Verite La Muse 2012 / 750 ml.

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Item#: 42280
The 2012 La Muse, which is 85% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec, is a smaller cuvée of 1,840 cases. The wine has plenty of spice box, cedar wood, Christmas fruitcake and Asian plum sauce, along with black cherry and blackcurrant fruit. Ripe, round, full-bodied and opulent, this is a wine that can be drunk now or cellared for another three decades. Interestingly, the alcohol levels are not all that high in any of these wines, with most of them rarely exceeding 14.3%.
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.
The 2012 La Muse is plump, juicy and forward; in other words a very typical expression of this vintage. Now at nearly five years of age, the 2012 is beginning to develop pretty aromatic notes that add complexity and nuance. Sweet tobacco, licorice, raspberry jam, mint and anise are all pushed forward. With time in the glass, the 2012 turns delicate and more refined, but it also seems to be going through a bit of a lull today.
Mocha, chocolate, dark plums, smoke and cloves are some of the notes that inform the 2012 La Muse. Dark, sumptuous and impeccably balanced, the 2012 is super-impressive. The flavors are bold and intense, and while there is plenty of size and volume, the wine’s balance is simply impeccable. I imagine the 2012 will reward drinkers with a good 20 years or so of very fine drinking pleasure.
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Primary Grape: Merlot | All Grapes: 85% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec
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Critical Acclaim
RP97 97 pts. / Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate (29th Oct 2015)
ST94+ 94–97 pts. / Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar (May/Jun 2014)
VN94 94 pts. / Vinous (Feb 2016)
VN93+ 93–95 pts. / Vinous (Jan 2015)
Where It's From
Region / California
View more wines from California
Country / United States
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More Information
SKU | 42280 |
---|---|
Product Type | Wine |
Alternate Name | Vérité La Muse |
Country | United States |
Region | California |
District | Sonoma County |
Product Location - Location-Appellation | Sonoma County |
Package Size | 750 ml. |
Brand | Vérité |
Bottles per Case | 12 |
Vintage | 2012 |
Bin Location | 0 |
Can it be Shipped | Yes |
Premier Pick | No |
Wine Type | Table Wine |
Wine - Color | Red |
Grape(s) | 85% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec |
Primary Grape | Merlot |
Dollar Sale (Y/N) | No |
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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.
The 2015 Le Désir, Vérité’s Cabernet Franc-based red, is racy and sumptuous in the glass. Bright floral notes give lift to the red-toned fruit as this silky yet powerful wine shows off its alluring personality.
Primary Grape: Cabernet Franc
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The 2013 Le Desir represents 2,500 cases. This is the softest of the three wines in 2013, and this blend of 61% Cabernet Franc, 23% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec emerges with more than half of the cuvée coming from Hillsides in Alexander Valley, 37% from Chalk Hill and the rest tiny dollops from Bennett Valley and Knights Valley. Opaque purple, like its siblings, the wine is showing incredible floral, blueberry and espresso notes, exotic Asian spices, velvety texture, a supple, multilayered mouthfeel and incredible finish, with incense and licorice. This is magnificent young wine, with a good 40–50 years of upside potential. Pierre Seillan is justifiably proud of what he has achieved, and his first vintage of Vérité was only 1998, but they go from strength to strength.
The 2013 Le Désir is once again alluring. Le Désir is quite powerful and intense, but it also has fairly soft contours for the year. Dark cherry, plum, smoke, chocolate, mocha, licorice and cloves are all pushed forward. Energetic and explosive, the 2013 is going to need at least a few years in bottle to settle down, but it has plenty to offer. I tasted the 2013 from tank just prior to bottling.
Primary Grape: Cabernet Franc
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