Verite "Le Desir" Red 2013
(Sonoma County, California) - [RP 99] [AG 92-95]

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Notes from the Winemaker:

“The Desire”
This expression of Cabernet Franc is lifted upon a pedestal of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and malbec, showing layers of concentrated fruit and exotic spice, opulent aromatics, and a plush sueded texture.

Analysis: 14.5% alcohol, 0.55 ta, 3.81 pH
Aging: 15 months barrel aging in 100% new french oak

Vintage:
The 2012 growing season was warmer than previous years, absent of severe heat spikes, rain or extreme cold weather. During the summer months, cool coastal morning fog was followed by abundant sunshine in the afternoon with temperatures frequently rising above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. These ideal weather conditions and daily temperature shifts allowed for even, slow ripening in the vineyards and produced fruit with intense, deep flavors and soft tannins. This vintage demonstrates near-perfect growing conditions and can simply be described as an exceptional year.

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Ratings & Reviews

99 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"The 2013 Le Desir represents 2,500 cases. This is the softest of the three wines in 2013, and this blend of 61% Cabernet Franc, 23% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec emerges with more than half of the cuvée coming from Hillsides in Alexander Valley, 37% from Chalk Hill and the rest tiny dollops from Bennett Valley and Knights Valley. Opaque purple, like its siblings, the wine is showing incredible floral, blueberry and espresso notes, exotic Asian spices, velvety texture, a supple, multilayered mouthfeel and incredible finish, with incense and licorice. This is magnificent young wine, with a good 40-50 years of upside potential. Pierre Seillan is justifiably proud of what he has achieved, and his first vintage of Vérité was only 1998, but they go from strength to strength." - RP (Oct 26th, 2015)

92-95 Points - Antonio Galloni's Vinous Media:
"The 2013 Le Désir is once again alluring. Le Désir is quite powerful and intense, but it also has fairly soft contours for the year. Dark cherry, plum, smoke, chocolate, mocha, licorice and cloves are all pushed forward. Energetic and explosive, the 2013 is going to need at least a few years in bottle to settle down, but it has plenty to offer. I tasted the 2013 from tank just prior to bottling." - AG (Feb 2016)

100 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2012 Vintage):
The 2012 Le Desir (64% Cabernet Franc, 24% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Malbec) reminds me of a young vintage of Ausone, such as 2005. The wine has amazing minerality and an explosive blueberry nose intermixed with blackberries, new saddle leather, charcoal and camphor. It is full-bodied, with espresso notes emerging on the palate. There are 1,900 cases of this super-endowed, prodigious wine that should drink well for 35-40 years. How fun it would be for mega-millionaires to put this in a blind tasting of a great vintage of Ausone in 10, 20 or 30 years from now." - Robert M. Parker, Jr. (Oct 2015)

95-98 Points - Stephen Tanzer (2012 Vintage):
"Bright, deep ruby. Seriously dark aromas of cassis, violet, bitter chocolate and espresso. Hugely rich and ripe but with uncanny energy and definition to the flavors of black raspberry and musky bitter chocolate. This has the density of a top vintage of Chateau Ausone. Finishes with a boatload of ripe tannins that are buffered by the wine's palate-staining fruit. Another monument in the making." - Stephen Tanzer (May 2014)

94-96 Points - Antonio Galloni (2012 Vintage):
"The Cabernet Franc-based 2012 Le Désir is the most aromatic and nuanced of these three 2012s. Savory herbs, mocha and spices meld into a core of punchy pomegranate and red stone fruit in a wine that is both silky and powerful. Here, too, readers can look forward to a long drinking window that will last two decades or so. In 2012, Le Désir is all about finesse." - Antonio Galloni (January 2015)