La Joie
2012
Vintage
The 2012 growing season, like the acclaimed 2001 vintage, began as another great year with dry, warm temperatures. The spring opened with beautiful, sunny, summer-like days with temperatures in the 90s and cool, foggy nights with temperatures in the 40s, leading to perfectly timed budbreak and bloom. While these unseasonably high temperatures were too warm for Merlot in many appellations, we are fortunate to have a wide variety of micro-crus across Sonoma County at our disposal, enabling us to use the best fruit from our Knights Valley, Alexander Mountain Estate, and Chalk Hill vineyards to create the complex and luxurious wines you expect from Vérité. Harvest took place September 13th through October 5th.
– Pierre Seillan, Vigneron
Notes
On the nose sweet red and black fruits abound, with red and black plum, very ripe red currant and
tart black cherry. Balancing the fruit are elements of pencil lead, pen ink, powdered mushroom, fresh
cut herbs and menthol. It is all framed with oak elements of powdered cocoa, toast, clove and nutmeg.
A subtle, earthy component of freshly turned topsoil underscores the finish. This mouth-watering
vintage will make La Joie a fine complement to the table now or for many years to come.
Composition
76% Cabernet Sauvignon
12% Merlot
8% Cabernet Franc
4% Petit Verdot
The 2012 La Joie … blew me away. A profound effort, with 55% of it coming from hillsides in Alexander Valley, 31% from Knights Valley and the balance from Chalk Hill, the wine shows great minerality, oodles of crème de cassis fruit, incense, licorice, crushed rock, and a provocative full-throttle mouthfeel. A wine of great intensity, purity and equilibrium, this definitely begs for 4-7 years of bottle aging and should drink well for at least 30+ years.