great vintage for Verite that rivals 2012 and probably what was achieved in 2013 is 2009. It was the type of vintage that Seillan desires – high in tannin, high in extract, with incredible upside potential for all three cuvees. The 2009s are the most backward and powerful of the four vintages reviewed in this report. The alcohols ranged from 14.5% to 14.6+%. Tel. (707) 433-9000

robert_parker92

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

The 2011 Le Désir, a St.-Emilion-inspired offering, is a blend of 54% Cabernet Franc, 36% Merlot and the rest equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. My favorite of the 2011s, it displays lots of mulberry, black cherry and blackcurrant fruit intertwined with hints of underbrush as well as a subtle herbaceousness, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, beautiful density and sweet tannin. There are 2,500 cases of this 2011. Drink now-2025. Tel. (707) 433-9000

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2011 Le Desir is a wine of considerable potential. Rich, round and seamless, the 2011 has the most depth of these three 2011s. Expressive and layered throughout, the Desir is all about elegance and silkiness. Juicy dark raspberries, flowers, sweet spices and mocha all flesh out in this surprisingly dense, full-bodied wine. The 2011 appears to have the underlying structure to drink nicely for a number of years. The blend is 53% Cabernet Franc, 36% Merlot and 5.5% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2026. I tasted a wide range of wines with Pierre Seillan during my most recent visit to Verite. The 2010s were still in tank awaiting imminent bottling. For that reason, the wines were a little closed down relative to how they showed last year. The 2011 and 2010 harvests both started on September 26, but the 2010 harvest ended in mid-October, while the 2011s were picked all the way to the end of the month. Seillan describes 2011 as an earlier drinking vintage next to 2010, although given the way these wines age, I would not be surprised if the 2011s develop nicely in bottle. Seillan told me he performed aggressive leaf pulling two weeks before the harvest in order to get the fruit ripe. I also tasted all the 2002s and 2003s, and was particularly impressed with the 2002s, all wines that have held up well. Tel. (707) 431-3930

vinous93

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2011 Le Desir brings together the aromatics and red-toned fruit of La Muse, but with the slightly greater mid-palate volume of La Joie. Cedar, tobacco, smoke and crushed flowers add an attractive upper register to this soft, forward Cabernet Franc-based red.

vinous94

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

Today the 2011 Le Desir is much more aromatically expressive than it was last year. Savory and floral notes meld into sweet tobacco, mint, licorice and dark red fruit, all in a sexy, nuanced wine bursting with intensity. I can't wait to see how the Desir, and the rest of the 2011s here, turn out once they have been bottled.

vinous95

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2011 Le Desir brings together the aromatics and red-toned fruit of La Muse, but with the slightly greater mid-palate volume of La Joie. Cedar, tobacco, smoke and crushed flowers add an attractive upper register to this soft, forward Cabernet Franc-based red.