Verite Le Desir Sonoma California 2017 (750ml)

 

Rated 98+ Points by Jeb Dunnuck

 

Lastly, the 2017 Le Desir is 80% Cabernet Franc, with the balance mostly Merlot mixed with a splash of Malbec.  It has a wonderful Cabernet Franc floral character as well as awesome black raspberry, cedarwood, forest floor, violets, rose petals, new leather, and who knows what else.  Incredibly complex, it takes lots of air to show at its best and is medium to full-bodied, has a bright spine of acidity, fabulous tannins, and a great, great finish.  The elegance of this wine paired with its richness and depth is something to behold.  It’s another damn near perfect wine from this estate, and to see this quality from a challenging vintage like 2017 boggles the mind.  Hats off to the father-daughter team of Pierre and Hélène Seillan.  Rating: 98+  May 2020

 

Rated 98 Points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

 

What was the secret to achieving such impressive ripeness for Cabernet Franc in 2017?  Pierre Seillan's daughter and one day successor, Helene, told me: “We make a lot of passes through the Cabernet Franc blocks — more than the other varieties.  We drop any fruit that is not ripening at the same pace.  We don’t pull out too much leaves, we need those for the ripening.”  Blended of 80% Cabernet Franc, 17% Merlot and 3% Malbec, the 2017 Le Désir has a medium to deep garnet-purple color.  It comes galloping out of the glass with all the grace and precision of a thoroughbred, sporting notions of kirsch, potpourri, warm plums and wild blueberries plus hints of chocolate box, cardamom and star anise.  The medium-bodied palate (just 13.9% alcohol) is at once powerful and wonderfully elegant, with firm, very fine-grained, exquisitely ripe tannins and bold freshness supporting the red and blue fruit layers, finishing with incredible length and depth.  Wow!  Lisa Perrotti-Brown May 2020

 

Rated 98 Points by James Suckling

 

A very beautiful, succulent red, showing lavender, sage, conifer and rosemary with black and blue fruit.  Full-bodied with firm, lightly chewy tannins and a sturdy, very elegant finish.  80% cabernet franc, 17% merlot and 3% malbec.  Drink in 2022 and onwards.  James Suckling May 2020

 

Rated 98 Points by Vinous

 

The 2017 Le Désir is off the charts fabulous and also one of the most compelling wines I have tasted from Vérité.  Mocha, chocolate, licorice, leather, menthol, pine and spice soar out of the glass.  The 2017 is vertical, heady and extravagantly rich yet not at all overdone, a hugely appealing combination in my book.  Antonio Galloni April 2020

 

Verite Le Desir Sonoma California 2017

 

Le Désir – Desire

 

Bound by precision, elegance and grace, Le Désir is a Cabernet Franc-based blend that exudes high-toned, exotic aromatics, an iron graphite core and pronounced minerality.  It is a complex symphony, at first presenting a quiet force that needs time to unveil its many delicate and mysterious layers.

 

Winemaker Notes

 

2017 vintage Le Desir has a deep-garnet purple color.  Complex aromas of plums, cherries, blueberries and dried flowers are complemented by spice notes of cardamom and star anise.  At the same time, powerful and yet beautifully elegant, firm fine-grained tannins and layers of fresh blue and red berry fruits provide a finish to the wine that has both persistence and depth.

 

Composition:  80% Cabernet Franc, 17% Merlot, 3% Malbec

 

Vintage 2017

 

The growing season began without incident – months of winter rains replenished groundwater and invigorated the vines, followed by mild spring and summer conditions.  After a brief heat wave in early September, the weather cooled again allowing for ideal harvest conditions.

 

Picking began on September 2 and finished on October 2, one week before the disastrous Tubbs fire swept across Northern Sonoma County on October 8.  Although this fire was one of the worst in California’s history, both the Vérité estate and wines thankfully emerged unscathed.  As such, our 2017 vintage lots were either resting in barrel or completing fermentation, avoiding any concerns of smoke taint.

 

The Palette of Vérité

 

“Every hillside, every elevation and every aspect offer us a different micro-cru.  The pure expression of these unique sites has from the beginning defined our winemaking philosophy.”  Pierre Seillan

 

With more than 50 “micro-crus” across four appellations, Vigneron Pierre Seillan carefully crafts each blend of Vérité.  This mosaic of micro-crus provides Seillan with the palette of aromatics, flavors, textures and structural elements he needs to craft the wines of Vérité.

 

Each micro-cru is harvested and fermented separately, then aged in French Oak barrels of various custom toasts.

 

Seillan carefully tailors his winemaking techniques and oak regimens to the personality of each lot, providing him with hundreds of unique components he can use to create the architecture of the final blends of La Muse, La Joie and Le Désir.

 

The Right of the Soil.

 

“I am a servant of the soil.  My job is to listen and convey the unfettered voice of the terroir.”  Pierre Seillan

 

Wines that express the unfettered voice of the terroir.

 

Pierre's philosophy is centered around la droit du sol, or "the right of the soil."  He has long believed that wines should express the unfettered voice of the terroir and pursues a holistic and innovative approach to site selection, vineyard design, farming, vinification, barrel selection, blending, and bottling.

 

Sonoma County

 

Jackson and Seillan selected California’s Sonoma County as the ideal location for Vérité’s vineyards.  Our vineyards are located in the Bennett Valley, Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill and Knights Valley appellations.

 

Sonoma County is one of the most diverse winegrowing regions on earth.  Due to the influence of the Pacific Ocean, the climate flows from west to east, rather than from north to south.  The eastern inland appellations are warm, dry, and ideal for Bordeaux varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.  The microclimates in each appellation are warm enough to fully ripen red Bordeaux varieties, but cool enough to retain the natural acidity needed to make timeless, age-worthy wines.

 

 

Verite

 

Pierre Seillan has spent over five decades dedicated to crafting world-class wines.

 

Jess Jackson longed to produce wines that would be among the world's best.

 

One Vision

 

Jess Jackson (1930–2011) was already the founder of one of the most successful family-owned wine companies in the United States when he met Pierre Seillan during a visit to France in the 1990s.

 

A true visionary, Jackson’s lengthy career, which spanned more than 30 years, was driven by a passion for producing extraordinary wine from California’s best vineyards.  Jackson had longed to create a wine that would be just as good as the world’s best wines and was confident that the terroir in Sonoma County had that potential.

 

A friendship developed between the Jackson family in California and the Seillan family in Bordeaux.  When Pierre Seillan visited California in 1997, he too saw the potential and did not hesitate when Jackson asked him to come to Sonoma County to realize this dream together.  And so, Vérité was born.

 

Two Generations.

 

Pierre Seillan has crafted the wines of Vérité since 1998.  Under Pierre’s leadership, Hélène Seillan has stepped into the role of assistant winemaker at the estate to usher in the next generation.

 

Born in 1987, Hélène Seillan spent her childhood in both France and California, surrounded by family and friends for whom winemaking was as much a passion as it was a profession.  Following in her father’s footsteps, Hélène pursued a career in winemaking and began splitting her time between Sonoma County and Saint-Émilion.  Starting in 2006, she served as assistant winemaker for her father at the family’s Bordeaux estate, where she worked on all aspects of winery management showing the same talent, passion and ability as her father.  Hélène studied Viticulture and Oenology at the Institut Rural de Vayres in Bordeaux.