Verite, Le Desir, Sonoma County

This is a perfect example of a wine that has blossomed with time. Tasted at Verite in a fresh from the cellar bottle. In the glass, the wine shows clear clarity with a deep ruby color that defies its 17 years—no visible sign of age, oxidation, or sediment. It presents with confidence and quiet power. The nose is clean and beautifully expressive, opening with gorgeous violet florals, followed by blackberry, black cherry, strawberry, and plum. Subtle grass and a touch …

2009 vintage

decanted and drunk over the course of an evening Just starting to lighten at the rim Raspberries, violets and perfume as well as a hint of scorched earth on the nose initially and then maybe a whif of green pepper after a couple of hours The palate is juicy, potent dark red fruits with a refined complex finish that lasts. There is tannin still there. Initially it is prominent giving the impression of a wine a bit young to have …

2001 vintage

Sadly tried two bottles and the wine is falling apart. Does not have the structure for further ageing. Best to have drunk 5 years ago.

2009 vintage

RIBBS @ Cornus (Cornus, London) : Dense ruby. Nicely earthy with a slightly herbal edge. Savoury herbal. Just about on the right side of ripe. ****

2001 vintage

Excellent. Balanced. Smooth. Lovely. 96+, I'd say. The cork broke off right near the bottom, so I ended up pushing it in as it was too deep to remove.

2001 vintage

Nice Cab but was outshone a bit by the 12 Horsepower drank next to it. Couldn't tell if this was past its prime or a bit of a lighter style than I am used to. Not a bad wine by any stretch, but not something that I would seek out again at its current price point.

2001 vintage

This is a lovely well-made wine. Unfortunately, it followed a 2006 Hundred Acre Ark Vineyard, which was magnificent. After the Hundred Acre, it was hard to be objective about this wine. I thought it was lovely and had wonderful fruit. My brother thought it paled in comparison. Wo knows. I still think it is a very lovely wine. Merry Christmas!!

2009 vintage

Fill was incredible for a 23 year old wine purchased at the winery. Still deep red with ruby on the rim. Lots of black fruits in the nose, black cherries, blackberries, and black currants with licorice, coffee, tobacco, earthiness, leather and floral. Black and blue fruits in the flavor, black currants, black raspberries, and blueberries. Very well balanced, nice acidity, full bodied, complex, and a very long finish. A perfect match with a wagyu New York strip steak!

2001 vintage

Let me start with commending the previous review from IKKAARIANEN. He suggested opening the bottle at least 3 hours before drinking it. I did exactly that. The wine was fantastic. Great length, complexity and pedigree. It got better and better throughout the night. I have previously had several Verite vintages of both La Muse and Le Desir and this may have been my favorite.

2001 vintage

In the spirit of ripe high pedigree Bdx. Love it.

2009 vintage

Ripe voluptuous velvet blackberry fruit. Slightly astringent finish that prevents a higher score. Big structure. Long and complexity developing. Drinking now but perhaps too young. Should last for decades. This is the Cab Franc cuvee.

2009 vintage

A pour from the bottom of the bottle reveals a slightly murky but still quite deep ruby color. People like to describe Le Désir as having one foot in Cheval Blanc and one foot in Sonoma, and that's certainly true here, though one could argue the weight of this particular wine is actually on the warm of '09 vintage. The nose seems almost Bordeaux-like but with riper, prettier black fruit, stewed tomato, crushed mint, iris, worn leather, turned earth and …

2009 vintage

Highly recommend but given price point not a particularly good QPR - delivers at both a very high level and high price point as expected. An absolutely fantastic and fully mature high end Sonoma Valley merlot & cab franc dominant elegant Bdx blend of 50% merlot, 40% CF, 9% cab sauv and 1% malbec. Generally regarded as the softest, most supple and most complex of the 3 primary Verite wines which are the best Sonoma wines we have had. Drink …

2001 vintage

醒酒器两个小时，深宝石红色，闻香有杨梅，话梅，淡淡青椒和石墨气息，还能感受到一点淡淡牲厩味，优雅成熟的香气，入口酸度中等，酒液很咸，单宁细腻，如薄纱般铺在舌面，一些湿石头的矿物感，咸橄榄的口感，石墨伴随着淡淡青椒气息，风格严肃而内敛，酒体有些偏瘦，余味淡淡面包巧克力香气。口中的感觉并没有闻香这么棒，是三杯酒里口感相对单薄的一支，始终没能捕捉到太愉悦的果味，如果是一个波尔多左岸局尚可，但在今天的美国酒局上，这样的风格就有些吃亏了。不过这也正是我深爱索诺玛这个产区的原因，永远不那么张扬，永远保持优雅。

2001 vintage

Perfect pairing with braised beef.

2009 vintage

Open and decanted. Some sediment. Big flavor along with great color and aroma

2001 vintage

Opened and left to rest. Aeration needed here. This is probably the first time we have one of the Vérité wines at the right age as this is now in its good drinking window. Usually and much like most of it’s kin are opened far to early. This ideally needs another 5yrs and this is a big vote of confidence as we doubted the longevity of these wines a few years back. Some humble pie here for us as this …

2001 vintage

Opened for 5 hours and double decanted for 15 min. Consumed at dinner with Joel and Diana @ Louie Bossi's in Boca. The wine has the intended/expected french nose and bouquet, medium plus body, deep red color, almost purple. Good acidity and nice integration, the finish is smooth and pleasant. We'll see what time will bring to this wine, 94+

2009 vintage

We enjoyed the 2001 Desir at the Lake Placid Lodge, which has a very good selection of older wines that are well priced compared to most upper-scale restaurants (2x retail rather than 3x or more). The cork broke on opening but the wine was in good condition and should last for a few more years. Much like an aged St. Emilion, which Desir is intended to emulate, there is dark fruit that is not at all sweet, graphite, black pepper, …

2001 vintage

Uncorked and aired for an hour, then decanted for another hour at Osteria Mozza. Lovely fruit, really smooth tannins, perfect amount of acid. Couldn’t stop sniffing the pencil lead and cigar box…just wonderful, aged wine bottle. Hope my other 2 are as fun or better.

2001 vintage

It seemed appropriate to drink this as a birthday wine since I bought it exactly a year ago as a bday present to myself from a restaurant curbside sale induced by the pandemic. On first opening I wondering if this was past its prime. Fruit seemed very mature and perhaps on the pruney side. But with a few hours of air if really changed. The nose was just stunning plummy fruit and hints of tobacco, similar on the palate with …

2001 vintage

Baking spices and dark fruits on the nose. the palate is fresh and vibrant. Great with food. Paired well with braised lamb and garlic mashed potatoes. If you have bottles and patience, I’d wait as, paradoxically, it still tastes fresh and young. A glass left on day one was returned to the cellar and did not lose a bit this freshness on day 2!

2009 vintage

Dark red + purple, no bricking yet. Black fruits, cocoa, green bell pepper, some brown sugar/caramel notes along with cassis. A lot of cab franc coming through. Medium++ body. Well integrated now, tannins have softened but still linger on the finish. Elegant wine now. Looking forward to it maturing further.

2009 vintage

:45 minute decant We’ve been drinking early 2000 Bordeaux style blends lately. Left and Right bank, old and new world. So tonight; After a one hour decant , Verite Le Desir. I like Verite overall. That being said : Great nose. The Cabernet Franc is prevalent and it’s almost 50% of the wine The Merlot comes out in the finish It’s getting better in hour two, but not in the same league as a Palmer of the same age, but …

2001 vintage

Tuesday Night Double Blind $50+ (Bin 75 Alpharetta, GA) : Dark core with reddish violet rim; tea, pomegranate, wet earth, nutty, round plum, dark raspberry, red currant, faint kiss of oak, good flavors but slightly 1-D, medicinal, good length, still a bit young, thicker on the palate, high acid and high tannin; Left Bank to CA to end up on '10 Tignanello?

2001 vintage

Could use a couple more years in the bottle, but drinking fairly well now. Rich, with chocolate, caramel, tobacco, graphite, bell pepper finish.

2009 vintage

Just like the 15 except time has resolved the tannin and given time to integrate everything. Incredibly tart red currant and mulberries. Powerfully earthy. Cured meat and iron. After some time raspberry preserves, thyme and truffle make themselves known. Pipe tobacco is also making it to the forefront. I would say it's at its prime although still has a lot more aging capability.

2001 vintage

Decanted 4-5 hours before tasting over another 3 hours. Slightly translucent medium to dark garnet color. Nose has eucalyptus, dark cherry and violets. The texture is rich and voluptuous. Tannins are medium but refined, acidity is low to moderate giving a slightly drying but chewy mouth feel. The palate had coffee, cherry, ripe blueberry, coffee, spice and a fairly long finish.

2001 vintage

In my cellar since release. Decanted at 4:30pm and tasted over the next 5+ hours. Medium to dark slightly translucent garnet color but still very young looking. Nose is moderately vanilla scented with dark fruit, licorice and savory aromas. Palate is dense, moderately tannic, fresh and full of black fruit flavors. Long finish and very elegant. Very nice with grilled porterhouse steak.

2001 vintage

A little disappointed since I had been saving for a special occasion. Seemed pretty one dimensional for a blended Bordeaux style wine. Definitely should drink now rather than any more aging.

2001 vintage

Well cellared since release and it did not disappoint. Blind tasted after being open for 3 hours and everyone guessed California cab. Still a big wine with nice balance of tannin and fruit... for an aged Sonoma mostly merlot/franc blend. Tasted with 12 other wines which included many right bank bordeaux and one left bank so you could really tell this was not true BDX. It was still great and a good contrast. In a really nice place at the …

2001 vintage

Only aerated for 1 hour, I tasted along some stellar Cabernet based wines, this predominately Merlot held its own with a complex nose of mushrooms, spice box and red and black fruits with a round palate of medium body and a great finish. Decent acidity held up against food well and the finish showed soft tannins. lovely and drinking very well. Drink or hold but I would just enjoy it now. Not a bargain price point but shows what Sonoma …

2001 vintage

Tuesday Night Double Blind $40+ (Bin 75 Alpharetta, GA) : Dark core with larger brick rim; smoky, currant, leather, chocolate, cherry, clay, slight coffee, cedar, blackberry; cherry and currants on the palate, slight chew to the tannin, meaty, decent acid, glycerin, resolved new oak, plusher texture; people torn between Old & New World here.

2001 vintage

Had from Magnum, aerated and decanted for about 30 minutes only, while we started dinner with a champagne. Boy, this wine is drinking so amazing right now, deep garnet in color, smooth, complex with evolving flavors ranging from red currant, to cherries, to espresso / chocolate even, over a 3 hour dinner. No sign of tannins, and none of that Caymus style caramel /vanilla flavor (yuck). This was tremendously well made wine in the Bordeaux style. Dare I say it's …

2001 vintage

Glass through Coravin. Black as night berry, opaque. Before taking a sip I can sense extraction beyond comprehension. Massive nose of black fruit, pure berry, dense forest and milky coco. Palate continues along the same vein, chocolate covered coffee bean, vanilla bean, cedar and cigar leaf. Extremely powerful and screams for wagyu steak. One glass is enough of this beast!

2009 vintage

Dark black and cherry fruits on the nose, wood, and then that high note of Cabernet Franc. Rich and succulent on the palate, lots of structure, lots of power.

2009 vintage

Nice fruit and balance. Very aromatic. Acidity was great with braised chuck roast. Opened amd srank over the course of 2 hours, no decant.

2001 vintage

Very floral. Very gutsy on the cork pull yet oh so soft.

2009 vintage

With 3 hours of aeration in decanter, the nose on this dark ruby-purple colored wine instantly reminded me of hot asphalt, with its molten oil and sickly pungent character that, if too close, can be very off-putting. I have the same aversion to sur maturite, which this cocoa infused, black-fruited and mega dense offering is all about. A hedonistic wine that no doubt hits the sweet spot for some, but an entirely boring and monolithic wine for me. Low acid …

2001 vintage

Very dark purple red violet color; aromatic, black fruit, pencil lead, tar, cedar nose; tight, tasty, cedar, tart black fruit, black currant, espresso palate; needs 4-plus years; long finish (74% Cabernet Franc, 13% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec; 14.5% alcohol) 93+ points

2009 vintage

Deep ruby-red, purple. Black fruit and tar on nose. Black fruit. An elegant smooth wine with dark fruit and a little tobacco. Balanced, with overriding oak/wood flavor. Savory finish. Medium+

2009 vintage

Wow did this blow me away. After an hr in the glass it was standing strong and just a pt or two better than the 2003, which was amazing. Just another powerhouse. I can't explain how the wine makes you feel. Because again this is more than a wine it is truly a life changer. I love wine and I feel like I was tasting for the first time. This cab franc made me love fall in love with wine …

2009 vintage

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Verite, Le Desir, Sonoma County

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