Well, you know, I’m on record as saying I don’t have much fun with Viognier, but every now and then a good one crops up. Some chicken stock, fresh apricot, vanilla and florals with a good bit of spice which also manifests itself as a subtle ginger beer character – and I am partial to a bit of ginger beer, I must say. It’s bright, light and energetic with a lightly chalky texture and particularly fine acidity. Has length too. Pretty much spot on. None of your fat-grandma-style here, thanks very much.

I remember tasting components of this wine in barrel with Peter Fraser a few months ago. It's great to now see all elements coming together as they dance across the mouth. Fraser doesn't make bad wine - this is a beauty. In essence, it's a 'heat resilient' blend with white varieties sourced in Chateauneuf-du-Pape and grown on newly planted cuttings on Yangarra's single vineyard Estate in McLaren Vale. I spent some time in the vineyard and winery talking to Fraser at the time - much work has been spent rethinking how the vineyard is being managed and maintained to ensure fruit quality. Made in a 'back to basics' style in mind, the fruit was hand-picked and whole bunch pressed. When I say fruit I mean Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Roussanne, Picpoul and Bourboulenc (35/30/20/10/5). All varieties were fermented together in 675L ceramic eggs, except the Roussanne as it was picked twelve days earlier. No sulphur or additions. Deliciously moreish, I'm thinking long tables and the lunch bell ringing. This oozes food appeal. It's textural with layers of interest and great width through the mouth. A toasted nuttiness is carried on the back of the fruit, lingering long. Savoury characters are the hero of the day, but the energy the wine exudes makes it irresistible. Yellow flowers, a sly showing of musk, super delicate honey tones before elegant stonefruits and pear lay patiently in the background before rearing their head. Super soft spices kick in on a finger licking finish - a class act. Drink now to three years.

Biggest Australian Wine Tasting Ever: 2,700+ Ratings A beautiful South of France-style white with freshly squeezed lemon juice, thyme, sea salt, apple curd, apricots and a touch of dried honeysuckle and vanilla. So driven and minerally on the palate, it draws a fine line between oiliness and vitality, but hits the nail right on the head. Medium-bodied and very vibrant. A blend of 35% grenache blanc, 30% clairette, 20% roussanne, 10% picpoul and 5% bourboulenc. Drink now. Screw cap.

Smooth and ripe with deep color and rich black cherry fruit; racy and tangy with a long, fresh finish.

The 2015 WillaKenzie Estate Kiana gives the impression of purple-ness. Its nose is reserved at the moment, though it offers promise with fruit punch aromas, uncured bacon and molasses. The tannin is fine grained and refined, the acid juicy and the overall weight modest. The flavors a bit more alive than the nose at this stage, with raspberry, boysenberry and pomegranate driving a profile supported by tobacco leaf and tar. Coming together nicely, I think it’ll continue to develop positively over the next five to ten years. 93 points, value: A.

Bright ruby. Roasted, medicinal aromas of currant, espresso, bitter chocolate and minerals. Thick, fat and sweet, with compelling opulence for a cabernet-dominated wine (this is Seillan's Pauillac blend) and an almost exotic berry flavor. Finishes with sweeter tannins than the 2001 Muse, perhaps a testament to the superiority of high-quailty cabernet sauvignon.

Vintage Retrospective: The 1999 Napa Valley Cabernets Good dark red, not hugely lucid. Wonderfully energetic aromas and flavors of redcurrant, plum, cedar and tobacco, plus a whiff of leather. At once plush and vinous, seamless and energetic, in the mold of an old-style Pomerol. There's nothing overdone about this Merlot-based blend. Finishes with a fine dusting of tannins and mounting sweetness. A point.

The Surprise of 2015 in Napa and Other California Wine Reviewed This is a tannic and rich red that is tightly wound and very muscular. Full-bodied, very intense and powerful. Needs time to show its full self. Try in 2021.

The 2011 Le Desir brings together the aromatics and red-toned fruit of La Muse, but with the slightly greater mid-palate volume of La Joie. Cedar, tobacco, smoke and crushed flowers add an attractive upper register to this soft, forward Cabernet Franc-based red.

A blend of 50% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon that came in at 14.1% alcohol, the 2010 Le Desir is soft and rich. As Pierre Seillan said, the huge heat wave at the end of September seems to have made the 2010 Verite wines more approachable and front end-loaded than usual. This effort displays lots of black currant and black cherry fruit along with hints of asphalt, incense and licorice. The tannins are ripe and well-integrated, and the wine is round, full-bodied and generous. It should drink well for 15-20 years.

Another big red is the 2009 Le Desir, a blend of 74% Cabernet Franc, 13% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Malbec. The densest, most tannic, and most forbiddingly backward of the 2009s, it exhibits an inky/purple color along with copious aromas of graphite, spring flowers, blackberries and blueberries as well as a crushed liqueur of chalk-like character, and a huge, multilayered and multi-dimensional finish that lasts nearly 50 seconds. It requires 4-5 more years in the cellar, and should keep for three decades. If you have not yet experienced the wines of Verite, they are true connoisseurs’ efforts that should be purchased by those with cold cellars and long lifelines.

A pinch of hard tannins gives this bone-dry young wine an astringent toughness. It shows very fine, concentrated black-cherry, cocoa and crème de cassis flavors. Aging in almost 100% new French oak adds notes of toast that the fruit easily tolerates. Nearly all Merlot, it’s a wine of considerable volume, but nowhere near ready to drink. Give it at least six years in a proper cellar, and it could be one of the rare Merlot-based California wines capable of extended aging.

Bright red-ruby. Inviting nose offers cherry, raspberry and chocolate truffle. Explosive on the front half, with sexy spices lifting and intensifying the redcurrant fruit. Today the wine's tannins give the finish a slightly dry quality but the intensity and subtle persistence of this wine suggest that it simply needs time. Pierre Seillan typically does a pre-fermentation cold soak lasting four or five days, then about eight days of fermentation and no post-fermentation maceration. The malolactic fermentation takes place in barrels of various toast levels and from numerous French forests.

Bright ruby-red. Very ripe aromas of blackcurrant, black raspberry, coffee and graphite. Big, rich, minerally and classically dry, with a firm edge of acidity giving it uncommon spine for a wine with nearly 90% merlot. This exploded with minerality as it opened in the glass. Finishes rich, deep and long, with some new oak showing.

The 2006 La Muse (86% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Malbec; 900 cases produced) displays the structure, austerity, and tannic framework of a top Bordeaux. Even though it is dominated by California-grown Merlot, it is not an up-front, forward, seductive effort. It exhibits notes of underbrush, earth, cedar, black cherries, and espresso roast in a medium to full-bodied, tannic, concentrated, extracted style. It requires 3-4 years of bottle age, and should evolve for 25+ years. 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

Rank Number 28 - 93 Points

2004 VERITE LA MUSE The inky/ruby/plum/purple-tinged 2004 La Muse, primarily Merlot with a bit of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon from Bennett Valley, Alexander Valley, and Knight's Valley, is meant to be a Pomerol-styled effort. Notions of Mocha, sweet espresso roast, plum, anise, and black cherries jump from the glass of this aromatic 2004. Abundant spice, subtle notes of French oak, and a full-bodied, fleshy personality result in an enjoyable as well as accessible wine to drink over the next 12-15+ years.

Plum jam, spicy, licorice, savoury, meaty, saddle leather, peppery, vanilla, black olive aromas. Round, supple, full, long palate with good acidity and some gritty, youthful tannins. Coffee, chocolate, spicy, clove, Christmas cake, orange, black cherry, plum, carrot and licorice flavours with a touch of green olive and tobacco leaf on the finish. Great concentration and ripeness with length if abit warm. Needs 3-7 years to fully integrate but very fine.

Full ruby-red. Deep aromas of currant, mocha, chocolate, iron, tobacco and dried herbs, with a liqueur-like nuance. Round, vinous and rich, with highly concentrated flavors of currant, leather and chocolate. There's a silkiness to the texture and a candied note to the wine's fruit, but this powerfully structured merlot-based wine's building tannins and uncompromising dryness will require at least four or five years of cellaring.

An elegant, sweet nose of espresso roast, chocolate, berries, kirsch, smoke, incense, and roasted meats is followed by a full-bodied, unctuously-textured wine with superb fruit, richness, complexity, and length. Its sweet tannin and heady personality suggest current accessibility as well as the ability to age for 15-20 years.

This attractive blend of 53% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Malbec is round, fruity, soft, fleshy, medium to full-bodied and seemingly fully mature. Enjoy it over the next decade. It is the most evolved and least concentrated of Verite's 2002s.

The Surprise of 2015 in Napa and Other California Wine Reviewed Black truffles, dried meat and dark fruits on the nose. Full body with flavors of meat, coffee and foie gras. Slightly chewy tannins. Holding on beautifully. Drink now.

Lush and delicious, this richly fruited wine roars from glass with a serious, yet still sexy plum, chocolate, spice and cedar nose. Plush tannins and an even mouthfeel full cherry, plum and cocoa flavors, and this impressive first release finishes long and dry. Appealing now, but has tannins to lose. Should be even better in two years. Hold until 2008.

Cabernet Sauvignon takes center stage in the 2011 La Joie. Dark red cherry, plum, smoke, mint, licorice, savory herbs and violets are all laced together nicely. The 2011 possesses lovely mid-palate sweetness in the soft, restrained style of the year. Here, too, the flavor profile is distinctly Old World leaning.