Vérité
The Vérité estate was founded in 1998 by the late Jess Jackson, patriarch of Jackson Family Wines, who Robert Parker called “one of the most extraordinary men in the wine world I have ever met.”
Named after the French word for truth, it was Jackson’s desire to make iconic wines without compromise that truly reflect the terroir in which they are grown. As such, he turned to iconic vigneron Pierre Seillan in the 90s to help him launch the Vérité estate.
Located along the western slopes of the Mayacamas Mountain Range in Sonoma County, the diversity of the terroir varies so dramatically from block to block, that Pierre Seillan identified more than 40 micro-crus that make up Vérité’s three exceptional Bordeaux-inspired blends: La Muse, La Joie and Le Desir.
La Muse is primarily crafted from Merlot, honouring the style of Pomerol while celebrating the locally grown fruit of the Sonoma terroir. La Joie takes on the depth, power and structure of Cabernet Sauvignon and takes inspiration from the celebrated reds of Pauillac. While Le Désir is predominantly Cabernet Franc based showing layers of concentrated fruites, spice, aromatics and a rich suede texture.
This winery, one of the gems of the Kendall-Jackson portfolio of boutique wineries, debuted in 1998 and has been hitting on all cylinders since. I suspect top priority is given to Bordelais winemaker Pierre Seillan’s choice of the finest fruit he can find from Jackson’s holdings in Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill and Knights Valley. There are three Bordeaux-inspired cuvées made, with La Muse the Right Bank Pomerol style of wine dominated by Merlot, La Joie a Médoc-like blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, and Le Desir a St.-Emilion-oriented wine dominated by Cabernet Franc. Percentages of these principal grapes all change with the vintage, but those varieties are clearly the strength of each cuvée. Kudos once again to Pierre Seillan! Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com