Vérité produces some of California’s most lauded wines. Literally translating as “truth”, the winery seeks to produce wines that speak of their Sonoma County terroir.
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. A chance encounter with Bordeaux vigneron Pierre Seillan led to friendship and – after Seillan visited California in 1997 – the birth of their joint venture, Vérité.
The first Vérité vintage was 1998. In the relatively short time since, Vérité wines have received some of the highest praise of any wine produced in America – already receiving seven separate 100-point scores from the Wine Advocate.
The philosophy here centres on “la droit du sol" or "the right of the soil” – that wines should speak of their site. Seillan works with over 50 tiny plots of vines which he terms “micro-crus”: each one is harvested, fermented and matured separately before being blended.
The estate produces three wines: La Muse – a Merlot-based blend; La Joie – a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant wine; and Le Désir – a Cabernet Franc-based blend.
Jess Jackson passed away in 2011, however his wife Barbara Banke remains involved in the business. Today Pierre Seillan works alongside his daughter Hélène Seillan.
