2009 Vérité La Joie
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Tasting notes
A blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc, 9% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 2% Malbec, the 2009 La Joie sports a very deep garnet color. It opens with baked plums, licorice and blackcurrant cordial notes—on steroids—with an undercurrent of oolong tea, aged meats, fragrant earth and new leather plus a waft of black olives. Medium to full-bodied, it delivers mouth-filling evolved black fruits and earthy sparks with a foundation of firm, chewy tannins and soft freshness, finishing long with some herbal accents coming through. 2,400 cases were made.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Dark ruby. Multidimensional aromas of cassis, dried cherry, black cardamom, black tea, juniper, violet and graphite. More minerally, pristine and polished than the Désir but also penetrating and backward, with its intense mountain berry flavors showing a restrained sweetness and compelling juiciness and energy. The tannins are firm but noble, with the wine's finishing fruits, flowers and minerals saturating the palate and titillating the taste buds. This beauty is built for the long haul. (14.5% alcohol)
78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec. Evolved, bright, dark crimson. The first bottle had rather a stewed nose but the second bottle was much more impressive. Fresh, sweet, sappy with some complex maturity. Some tannin and dried herbs on the end. (JR)
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.