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Tasting notes
Sensational aromas of blackberries, blueberries, violets and wet earth. Tar undertones. Full body, chewy yet polished tannins and a long, flavorful finish. A neoclassical wine with a great future. A majority of cabernet sauvignon in this Bordeaux blend. Needs two or three years to soften still.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2013 La Joie, which is 46% from Knights Valley, 32% from Chalk Hill and 22% from Alexander Valley, is a blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Showing loads of graphite, cedar wood, charcoal, creme de cassis and forest floor, this may well turn out to be a 50+-year wine. It tastes like a great first-growth Pauillac and has an amazing amount of complexity and richness.
An opulent, totally enveloping wine, the 2013 La Joie races across the palate with remarkable depth, power and intensity. Inky blue and purplish fruit, smoke, tobacco, licorice and cloves open up as this dramatic, full-throttle Cabernet Sauvignon-based red shows off its considerable personality. Huge tannins lurk in the background but they are nearly covered by the sheer opulence of the fruit. A wine of considerable verticality and structure, the 2013 is going to require quite a bit of patience.
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.