Verite "La Muse" Red 2012
(Sonoma County, California) - [WA 97] [ST 94-97] [VM 93-95]

About the Winery:

Jess Jackson convinced Bordelais Pierre Seillan to come to California from St.-Emilion to make these wines, and Vérité has been one of the classics for well over a decade. The La Muse cuvee represents a Pomerol-styled wine, La Joie a Medoc and Le Desir a St.-Emilion. These are long-term, concentrated, tannic efforts that usually require 5-10 years of bottle age, and are meant to age for at least three decades. Seillan has crafted multiple 100 point Wine Advocate wines under the Vérité label to date!

The Vérité Estate is located in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountain range at the southern tip of Sonoma County's Alexander Valley. This unique location is just north of the confluence of the Chalk Hill and Knights Valley appellations, an area know for superior soil, climate, and potential to express a strong sense of terroir.

About this Wine:

Profound and sophisticated, La Muse delivers the incredible depth and texture with a Merlot-based blend from the top micro-crus of eastern Sonoma County. Like a graceful swan, it embodies elegance, softness and strength.

Notes from the Winemaker:

Beautifully brilliant ruby edges of the 2012 La Muse give way to pronounced notes of spice and ripe, black fruit aromas. A rich palate is complemented by complex flavors of almond, spice and dried fig. The influence of the oak is very discreet – with just a hint of toasted vanilla – and the long-lasting finish is punctuated by the perfect balance of very fine tannins and acidity.

Blend: 85% Merlot. 11% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec
Analysis: 14.5% alcohol, 0.54 ta, 3 .72 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.

Ratings & Reviews

97 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"The 2012 La Muse, which is 85% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec, is a smaller cuvée of 1,840 cases. The wine has plenty of spice box, cedar wood, Christmas fruitcake and Asian plum sauce, along with black cherry and blackcurrant fruit. Ripe, round, full-bodied and opulent, this is a wine that can be drunk now or cellared for another three decades. Interestingly, the alcohol levels are not all that high in any of these wines, with most of them rarely exceeding 14.3%." - Robert M. Parker, Jr. (Oct 2015)

94-97 Points - Stephen Tanzer:
"Deep ruby. Wonderfully pure aromas and flavors of crushed cassis, minerals and exotic spices. Huge, sweet and plush but utterly primary for a wine with so much flesh. Boasts the chocolatey richness of a topnotch Pomerol from a great year, but the wine's huge, ripe tannins will require at least five or six years of aging. Finishes with outstanding length." - Stephen Tanzer (May 2014)

93-95 Points - Vinous Media:
"Mocha, chocolate, dark plums, smoke and cloves are some of the notes that inform the 2012 La Muse. Dark, sumptuous and impeccably balanced, the 2012 is super-impressive. The flavors are bold and intense, and while there is plenty of size and volume, the wine's balance is simply impeccable. I imagine the 2012 will reward drinkers with a good 20 years or so of very fine drinking pleasure." - Antonio Galloni (January 2015)