Herbal, dusty and oaky on the nose, this wine is sourced from such impressive vineyard sites as Bosche Vineyard and Wood Ranch, and employs small amounts of Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Black currant, dark cherry and clove flavors dominate in this classic, medium-bodied wine with firm tannin and bright acidity.

An aspiring wine that has a big lick of oak spice at the start, which bubbles over into caramelized green apples and figs and a flash of boot polish. The palate is a touch hot, but there is a real marzipan and butter complexity.

Winemaker Jonathan Nagy’s new program includes sourcing from iconic sites around Santa Barbara County, like this vineyard high above the Santa Ynez River. The wine’s deep mulberry aromas meet with hickory smoke and miso-like umami notes on the nose. Cranberry fruit shows on the palate, with nori and roasted pork accents.

Dark ruby color; smooth, lush and herbal - Dick Arrowood's velvety style (although he's no longer at his namesake winery) - with loads of polish for the modest price.

There is a pretty array of spice elements adding breadth to the mostly red pinot fruit aromas that are laced with sandalwood and floral elements. I very much like the palate feel of the beguilingly textured flavors thanks to the solid amount of sappy dry extract that pushes the supporting tannins to the background on the lingering finish. I could basically say the same thing here that I observed about the Gary’s, e.g. that there are touches of backend dustiness and warmth but both are nits rather than outright concerns.

Dusty plum flavors meet baked bread aromas in this tightly-wound, tense vineyard-designated wine. It’s marked by an undercurrent of pomegranate and rhubarb, the texture taking on more savory tones of forest and black tea as it finishes.

This too displays a strong menthol character on the layered array of dark berry fruit aromas that is sufficiently prominent that it may not appeal to everyone. There is fine concentration and vibrancy to the opulently rich and plush flavors that also exhibit soft hints of warmth and dryness. I like the excellent depth that ultimately makes this work even though the balance isn’t quite perfect.

Hints of smoke and incense sit atop the pretty plum, dark cherry and violet scents. There is good richness to the solidly well-concentrated medium-bodied flavors that possess a caressing mouth feel, all wrapped in a dusty, sappy and delicious finish.

A waft of freshly baked baguette unfurls on the nose of this wine, followed by sautéed mushroom scents, giving it earthy character. Soft and round on the palate, the fruit tends toward darker, lusher notes of blueberry and plum.

This wine is bright and crisp in strawberry and red licorice flavors, with a depth of juicy plum that adds softness and velvety texture. Tawdry earth complements the exuberant fruit.

This wine has a pretty honeysuckle aroma that invites from beginning to end, its silky texture met with moderate acidity along the way. Medium-bodied and creamy, it offers additional layers of white peach and almond.

A completely different aromatic profile is present here with its much more deeply pitched notes of plum, black currant and sandalwood. There is both good volume and punch to the delicious and rounded medium weight flavors that possess a dusty finish that displays a touch of asperity but not overt dryness.

Cool and pure aromas of essence of red raspberry, cherry and currant lead to supple, round and appealingly vibrant medium weight flavors that possess a better sense of balance because while the finish is dusty, it stops short of dryness. This is not however as complex as it usually is though perhaps with a few years of bottle age more will develop and my rating offers the benefit of the doubt in this regard.

Notes of purple fruit and wisps of green tea introduce supple, round and relatively seductively textured medium-bodied flavors that coat the palate with dry extract, all wrapped in a lingering finish that also displays some dustiness but not really dryness. There is a touch of warmth but overall, and despite the few nits that I cite, this manages to work.

Notes of crushed mint leaf, plum, pomegranate and smoke introduce rounded, supple and velvet-textured flavors that also coat the mouth with dry extract on the ever-so-slightly edgy and warm finish. On the plus side there is fine complexity that helps to boost the overall impression.

Chunky rubbery aromas of black plum form the first act. This feels big and wide, with grabby tannins. Flavors of toast, burnt oak, licorice and blackberry finish woody and with scratchy tannins.

Matured in used French barriques, this nevertheless shows touches of toast and cedar alongside tart, fruit notes of cranberry and raspberry. It’s full bodied and richly tannic, with crisp acids that accentuate the tannins on the finish.

An attractively perfumed and spicy red berry fruit nose serves as a relatively elegant introduction to the round, rich and caressing medium weight flavors that possess good level of dry extract on the dusty and ever-so-mildly austere finale. This will need a year or two to better harmonize as there is a slight edge to the finish.

Minty oaky aromas of baking spices share space on the nose with earthy black plum and berry notes. This feels tannic and resiny while the oaky spicy berry flavors finish with force and drying tannins.

Berry, raw oak and graphite aromas lead to a rock-hard drying palate with fierce tannins. This tastes of oaky salty plum and berry, while a woody finish is overtly tannic and borderline abrasive.

This too offers up a lovely array of spice elements to the more deeply pitched aromas of plum and a whisper of earth. Here too there is an appealing mouth feel to the delicious, round and punchy medium-bodied flavors that possess slightly better mid-palate concentration on the robust and mildly rustic and warm finale that also displays just a hint of edginess.

A pretty nose blends together notes of briar and dark cherry with those of plum and violet. The supple, round and vibrant middle weight flavors possess reasonably good depth and while there is a hint of dryness on the clean and focused finish, it’s not really enough to cut it short.

The 2014 La Joie exudes freshness, energy and intensity. Black cherry, plum, licorice, lavender espresso and expressive spiced notes are all beautifully delineated in the glass. Raspberry jam, wild flowers, mint and gently spiced notes are laced into the super-expressive, silky finish. A final kick of Cabernet Sauvignon intensity adds lift in the 2014 La Joie, Vérité's Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend.

The 2014 Le Désir is the most inward of these 2014s from Vérité. Dark raspberry jam, wild flowers, spice, pencil shavings, mocha, lavender and licorice infuse this deep, powerful, structured Cabernet Franc-based blend. The interplay of dense, sumptuous fruit and aromatic freshness makes for an absolutely compelling wine.

The 2015 Le Désir brings together striking aromatic lift from the Cabernet Franc with the dark, sumptuous fruit of the year. Chocolate, mocha, plum, licorice, crème de cassis and pencil shavings add striking aromatic nuance. This is a dazzling wine from the Seillan family.