Vérité: The Truth of Sonoma Very balanced mix of red and blue fruits with a fresh acidity and moderate alcohol. Some black olive, mushroom and graphite minerality.

20/20 points

Seillan's version of a Bordeaux Blend-Cabernet Franc and Merlot-is what he calls a micro cru, made from select vines in three different Sonoma vineyards. Seillan has created a profound wine with deeply woven notes of blackberry liqueur, smoke and cassis.

Medium to dark ruby in color, this wine has a surprisingly Old World nose of earth, graphite, and the unmistakable scent of green bell pepper, which manages to hover well below the range of objectionable. In the mouth that greenness manifests as a hint of green wood studded in a matrix of bright cherry fruit dusted with fine tannins. Beautiful texture and a long finish make for lingering pleasure on the palate. 49% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Franc, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, with a splash (0.1%) of Malbec.

Merlot plus an almost equal portion of Cabernet Franc with a little Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec in this blend. show generous concentrated dark fruit, spice, coffee/caramel/mocha undertones with hints of damp earth and tar. It has a warm dusty plum, cassis and spice palate, and very fine-grained but big, defined tannins that will be even more approachable with time.

Of the three wines produced by Pierre Seillan for Vérité, Le Désire blended with a large percentage of Cabernet Franc in the St.-Émilion style - remains the most seductive. Its luxurious black fruit enfolds complex essences of espresso, licorice, smoke, cinnamon, clove, and sandalwood.

Dark ruby in color, this wine has a brawny nose of pipe tobacco, cola, and incense. In the mouth it reminds me of an operatic baritone -- rich, clear and resonant with flavors of cherry, tobacco, cola, and beautiful cedar notes that merge with the drying, powdery tannins. Hot damn I wrote in my notebook, this is definitely the best Bordeaux blend I've ever had from Sonoma County. And all the while the finish kept going and going and going. 86% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec.

Verite is french for the word truth. La Muse--French vigneron Pierre Seillan's seventh vintage--is Merlot-based, with small amounts of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec; aged 16 months in 100% new oak. Aromas of violet, sweet berry, red fruit, pencil lead and iron hints; huge dry tannic grip is offset almost enough with lifted blackberry bramble and cherry. Verite is the flagship red of Jess Jackson's Jackson Family Farms, which uses only prime hillside fruit, experimenting with terroir, distinctive rootstocks and clones; to create blends modeled after the Bordelais.

In 1997, French winemaker Pierre Seillan was recruited by Kendall Jackson owner Jess Jackson to create a Bordeaux-style wine from vineyards in Sonoma's Alexander Valley. From the first vintage, 1998-a difficult one in California-the wine created a stir, displaying pronounced structure, refined texture, and elegant fruit. There are three blends in the portfolio: La Joie, which emphasizes Cabernet Sauvignon; La Muse, which is blended in a Pomerol style; and Le Desir, a Cabernet Franc-based wine in the Saint Emilion style.

In a sultry Saint-Émilion style, this Cabernet Franc-based wine from Sonoma resonates with boysenberry, chocolate and loamy earth. Definitely the ideal accompaniment to tenderloin of beef.

Essentially a Merlot cut with Cabernet Franc, this dark wine blends blackberry, perfumed rose, and fresh-brewed coffee.

Vérité: The Truth of Sonoma Still powerful and potent after 18 years in the bottle. Some heat from the alcohol is immediately present on the nose. Tart red and blue fruits, freshness of acidity, lavender, graphite, savory herbs, charred meats.

Fewer than 2000 cases of this excellent wine are produced annually by Pierre Seillan. It is tipped to become the next Harlan or Bryant Family, both of which retail at more than $300 per bottle. This costs just $95 a bottle or $1140 a case and should last 20-30 years.

Vérité: The Truth of Sonoma This wine is very beautiful, long and silky while very refreshing and alive. Drinking impeccably after three hours of decant. Tart cherry, roses, tobacco, savory herbs, thyme and rosemary. Pure perfection.

Un nez classique, avec du cassis et des notes minérales qu'égayent le thym, des notes mentholées. La bouche est très médocaine: architecture stricte, bon équilibre entre chair et vivacité, finale expressive et longue. Un vin réussi dans un millésime difficile. (Classic aromas of black currant and mineral notes, with lively notes of thyme and mint. The mouthfeel is Medoc like, well structured, good balance between texture and acidity, all with a long finish. A well made wine in spite of the vintage.)

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.

Black cherry, smoke, toast. More tannic feel than their Muse cuvée, but the same smoked finish. Should age well, hopefully with emergent complexity to counter the oak dominance. 17.5/20

Vegy and fresh. Not at all heavy or sweet. A bit tarry in fact. Dry finish. Very different from most. Racy. Sinewy. Possibly too much so. 16.5/20

Fresh on the nose, pungent, red fruit, smoke, soot, cherry, kirsch, fine, tight tannins, very sappy, honest, a note of wet earth, truffle, resin, very long, elegant and balanced.

Escape to Sonoma County Blackberry, cassis, cedar, and forest floor cascade along a granite backbone of fine-grained regal tannins reaching a sustained long velvet finish. This is a Napa Cabernet lovers’ dream.

19.5/20 points

Winemaker Pierre Seillan spent decades in Armagnac, the Loire Valley, and Bordeaux before coming to Sonoma with the goal of making red wines as fine as any on Earth. The Cabernet Sauvignon-based La Joie shows the influence of Pauillac, displaying great power, richness, and elegance.

Generously oaked and voluptuous, with supple tannins and rich blackcurrant and blackberry flavours, with a crack of black pepper. Opulent, yet with a refreshing close.

Evolved, bright, dark crimson. The first bottle had rather a stewed nose but the second bottle was much more impressive. Fresh, sweet, sappy with some complex maturity. Some tannin and dried herbs on the end. 17/20