Aromatic, classic Pinot Noir aromas of ripe black cherry and fresh violet petals are clean and warmly inviting. In the mouth this is full, round and plummy with dark fruit notes of black cherry and black currant, an earthy streak running through to the finish where a tart bit of acidity paired with oak spice trails off into warmth.

Wines of the Week WillaKenzie Estate is named for the sedimentary soil on which the estate is planted, soil which in turn is a named as a tribute to the Willamette and McKenzie Rivers of western Oregon. The winery is a popular tourist stop for wine lovers keen to enjoy fine Pinot Noir, a picnic or even a game of Pétanque! The Gisele Pinot Noir bursts with red fruits and spice, perfectly balanced on the palate to accompany cuisine of all types.

Here’s a low-ball price from another lovely Pinot from the Willamette Valley. Ruby red and purple with a juicy raspberry flavor. Should even get better with some age. Pairs great with salmon and roasted poultry.

The wine showed a medium ruby color with garnet hues. Cherry, raspberry, vanilla, cranberry, oak and whiffs of tobacco leaf all arrived on the nose with a smoky, vegetal edge. Cherry, raspberry, cranberry, currant, oak, vanilla, smoke and hints of tobacco followed on the palate. The wine exhibited great structure and good length, along with well-integrated tannins. This wine would pair well with grilled filet of salmon.

WillaKenzie's Oregon wines are all about the soils, which were named for Oregon's two major rivers, the Willamette and McKenzie. Each of the estate's seven vineyards has a different terroir based on the soil type, climate, elevation and other factors. Grape clone selections also play a role in the wine's flavor, and the varying pinot noir clones, many derived from Burgundian strains, were developed to prevent disease and promote earlier ripening and smaller berries. Fruit for this wine was sourced from Yamhill-Carlton and Dundee Hills. Following harvest, the grapes went through cold-soak maceration, fermented for 20 days in stainless steel tanks and matured in French oak barrels. In the glass, the wine offers aromas of cherry and hints of vanilla and baking spices. On the palate, taste black raspberry, cranberry, earth notes and silky tannins.

2000 Verité ''Le Désir,'' Sonoma County (cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, merlot): cedar aromas; flavors of black cherries and black coffee; medium body; complex; shifting flavors; hugely rich; $150.

Le nez est épicé, avec de la réglisse, du fruit noir. La bouche a du volume, une bonne concentration et des tannins arrondis … Finit poivré sur des notes fumées. (Spicy aromas with licorice & black berry notes. The mouth shows great volume and concentration with soft round tannins. Spice and smoke on the finish.)

Scores Aren’t Everything & Best of 2018: Lisa Perrotti-Brown Northern California in 2018 It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. My tastings of new releases out of Northern California this year were a tale of two vintages—one of the easiest and most effortless, followed by one of the most extreme and dramatic vintages in the region’s history: 2016 & 2017. Best of Sonoma (Reds) 2016 Verité La Muse – 100 The 2016 La Muse comes strutting out of the glass with flamboyant crème de cassis, ripe plums and black cherries notes followed by nuances of aniseed, chocolate box, wild thyme, violets and chargrill plus a fragrant suggestion of potpourri. Full-bodied, rich and concentrated, the densely packed, perfumed black fruit layers are beautifully framed by perfectly ripe, finely grained tannins and fantastically knit freshness. It finishes long with the most incredible display of mineral sparks.

The Frenchman's Daughter Hélène Seillan Brings a Unique Perspective to New Blends The current release of Vérité is 2015. On the nose, La Muse exudes a delicate floral quality with a complex earthiness beneath; flavors of plump cherries and red berries are edged with spiciness and delivered with soft tannins. La Joie is perfumed, complex, and rich, but elegantly balanced; black fruit is wrapped in aromatic herbs and underlined with a stoniness emphasized by firm tannins. There’s a purity expressed by Le Désir—bright red fruit stands out against smoke and spice, with high-toned notes of violets over a long, silky finish.

The Frenchman's Daughter Hélène Seillan Brings a Unique Perspective to New Blends The current release of Vérité is 2015. On the nose, La Muse exudes a delicate floral quality with a complex earthiness beneath; flavors of plump cherries and red berries are edged with spiciness and delivered with soft tannins. La Joie is perfumed, complex, and rich, but elegantly balanced; black fruit is wrapped in aromatic herbs and underlined with a stoniness emphasized by firm tannins. There’s a purity expressed by Le Désir—bright red fruit stands out against smoke and spice, with high-toned notes of violets over a long, silky finish.

A Veritable Treat These wines, however, are not in the Screaming Eagle mold. Jackson’s original “vision and concept” was for a Merlot as good as Petrus, but while showing his Merlot blend to Jackson, Seillan also produced a Cabernet Sauvignon blend, and now there are three wines: La Muse, which is Merlot with, in 2014, 10% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec; La Joie, 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot in 2014; and Le Désir, 61% Cabernet Franc, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Malbec in 2014. A crucial point is that Seillan eschews acidification, and so the wines have intrinsically better balance as well as a sense of coolness. Alcohol levels are around 14.5%, and about 1,000 to 1,500 cases of each are made each year and sold through the Bordeaux Place, so any wine merchant with connections there should be able to source the wines.

Thick, rich, intense fruit with smoky overlay from toasted oak and very chewy tannin. Very powerful core fruit, yet slightly lighter body than their Joie and Muse cuvées. 17/20

A Veritable Treat These wines, however, are not in the Screaming Eagle mold. Jackson’s original “vision and concept” was for a Merlot as good as Petrus, but while showing his Merlot blend to Jackson, Seillan also produced a Cabernet Sauvignon blend, and now there are three wines: La Muse, which is Merlot with, in 2014, 10% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec; La Joie, 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot in 2014; and Le Désir, 61% Cabernet Franc, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Malbec in 2014. A crucial point is that Seillan eschews acidification, and so the wines have intrinsically better balance as well as a sense of coolness. Alcohol levels are around 14.5%, and about 1,000 to 1,500 cases of each are made each year and sold through the Bordeaux Place, so any wine merchant with connections there should be able to source the wines.

Strong toasty oak on the nose, dense and layered black fruit on the palate. The toasted, burnt spice aroma from oak dominates the palate, but there is delicious fruit succulence too. 17/20

Very fine and floral on the nose, pungent, pure fruit, juicy, licorice root, velvety, fine, elegant tannins, long on the palate, sweet spices, persistent.

What to Drink Now: Cabernet Franc In Sonoma, Tuscany and Bordeaux, celebrated winemaker Pierre Seillan reveals the beauty and structure of the grape while allowing each individual micro-climate to shine...The ultra-premium Verite Le Desir ($400) reveals structure and concentration with dried blueberry, cherry, and toasted spice with a tannic backbone making this a wine that can be enjoyed now after a bit of decanting or held for years.

Escape to Sonoma County This is an ethereal Cabernet Franc with concentrated notes of red fruit, violet, exotic spice, and a savory spine of earthy tobacco running through it. The plush finish goes on and on.

8 Wines to Try Before You Die The late Jess Jackson brought Bordeaux Winemaker Pierre Seillan to Sonoma to produce the Vérité wines and there are three, each priced at $400 a bottle. La Muse is predominately Merlot and the 2013 vintage of the wine earned a perfect 100 points from influential critic Robert M. Parker Jr. It’s broadly flavored and beautifully layered, with lavish oak spice adding to the precise balance and texture.

The Merlot dominates, black fruit, blond oak, great respect for the fruit, a smooth bitter note, tight velvety tannins, very sappy, licorice root, very balanced, deep, well rounded, fresh.

Escape to Sonoma County With dense flavors of plum, black pepper, and mint, this Merlot-driven wine offers layered complexity, firm structure, and an energetic full body.

19.5/20 points

19/20 points

Vérité: The Truth of Sonoma Wonderful, vibrant core of almost electrified and candied blue fruit framed by savory herbs, truffles and black tar.

This Dark Lady - elegantly draped in deep folds of blackberry, licorice, and espresso - is faintly perfumed with seductive hints of clove, lavender, and vanilla. A breathtaking blend of 50 percent Cabernet Franc, 40 percent Merlot and 10 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2010 vintage provides a silky accompaniment to a tender veal Marsala.

Vérité: The Truth of Sonoma Big and muscular wine with a velvet frame. Dark fruit is accented by intense minerals, charcoal and roasted game.