USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages A barrel sample, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard gives up a gregarious nose of crushed black and red currants, warm plums and charcuterie with touches of truffes, dried herbs and black soil. The palate is medium to full-bodied, firm and chewy with loads of expressive black fruit and savory layers, finishing on a mineral note.

We will not see the 2013s for a number of years, but the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) looks to be spectacular. It may be the finest Anakota Cabernet Sauvignon yet made by Pierre Seillan. Gorgeous levels of blueberry and blackberry fruit, graphite, wet rocks, a certain freshness and focus, enormous fruit extract, and full body suggest a wine that should last for three decades or more.

Awesome, boasts a saturated purple color as well as aromas of blackberry liqueur, cogar tobacco, chololate, licorice, minerals, and cocoa. The knock-out aromatics are followed by a compellingly concentrated, layered wine of exceptional harmony, purity, and richness. Purchasers are in for a religious drinking experience, send in the angels! Anticipated maturity: 2006-2025.

Its saturated purple color is accompanied by an extraordinary perfume of smoke, roasted meats, blackberry and crème de cassis liqueur, super richness, a viscous texture, and amazing length (the finish lasts nearly a minute). Pure, sweet, and bull-bodied, this blockbuster will be at its finest between 2006-2025.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages A barrel sample blended of 88% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec, the 2017 La Muse is very deep purple-black colored and reveals a compelling nose of warm plums, crushed cherries and mulberries with hints of rose hip tea, tobacco and tilled soil. The palate is medium to full-bodied, firm and chewy with a lively line supporting the taut, muscular fruit, finishing long.

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

Saturated bright ruby-red. Cassis, blueberry and exotic tropical chocolate on the nose. Dense, sweet and extremely primary, with outstanding depth to the dark fruit, mineral and chocolate flavors. Wonderfully silky for such a young and fresh wine. The resounding, perfumed finish features perfectly distributed tannins and superb length. I'd love to show this merlot-based blend to some producers in Pomerol.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May/Jun 07 (88% merlot, 10% cabernet franc and 2% malbec) Deep red-ruby. Vinous aromas of black cherry, licorice and minerals, lifted by pungent medicinal high tones. Silky on entry, then impressively dense in the middle, with a deeply mineral character to the pure flavors of black fruits, violet, bitter chocolate and spice. Tannins are substantial but fine, and the wine's structure and freshness promise a long and slow evolution in bottle. 94-97 points

Deep ruby to the rim. Aromas of blackberry, violet, bitter chocolate and licorice. Huge, broad and silky, with a wonderfully suave texture. Flavors of dark berries, chocolate and mocha. As fat as this is, it's also quite lively. Finishes with uncanny breadth, horizontal tannins and outstanding plalate-staining persistence.

The 2016 La Joie is decidedly heavy on the Cabernet Sauvignon, which comes through loud and clear in this super-expressive wine. Nuanced, powerful and deep, with tons of richness, the 2016 is shaping up to be a very complete wine. The aromatic intensity here is superb. I can't wait to see where it goes in coming years. Graphite, smoke, crème de cassis, dark spices and lavender build into the super-expressive finish.

Dark red stone fruit, blueberry jam, mocha, leather and cedar make a strong first impression in the 2015 La Joie. Powerful, voluptuous and also quite structured, the 2015 is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine.

An opulent, totally enveloping wine, the 2013 La Joie races across the palate with remarkable depth, power and intensity. Inky blue and purplish fruit, smoke, tobacco, licorice and cloves open up as this dramatic, full-throttle Cabernet Sauvignon-based red shows off its considerable personality. Huge tannins lurk in the background but they are nearly covered by the sheer opulence of the fruit. A wine of considerable verticality and structure, the 2013 is going to require quite a bit of patience.

Good full ruby. Medicinal cassis, licorice, minerals and graphite on the nose; I would have placed this in St. Julien or Pauillac. Then large-scaled and sweet but with terrific grip and sappiness for a wine so plush. A real fruit bomb today, with outstanding depth and concentration of black cherry and dark berry flavors. Finishes with noble tannins and terrific peppery lift. As I tasted this wine, it crossed my mind once again that Pierre Seillan's top efforts under the Verite label are as good as just about any of California's cult wines-at about half the price.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May/Jun 07 (67% cabernet sauvignon, 12% each cabernet franc and merlot, 7% petit verdot and 2% malbec) Good saturated, full ruby. Musky, perfumed aromas of black fruits, violet, licorice and minerals. Thicker on entry than the Muse but solid as a rock, boasting superb ripeness and a chewy texture. A wonderfully ripe, sweet wine with uncanny aromatic persistence. The tannins are buried in fruits and minerals. This is 14.9% alcohol, the highest of the 2004 and 2005 Verite wines, the rest of which are between 14.3% and 14.6%. 94-97 points

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard reveals more chocolate and coffee notes. Slightly leaner than the Helena Montana, but also profoundly concentrated, it is a more elegant, feminine version of its sibling. It should age for 20-25 years.

A barrel sample, the 2016 Hartford Court Chardonnay Three Jacks Vineyard opens with savory cashew, yeast extract and brioche notes with a core of warm pears, green guava and apricots with a touch of allspice. Medium to full-bodied, the palate gives knockout savory and stone fruit layers with great freshness, finishing on a lingering toasty note.

Great dark, cherry, a touch of vanilla, and a hint of pine. On the palate, this is a legitimate whoa: fruit? Check. Depth? Intrigue? Check. Check. Whoa. Outstanding.

Rich and loaded with fruit. Strawberry and eucalyptus. Fantastic wine. Whoa. Outstanding.

We opened this on the same night as the 2007 Siduri Amber Ridge, and while the Siduri was incredible, this topped it. Slightly. Whoa. So this is not a subtle Pinot. This falls more into the “balls to the walls” style of Pinot. More than ample fruit, great depth. Whoa, and a holy cow. Fantastic.

As for the 2015s, one can anticipate that these are going to be big, blackberry and blueberry-laced wines, opaque in color, with loads of glycerin. The Helena Dakota will probably inch out the Helena Montana in terms of concentration, length and intensity by a slight degree, but both are mid-90-point wines that should have early drinkability windows because of their sucrosity and supple, sweet tannins, yet be capable of lasting 25-30 or more years. This is an up-and-coming star.

Exhibits huge body and massive concentration as well as a floral, blueberry, blackberry, cassis, creosote, and scorched earth-scented and flavored personality.

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.

Verite's 2010 Le Desir is the richest and most powerful of these wines. Cedar, tobacco, mocha and sweet spices all blossom in the glass. Blackberry jam, cassis, smoke, licorice and grilled herbs open up over time. Firm, structured and huge on the palate, the Desir is the most intense and opulent of the 2010s. It is likely to require the most time to come around. The blend is 50% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025.

A warm, redolent bouquet laced with Cabernet Franc infused notes of mocha, espresso and grilled herbs melds into layers of dark fruit as the 2010 La Muse opens up in the glass. The opulence of the Merlot comes through on the mid-palate as the wine literally explodes with a melange of blue/black fruits, graphite, melted road tar and asphalt. Over the last year, the 2010 has gained juiciness, but it is also less explosive than it was when I last tasted it. Then again, the wine has been in steel for about seven months, so that is understandable. Suave tannins round out the polished finish. In 2010 La Muse is 84% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. Seillan wasn't happy with the Malbec, so he dropped those components from the final blend. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025.

Another outstanding wine in the making is the 2007 Le Desir. Its spicy perfume exhibits notes of roasted herbs, sweet black cherries and black currants, scorched earth, licorice, and toasty oak. Exceptionally concentrated and full-bodied but backward, it displays superb aging potential. As always, these are individualistic reds that should only be purchased by those with serious patience and cold cellars as they are not meant for near-term gratification. (Not yet released) With Bordeaux winemaker Pierre Seillan in charge, owner Jess Jackson has clearly positioned Verite as one of the two or three flagship wines in his impressive empire. These cuvees represent California versions of Bordeaux appellations, with the Merlot-dominated La Muse very Pomerol-like, the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated La Joie a hypothetical California version of a Medoc, and the St.-Emilion look-alike, the Merlot and Cabernet Franc blend, Le Desir. These wines are fashioned from the finest Sonoma vineyard sites owned by Jackson, and are meant for long-term aging. In 2007, the Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot) grown in California’s North Coast exhibit sweet tannins as well as superb fragrance and purity. Yet, Verite’s wines are among the more structured, dense, and powerfully backward of the vintage.