The 2001 Le Desir is another enormously concentrated, sweet yet elegant, medium to full-bodied effort revealing intense notes of red, black, and blue fruit intermixed with camphor, lead pencil shavings, and spice box characteristics. Rich and intensely flavored yet remarkably light on its feet for such power, with beautifully integrated wood, acidity, alcohol, and tannin in the long finish, it will provide immense pleasure if drunk between 2004-2025.

A kind of Sonoma Cheval Blanc, Verite Le Desir is a 33/5/16 blend of cabernet franc, merlot, cabernet sauvignon all from Sonoma Mountain vineyards. The nose is a mix of tobacco, black pepper, spice, licorice, earth, black cherry and prune and vanilla aromas. It's very rich, round, concentrated with ripe tannins but again with super balance. Beautiful licorice, black cherry, cassis, vanilla, coffee spicy orange rind flavours. Very complex, long and classy. BC $175.00

A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the debut vintage of La Muse is composed of fruit from Sonoma (62%) and Napa (38%) vineyards. It appears to have reached full maturity, but it possesses the density and richness to last another 10-15 years. From a challenging vintage, it reveals a dark plum/garnet color along with a full-bodied nose of coffee, fruitcake, underbrush, forest floor, mocha and chocolate. This outstanding effort is one of the top 1998s from northern California.

The 2015 La Muse is developing beautifully. Ripe, ample and voluptuous in the glass, the 2015 exudes character. Even with all of its obvious intensity, the 2015 has quite a bit of freshness to balance out the ripe, racy Merlot-based fruit. Super-ripe red cherry, plum, mocha and spice notes build into the racy, inviting finish.

Captivating notes of black raspberry, truffle, woodsmoke and juicy cherry. Savoury and fine-grained with juicy acidity, supple tannins and a compelling sense of grace. This is one of California's reference points for Cabernet Franc.

The 2012 Le Désir is striking. It is also the richest and most powerful of the Vérité 2012s. An exotic, alluring bouquet melds into layers of dark red fruit as this ample, voluptuous wine shows off its personality. The 2012 simply oozes with Cabernet Franc floral and spice notes. Although the 2012 is quite expressive today, it will be even better with more time. Over the last few years the Désir has clearly emerged as Vérité's top wine. Today, it is absolutely gorgeous, although it needs time to be at its best.

An exotic, nuanced beauty, the 2010 La Muse offers up an exotic concoction of white truffle, cassis, cloves. Captivating and totally beguiling, the 2010 takes over all of the senses and never lets up. A rush of blue and black-hued fruit flows through to the enveloping, deeply resonant finish. The 2010 shuts down in the glass, so it is best left alone in bottle for a number of years. What a gorgeous wine this is, especially if readers can be patient.

Brilliant medium ruby. Inviting aromas of blackberry, cassis, licorice, cocoa powder, brown spices and black truffle. Dense and sweet, showing an almost liqueur-like ripeness to the blackberry and mineral flavors. The wine's slightly high-toned quality is leavened by its serious spine. Finishes with outstanding persistence

Bright red-ruby. Sweet aromas of black raspberry, bitter chocolate, violet and smoke. Large-scaled, velvety and deep, with outstanding intensity and sweetness to its dark berry, violet and mineral flavors. Boasts a compelling combination of suavity of texture and sheer energy. Extremely long on the aftertaste, with noble tannins barely noticeable today.

Bright ruby-red. Musky black raspberry, espresso, mocha and caramel on the nose. Plush, seamless and strong; wonderfully energetic, delineated dark raspberry, tobacco and mocha flavors are lifted by a floral element. Finishes with terrific breadth, grip and lift, but the very firm, serious, palate-saturating tannins do not come off as dry. Like a powerful version of a Pomerol. Quite spicy throughout, especially on the subtly rising finish. Has plenty of structure for a long life in bottle.

It has a dense, complex core of blackberries, coated with immaculately fine, sweet oak. Feels important and dramatic, but too young. Begs to be housed in a good cellar for a good eight years.

49% Merlot; 47% Cabernet Franc; 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. In its strong focus on ripe black cherries and sweet currants with a twist of dried raspberry, this blended wine finds a higher level of range than is typical of the directly fruity Sonoma style. That the wine is full-bodied and broadly tannic at this point accounts for the absence of California-style juiciness in its flavors, but their convincing depth and the need for a fair measure of cellar aging intimate that this wine has the structure and potential typical of a top-notch Bordelais red more than anything else. A rich layer of milk chocolate brings it back home. OBA$150.00

A California version of a Pomerol, the 2003 La Muse is a blend of 84% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Malbec that tips the scales at 14.2% alcohol. It is just beginning to reveal such secondary nuances as cedarwood, Christmas fruitcake, red and black currants, licorice and tapenade. Full-bodied with an imposing structure, the wine's fruit, purity, denseness and richness suggest it can be approached, but it is capable of lasting another 25+ years.

Composed of 59% Cabernet Sauvignon and 41% Merlot (89% from Sonoma and 11% from Napa), the 1999 is a much younger wine than the 1998 and still has some upside potential. A deep ruby/purple color is followed by notes of graphite, unsmoked high class cigar tobacco, black currants and flowers. Round and generous with some tannins in the finish, it is close to full maturity and should drink well for another 15+ years.

The most brooding and massive wine in the Verité portfolio, creamy cassis, plum and graphite are followed by a large-scaled, dense and intensely concentrated, savoury wine which lives up to its reputation as Sonoma's answer to Pauillac. 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.

Bright ruby-red. Crushed blueberry, violet, licorice and dark chocolate on the explosive nose. Not quite as complex as La Muse but sweeter in the mid-palate, without any loss of definition or energy. Finishes with superb broad tannins and outstanding pulsating persistence.

Composed of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2003 comes from four sources, the Alexander Mountain Estate, Knight's Valley and small quantities of fruit from Bennett Valley and Chalk Hill. Made in a deep, full-bodied, masculine style, it possesses tremendous intensity (as do all of these wines) as well as plenty of black fruit notes intermixed with forest floor, underbrush, truffle and a hint of burning embers reminiscent of a Graves from Bordeaux. Super fruit, ripe tannin and a long finish give this wine a youthful yet complex personality. It needs 5-6 years to reach full maturity where it should last for two decades.

A spicy, mint-infused aromatic framework for its lovely bouquet of black currant and berry fruits. It's an impressive, densely-fruited wine elevated by superb tannic structure and freshness. It should age beautifully over the next decade.

Italy, Tuscany: Chianti Classico (New Releases) This wine has recently been upgraded from Riserva to Gran Selezione status. The 2015 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Strada al Sasso (100% Sangiovese) is shaped by the excellent growing conditions that characterize this classic vintage. This is a full-bodied expression of Sangiovese with contemporary aromas of black cherry, leather, cigar box, sweet tobacco and toasted espresso. This wine provides sweet tannins and lots of succulent fruit richness on the close.

Creme de cassis, black cherries, spices and charcoal. Very refined and structured with a delightful, zesty serving of acidity and a long, chewy finish. An honest, elegant wine that shows great clarity.

Dark, lush and dense with wild cherry, spice, and vanilla oak; juicy, deep and nicely structured; intense.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Monolith, from a parcel at 1,750 feet in altitude, is quite refined in this vintage. Medium in body, with tremendous aromatic and flavor intensity, the Monolith dazzles from the first taste. A range of floral and red-toned flavors are some of the signatures of a Cabernet that is both refined and polished.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Christopher's Vineyard brings together all of the elements that make the Stonestreet Cabernets so distinctive. Dark fruit, savory herbs, spice, new French oak, menthol and pine build as this unctuous, full-bodied Cabernet shows off its considerable appeal and personality. The Christopher's is the most flamboyant of the wines in this range, but not necessarily the most complex. Part of that is attributable to the very high average quality across the board in this lineup.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Bear Point Vineyard is wonderfully fresh and energetic. Mocha, lavender, mint and savory herbs give the wine striking aromatic intensity that complements the inky, blue-toned fruit. Understated, elegant and polished, the 2015 is simply on point.

Stonestreet's 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Rockfall Vineyard is dense, powerful and creamy, with more than enough depth to fill out its frame. Inky red and blue stone fruit, leather, lavender, licorice and smoke are some of the signatures. Above all else, though, the Rockfall stands out for its textural richness and resonance.