Verite La Joie Sonoma County 2013 750ml

Vérité was created by Jess Jackson and Bordeaux-born winemaker Pierre Seillan to craft Sonoma County blends in the image of great Bordeaux, and La Joie is the estate's Cabernet-driven, Pauillac-inspired cuvée. The 2013 earned a perfect 100 points from Wine Advocate and 99 from James Suckling. Drawn from Knights Valley, Chalk Hill and Alexander Valley, it blends 71% Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Graphite, cedar, charcoal, crème de cassis and forest floor lead into a rich, complex palate, and Wine Advocate said it "tastes like a great first-growth Pauillac." Suckling saw a neoclassical wine with a great future. Enjoy now with decanting or cellar it for decades; it may well last 50 years.