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As Vérité is French for truth, Connaissance is French for knowledge, and the wines of Connaissance convey the message of the soils in the individual terroirs of our Vérité micro-crus. Each wine in this collection showcases a unique expression of aromas, flavors, and textures from the individual micro-crus that Vigneron Pierre Seillan and his daughter Hélène meticulously blend to create the three cuvées of Vérité. Pierre refers to this expression as the "right of the soil," and through the wines of Connaissance, the knowledge of each individual Vérité micro-cru is revealed.

 

2022 Vintage

Following two consecutive years of drought, the end of 2021 saw a return of abundant rain in our Sonoma County vineyards, raising hopes of an end to the ongoing dry spell. Nature would have different plans though, as the rains ended abruptly in early January, and did not return through the remainder of the winter. With the drought now persisting into a third year, careful measures were taken during pruning to ensure yields would be kept low in the coming season.

Ongoing drought aside, spring warmed up beautifully, delivering an even budbreak and flowering and fruit-set, conducive to good yields. The summer months that followed brought classic Sonoma County weather, with warm days offset by cold nighttime temperatures.

By early September, a defining weather event of the 2022 vintage began to take shape in the form of an extended and severe heat wave. To ensure a natural balance of acidity, sugar, and tannin in the fruit, our vineyard teams sprang into action, harvesting our Chalk Hill Merlot on September 5, and concluding just nine days later with the fruit from our cooler Bennett Valley micro-crus on September 13. The resulting wines are superbly balanced, with robust structure and layers of complexity. They will be very long-lived wines.
Pierre Seillan, Vigneron

 

The Philosopher
The Maverick
The Mountain King
The Doyen
The Witness

Allocations

Connaissance is produced in very limited quantities and is offered once a year.
For more information or to request an allocation, click below.

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The Doyen

2022 Merlot
Bennett Valley AVA
Taylor Peak Block 3
Elevation: 900ft
Year Platned: 1999
Soil Composition:  Heavy clay loam with gravel

Planted to rich clay and gravel soils on the southeastern facing slopes of Taylor Peak, Block 3 Merlot lies directly beneath the cold wind and fog flowing in from the Petaluma Gap. Shrouded in mist each morning, the ripening process in this vineyard begins only once the warmth of the sun has penetrated the chilly marine layer. This extraordinary terroir is well-suited to Merlot, yielding wines of structure, substance, and restraint, with astonishing balance. Appropriately named “The Doyen,” this wine is laced with flavors of sweet cranberry and boysenberry, countered by brilliant acidity, firm tannins, and subtle wet clay minerality.

The Maverick Grapes
The Maverick Vineyard
Photos by Suzanne Becker Bronk

The Witness

2022 Cabernet Franc
Bennett Valley AVA
Taylor Peak Block 54B
Elevation: 1,300ft
Year Planted: 2015
Soil Composition: Gravelly soils with fractured volcanic rock and small amounts of loam

"The Witness” is sourced from Block 54B which lies at the top of Taylor Peak, overlooking both Bennett Valley and the Santa Rosa Plain below. Planted to rocky, well drained soils, at an elevation that places this micro-cru directly within the marine layer each night, this vineyard produces tiny clusters of Cabernet Franc, yielding wines of structure, density, and aromatic expressiveness. Notes of fresh violet blossom, rose petal perfume, and candied black cherry are balanced by brisk acidity and tannin, with a very long, mineral-laden finish.

The Mountain King Grapes
The Mountain King Vineyard
Photos by Suzanne Becker Bronk