Opened and tasted every 5 min or so during the first 45 min. It felt light in bidy and height in acidity and alcohol without much going on. At that moment I double decanted it and it gained in body and complexity but never filled expectations.
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Slow ox’ed at restaurant while we enjoyed apps and 2013 Roederer L ‘Ermitage. I really like this style on Sonoma/Napa wine; very Bordeaux, very balanced fruit, acid and tannins, nothing stellar, nothing that sticks out, just very high quality-made wine.
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PnP. The wine smelled and tasted great for just 5 min, from that moment it wen downhill to the point of feeling weak, lacking in fruit, over the top acidity and mediocre finish.
This bottle was purchased at WineBid, who knows how it was stored for some part of its life.
This is a very nice Sonoma Bordeaux style blend. It is really tasty and pleasant. Not something that will blow you away, but very nice. Medium bodied, nice fruit of cherry and blueberry, approachable tannins at this stage, and good finish. Not a blockbuster, but very nice. 93 points.
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90 minute decant. Loads of cabernet black fruits but then layers of blue and red fruits. Vanilla Oak was also up front. A touch of funk/barnyard that could make you think Bordeaux, especially as the alcohol was not over the top like so many CA wine.
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Really enjoyed this first night, but second night a cold was setting in so couldn't really get full range. Definitely had a long way to go and good balance and flavors.
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Decanted 4 hours before tasting over an additional 3 hours. The wine is a saturated, nearly opaque dark garnet purple. Ever so slightly vegetal elements on the nose give way to graphite, black cherry, vanilla, blackberry and pepper. There are some drying tannins present along with medium acidity. Chewy and rich on the palate with cherry, plum, vanilla, blackberry, tobacco, cedar and spice that finishes only moderately long with coffee and licorice.
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Had late night after a lot of wine. Friends wanted me to open this wine. Memory is fuzzy; however, I do remember it was a stunner. Very silk/velvety with lots of cigar/earth notes and a long finish. It's in a good place right now. Glad I have another bottle to drink sober. :)
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A little too young to drink but had this a a counter balance to a 2007 Scarecrow + some other great burgundies. A very enjoyable wine that is still a little too big, rich, full and needs to mellow. Glad I have more as this is a very well reviewed wine BUT I wouldn't touch my second bottle of this wine for at least another 10 years.
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In my cellar since release. Decanted at 4:30pm and tasted over the next 5+ hours. Opaque dark garnet purple. Nose has a good amount of graphite along with dense black fruit. Palate is surprisingly young, fairly tannic and hard. I think this needs a good bit more time to age. There is some blackberry, mushroom, black plum along with the graphite. Moderately long finish. Good but needs more time in bottle I think.
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First visit to Cafe Matisse (Friends House + Cafe Matisse): There may be some bottle variation in this as our experience was different than the note before. Opened and decanted and poured. It was perhaps a bit tight to start, but opened up with time. Old world style in a new world wine which always appeals to me. By that I mean it definitely has the fruit from the new world which really comes through, but also a nice balance with more leather and maybe a hint of library. Well balanced. Good wine.
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Disappointing. I was really looking forward to this wine and it did not deliver. It has the structure of Bordeaux and some nice tertriary aromas and flavors (leather, tobacco) but overall it was devoid of fruit and had a short finish. This bottle would slot right into a low-mid priced Bordeaux tasting.
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Very nice after a 2 hour decant. Good red fruit with Bordeaux-like restraint, strong secondary notes of pepper and other spices, and impressive freshness, precision and balance. The 2001 La Joie will probably be better in a few years but it's a fabulous wine to drink now with some air.
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Tuesday Night Double Blind Tasting, $60+ (Bin 75): Bigger, brawny wine. Lots of tannin, definitely character of Bordeaux grapes, but seems a blend. No funk or earth either, so I thought it was a big SuperTuscan. Amazed at how old this was, seemed like it was still not at peak yet.
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Gorgeous nose of ripe dark fruit jam, and some savoury herbal elements. Palate has sweet tannins, still grippy, good acidity. Will be excellent in 5-10.
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Drinking incredibly well. Starts off with strong cherry and crushed stone flavors right at the beginning and continues evolving over a 2 hour dinner, each sip delicious and substantial. Goes well with appetizer through desert (chocolate or berries preferable). Still dark red color, fresh and has many years ahead but truly drinking well now!!
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Just a tremendously interesting bottle. Showed several faces over the course of 90 minutes. First sip was an anise finish, middle period was a big bold red, then a very mature bordeaux signature to end the show. Long live 2001 La Joie!
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Incredible bottle of wine. Consumed out of a magnum with at least a 1 hour decant. Shared with friends at Mastro's. Nice pairing with the Kansas City Bone in Filet. Very bordeaux style with nice fruit. Wow factor from everyone.
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This is such a big wine, still very young. The only element of the wine that shows age is the color: slight bricking starts to become evident on the rim, but otherwise, dark garnet color with purple hue. On the nose, the wines appears to be extremely young: aromas of black currant, blackberry, black cherry and green olive wrapped in a layer of cedar, graphite, vanilla extract, black pepper with a bouquet of herb and spice, showing some granite ash component. Full bodied, the wine is masked by a tannic structure that forms a very firm mid-palate, preceded by an attack of abundant fruit with black cherry, blackberry, dark plum, currant and blue berry. Great length, layers of fruit on the finish, balanced with cedar, graphite, vanilla and dark roasted coffee.
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Very smooth with subdued fruit but terrific vanilla and sweet flavors. Somewhat tannic at first but that went away with a couple hours in the decanter. After another hour there was almost a soapy taste, although it did not significantly detract. When the bottle was finally cashed another 2-3 hours later it was nothing but super smooth, creamy elegance.
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Drank at spago in Vegas. Started off a little muted. Opened up in glass, and then with food was excellent. Lacked some complexity, but well balanced. Light and dark fruits. Light oak. Light tannins.
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I'm with those that think this is a nice wine but not anything remarkable. Not nearly as good, imo, as the Muse from the same year which has a much more voluptuous and attention grabbing profile. This also did not particularly pair well with a nice flank steak. This is not the verite that I was seeking.
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Jimmy's 40th birthday Dinner - Avia Hotel (Napa, California): My #2 wine of the night, I must be a verite whore because I cannot seem to get enough of this stuff. huge nose, very well balanced. Everytime I touch the glass to my lips I discover something new on the palate. what an expressive wine. I must trade for more of this.
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Decanted 1.5 hours. Nose: Black cherry, plum, with an earthiness and a hint of coffee. Palate: Nice balance, medium bodied, with a very nice mouth-feel showing dark red fruits. Finish: Medium to long finish dominated by under-ripe dark red fruits - black cherry and red currant.
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Blind California Cult Cabernet Tasting (Mill Creek, WA): Tasted blind. This wine had a very elegant nose, with some nice aromas of lead pencil shavings upfront that had a couple people thinking Bordeaux ringer (until the Real Bordeaux ringer showed up as #4 wine in this flight). The palate had chocolate, earth and red/black fruit flavors that carried through a medium-long finish. This was really a great wine that I ranked #2 in this flight, but was very tempted to switch to #1 after the reveal.
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Very dense color, nice taste of dark berry with hints of dark chocolate. Short finish. Improved a little bit after 30 mins in the glass. Disappointing overall performance. It feels like I opened this bottle too early... I should have probably decanted, but I will revisit the remaining of the bottle in a day or two instead. UPDATE: Starting to come together on day 3. Drank very well with lamb chops, but still not convince that it is worth the high price tag.
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Birthday Bordeauxs and Bordeaux Blends (my place): nose: excellent balance and depth with great tones of cedar, black currants, cranberries, leather, cassis, spice box and bits of smoke. This was very bordeaux driven on the nose and certainly fooled me blind. Certainly came across as more muscular then the 99 La Muse and there is a real nice robust quality to this
taste: good robust medium/full feel with good medium tannins and well balanced tones of dark red cherries, black currants, tobacco, spice box and cedar tones
overall: certainly for more bordeaux based palates as this is the opposite of a fruit forward wine. Brawny and rich, there is a lot to like about this wine as it just hits all the right parts for me. On the young side, but didn't come across as too young, this is certainly drinkable, but could probably use a bit more time sideways
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This was a misunderstood wine on the table. Perfumed, elegant and medium bodied, this resembles a ripe year Bordeaux more than most hyper concentrated Cali Cabs. The nose is dominated by subtle, but very distinguishable red fruits (raspberry), which is a bit unusual in a Cab dominated blend. I really liked the aromatics, the pleasant flavors and the length. A very complete wine that is a great tool for palate alignment between Robert Parker (96 pts) and James Laube (86 pts).
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Still fantastic. Glad I have more, becasue this is a fantastic wine. Tannins not overpowering yet fully developed. Deep chocolate and blackberry tones, big but still subtle fruit. A bit tight on the opening, takes an hour to open, but very worth it.
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Fourth wine of the evening, 2002 Maiden first, 2001 Hundred Acre second, 2002 Peter Michael Les Pavots 3rd, 2001 Verite La Joie a distant fourth. A night of big wines. Found this to be a little thin on the finish, did not hold up to the competition.
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05 Kistler, 82 Dunn, 97 Insignia, 01 Verite, 02 Quintessa, 98 Kracher (Ox, Jersey City, NJ): I liked this, but it was too young. It was served pop and pour and we should have decanted this. It had an incredibly smooth mouthfeel. Short finish. Gorgeous nose. I found this hollow on the mid-palate - something was missing there. Nice. Hold for a few years or at least decant.
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Great nose! Awesome bordeaux style wine with dense tobacco, wet earth, and plum. I was amazed at how big this wine was without having the heavy concentration. The only reason this wine did not merit 95/96 points was the missing layers in the finish that make you wish it never ended. However, maybe with some cellar time this wine will evolve into a blockbuster.
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One of seven reds served at an annual wine dinner. The 24 of us knew the disparity in the ratings by Parker and Laube. If you want to see which of these raters this is a good wine to do it with. We all agreed this was very nice wine that is ready to drink now. We all agreed it wasn't a "classic" but definitely was not on the verge of being "average".
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Couldn't wait any longer, wanted to see what this was all about; opened the first of 8 bottles. Tasted on opening. Definitely starts out a bit closed -- but fruit comes out after 15-20. Chocolate, black cherry, fresh earth. Deep color. After an hour you can tell that this is going to be a barn-burner in a few years. Unctuous, silky texture. Very Bordeaux-like; love that 20% Merlot. Great tannic structure, although might be slightly soft. Should age well. Try again in a year.
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Still very young... should wait at least a couple more years as this bottle seemed a little closed down. Nice, but not powerful nose of black cherry, blackberry, earth and a little eucalyptous. Nice, refined, medium to full bodied palate had nice black fruit. Finish was nice, but not extraordinary. Clearly an elegant, well made wine, but maybe in a little bit of a dumb phase... hold on to it.
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At at tasting at Verite. My wife and I both had similiar impressions. The 01 La Joie, the 01 La Muse and the 01 Le Desir all shared similar flavor profiles, even though the blends were incredibly different. Very hard for us to tell the difference. #1, these are babys and need a good 5 additional years or more. They were really tight and unyielding. We were told that they were open for 4 hours and if I had this and wanted to open (which I don't recommend doing right now) I'd decant 12-24 hours. That said, you could tell that there was a incredibly refined and elegant wine hiding here. Not a fruit blockbuster, but a finely drawn out and delineated product. These will be quite good when they mature.
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Absolutely stunning. This was quite closed down the night I opened it, but by the next night, it had opened up beautifully. Sexy, voluptuous texture. Great balance. Incredibly deep, perfumed, and layered nose. Long, complex finish. Not at all like a big "blockbuster" Cal cab; this was completely proportional. I'm not sure what else you could ask for from a California cab - great wine.
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Incredibly good. Color is dark purple to the rim. Nose shows tobacco leaf, currant, leather, and a hint of dill. Palate reveals plum, cassis, leather, and a hint of dill again. Tannins are nicely integrated and the wine is well balanced by acidity. Really a beautiful wine with an almost exotic nose and palate. WOTN all around.
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A fantastic wine. Mailing list prices increased from $90 in '01 to $150 in '02, so before deciding how much of my Verite allocation to take I figured I better try one of these babies, despite how young it is. Double-decanted, first glass after an hour. Nose was a bit closed, tannins a bit overwhelming immediately on the palate but just as I was writing it off as way too soon to call, everything resolved perfectly on the mid-palate and concluded with a perfect, rounded finish. Intrigued, I waited another hour before drinking the next glass. I was rewarded with a very young sample of what is going to be a stupendous wine. Perfectly balanced between fruit and a coffe/chocolate aspect. This is going to be a spectacular wine in a few more years. I would absolutely allow 3-4 hours decanting if you can. Bravo, Verite! I'll take my ful allocation, thank you! :)
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Farmington Wine Class - 2001 California Cab Tasting. Inky black color. Expressive and complex nose full of coffee, chocolate, and blackberries. At first it came across as being a bit angular, but it quickly filled out and grew in depth and complexity. Wonderful, concentrated flavors of blackberry, coffee, and minerals. With aeration, the finish grew longer and more complex as well. Very much like a ripe-year northern Medoc, which I believe was their intent. Beautiful wine, but needs some more time in bottle.
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10/20/2023 - alexbhurst1678 wrote: 90 Points
Coravin Friday after my IN meeting; nose is not amazing; slightly flat with raw berries that don't seem dynamic; finish is shortish. Not overwhelmed.
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10/2/2022 - gteran76 wrote: 89 Points
Opened and tasted every 5 min or so during the first 45 min. It felt light in bidy and height in acidity and alcohol without much going on. At that moment I double decanted it and it gained in body and complexity but never filled expectations.
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6/7/2022 - norsktorsk wrote: 96 Points
perfect
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5/29/2022 - levicn Likes this wine: 93 Points
醒酒器两个小时,深宝石红色,闻香有植物、人参混合着石墨的气息,香草味和一些香料感,入口酸度中高,很明亮的感觉,单宁紧致,颗粒细腻如粉,人参,杨梅,伴随着石墨和烤面包的香气,酒液粘稠,余味香草奶油。充分的陈年发展,香气复杂多变,果香依然漂亮,给人活泼而又成熟的感觉,处在适饮巅峰期的酒,口感非常平衡。
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5/23/2022 - grafighter Likes this wine: 95 Points
Slow ox’ed at restaurant while we enjoyed apps and 2013 Roederer L ‘Ermitage. I really like this style on Sonoma/Napa wine; very Bordeaux, very balanced fruit, acid and tannins, nothing stellar, nothing that sticks out, just very high quality-made wine.
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1/15/2022 - gteran76 Does not like this wine: 86 Points
PnP. The wine smelled and tasted great for just 5 min, from that moment it wen downhill to the point of feeling weak, lacking in fruit, over the top acidity and mediocre finish.
This bottle was purchased at WineBid, who knows how it was stored for some part of its life.
Luckily (or sadly) I have one bottle left…
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7/29/2021 - CRUSHER Likes this wine: 96 Points
excellent; blueberry and blackberry with loam. drinking beautifully
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1/11/2021 - Sfflyer123 wrote: 93 Points
This is a very nice Sonoma Bordeaux style blend. It is really tasty and pleasant. Not something that will blow you away, but very nice. Medium bodied, nice fruit of cherry and blueberry, approachable tannins at this stage, and good finish. Not a blockbuster, but very nice. 93 points.
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12/6/2020 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 94 Points
90 minute decant. Loads of cabernet black fruits but then layers of blue and red fruits. Vanilla Oak was also up front. A touch of funk/barnyard that could make you think Bordeaux, especially as the alcohol was not over the top like so many CA wine.
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12/7/2019 - levinml wrote: 94 Points
Really enjoyed this first night, but second night a cold was setting in so couldn't really get full range. Definitely had a long way to go and good balance and flavors.
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9/29/2019 - Topper wrote: 93 Points
Pretty satisfying. Holding steady with lots of pretty flavors and no roughness.
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12/24/2018 - JGvine Likes this wine: 97 Points
Unbelievable red wine perhaps the best
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11/17/2018 - oldwines Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 4 hours before tasting over an additional 3 hours. The wine is a saturated, nearly opaque dark garnet purple. Ever so slightly vegetal elements on the nose give way to graphite, black cherry, vanilla, blackberry and pepper. There are some drying tannins present along with medium acidity. Chewy and rich on the palate with cherry, plum, vanilla, blackberry, tobacco, cedar and spice that finishes only moderately long with coffee and licorice.
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8/18/2018 - napasoutherner Likes this wine: 96 Points
Had late night after a lot of wine. Friends wanted me to open this wine. Memory is fuzzy; however, I do remember it was a stunner. Very silk/velvety with lots of cigar/earth notes and a long finish. It's in a good place right now. Glad I have another bottle to drink sober. :)
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8/18/2018 - napasoutherner Likes this wine: 94 Points
A little too young to drink but had this a a counter balance to a 2007 Scarecrow + some other great burgundies. A very enjoyable wine that is still a little too big, rich, full and needs to mellow. Glad I have more as this is a very well reviewed wine BUT I wouldn't touch my second bottle of this wine for at least another 10 years.
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8/4/2018 - oldwines wrote: 92 Points
In my cellar since release. Decanted at 4:30pm and tasted over the next 5+ hours. Opaque dark garnet purple. Nose has a good amount of graphite along with dense black fruit. Palate is surprisingly young, fairly tannic and hard. I think this needs a good bit more time to age. There is some blackberry, mushroom, black plum along with the graphite. Moderately long finish. Good but needs more time in bottle I think.
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7/28/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
First visit to Cafe Matisse (Friends House + Cafe Matisse): There may be some bottle variation in this as our experience was different than the note before. Opened and decanted and poured. It was perhaps a bit tight to start, but opened up with time. Old world style in a new world wine which always appeals to me. By that I mean it definitely has the fruit from the new world which really comes through, but also a nice balance with more leather and maybe a hint of library. Well balanced. Good wine.
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6/9/2017 - Racer117 wrote: 88 Points
Disappointing. I was really looking forward to this wine and it did not deliver. It has the structure of Bordeaux and some nice tertriary aromas and flavors (leather, tobacco) but overall it was devoid of fruit and had a short finish. This bottle would slot right into a low-mid priced Bordeaux tasting.
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5/28/2017 - Red Sox Fan Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very nice after a 2 hour decant. Good red fruit with Bordeaux-like restraint, strong secondary notes of pepper and other spices, and impressive freshness, precision and balance. The 2001 La Joie will probably be better in a few years but it's a fabulous wine to drink now with some air.
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12/14/2016 - jperez68 Likes this wine: 94 Points
big and bold dark fruit to open, after 30 minutes big bold Bordeaux like earthy flavor, soft finish with lots of bold characters.
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8/9/2016 - lgeeker wrote:
Tuesday Night Double Blind Tasting, $60+ (Bin 75): Bigger, brawny wine. Lots of tannin, definitely character of Bordeaux grapes, but seems a blend. No funk or earth either, so I thought it was a big SuperTuscan. Amazed at how old this was, seemed like it was still not at peak yet.
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6/4/2015 - Tire-bouchon Griffin Likes this wine: 95 Points
Description à venir
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3/22/2015 - AWBryce wrote: 93 Points
Gorgeous nose of ripe dark fruit jam, and some savoury herbal elements. Palate has sweet tannins, still grippy, good acidity. Will be excellent in 5-10.
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7/26/2014 - George C ATLANTA Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drinking incredibly well. Starts off with strong cherry and crushed stone flavors right at the beginning and continues evolving over a 2 hour dinner, each sip delicious and substantial. Goes well with appetizer through desert (chocolate or berries preferable). Still dark red color, fresh and has many years ahead but truly drinking well now!!
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6/1/2014 - KenK wrote: 92 Points
Nice dark rich flavors good depth, features black fruit flavors with pretty roundness. Very nice wine, although short of epic.
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8/5/2013 - 1961Vintage Likes this wine: 94 Points
Just a tremendously interesting bottle. Showed several faces over the course of 90 minutes. First sip was an anise finish, middle period was a big bold red, then a very mature bordeaux signature to end the show. Long live 2001 La Joie!
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1/21/2013 - fournet wrote: 92 Points
I think this is still a very young wine. No formal notes. Expect to improve with time. I would wait at least another 2-3 years.
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7/23/2012 - Bachus Maling wrote: 94 Points
Incredible bottle of wine. Consumed out of a magnum with at least a 1 hour decant. Shared with friends at Mastro's. Nice pairing with the Kansas City Bone in Filet. Very bordeaux style with nice fruit. Wow factor from everyone.
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5/16/2012 - rdsboca wrote: 89 Points
WE think that this was an off bottle as it did not show that well. Nice fruit but hollow in the mid palate.
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5/3/2012 - jsiegel wrote: 92 Points
Once it warmed up from being in the cellar, this wine was great. Smooth finish. Still has plenty of life in it.
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5/3/2012 - jsiegel wrote: 92 Points
Outstanding on the second day. This was a big cab with a smooth finish.
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1/1/2012 - dxpian wrote: 92 Points
This is such a big wine, still very young. The only element of the wine that shows age is the color: slight bricking starts to become evident on the rim, but otherwise, dark garnet color with purple hue. On the nose, the wines appears to be extremely young: aromas of black currant, blackberry, black cherry and green olive wrapped in a layer of cedar, graphite, vanilla extract, black pepper with a bouquet of herb and spice, showing some granite ash component. Full bodied, the wine is masked by a tannic structure that forms a very firm mid-palate, preceded by an attack of abundant fruit with black cherry, blackberry, dark plum, currant and blue berry. Great length, layers of fruit on the finish, balanced with cedar, graphite, vanilla and dark roasted coffee.
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11/20/2011 - tpspoon wrote: 92 Points
Very smooth with subdued fruit but terrific vanilla and sweet flavors. Somewhat tannic at first but that went away with a couple hours in the decanter. After another hour there was almost a soapy taste, although it did not significantly detract. When the bottle was finally cashed another 2-3 hours later it was nothing but super smooth, creamy elegance.
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7/9/2011 - scoll wrote: 84 Points
Well made, nothing distinctive.
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7/9/2011 - Tom_B wrote: flawed
Unfortunately this bottled was corked
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6/11/2011 - slippytoad wrote: flawed
Unfortunately one of the bottles I'd been waiting a long time for the right occasion to drink was corked :(
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3/26/2011 - Herb Blair wrote: 96 Points
opened on the 22nd finished 26th. very delightful after 4 days 96 pts
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3/26/2011 - Herb Blair wrote:
opened on the 22nd finished 26th. very delightful after 4 days 96 pts
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3/12/2011 - sjdoc wrote: 92 Points
Drank at spago in Vegas. Started off a little muted. Opened up in glass, and then with food was excellent. Lacked some complexity, but well balanced. Light and dark fruits. Light oak. Light tannins.
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1/1/2011 - Topper wrote: 89 Points
I'm with those that think this is a nice wine but not anything remarkable. Not nearly as good, imo, as the Muse from the same year which has a much more voluptuous and attention grabbing profile. This also did not particularly pair well with a nice flank steak. This is not the verite that I was seeking.
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12/20/2010 - TrevorCandelino wrote:
very good...hints of pepper and spice....more rhone than bordeaux to me.....
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11/13/2010 - dave smigielski wrote:
Jimmy's 40th birthday Dinner - Avia Hotel (Napa, California): My #2 wine of the night, I must be a verite whore because I cannot seem to get enough of this stuff. huge nose, very well balanced. Everytime I touch the glass to my lips I discover something new on the palate. what an expressive wine. I must trade for more of this.
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10/26/2010 - tanninbomb wrote: 95 Points
Good depth. Dark cherry, chocolate, cola and some flint. Rich mouthfeel.
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6/7/2010 - prasm wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 1.5 hours. Nose: Black cherry, plum, with an earthiness and a hint of coffee. Palate: Nice balance, medium bodied, with a very nice mouth-feel showing dark red fruits. Finish: Medium to long finish dominated by under-ripe dark red fruits - black cherry and red currant.
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5/23/2010 - buckeye76 wrote: 95 Points
ELEGANT WINE WITH BLACK CHERRIES, CURRANTS, AND BLACKBERRIES IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR. NICE COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH.
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4/10/2010 - last chance wrote: 96 Points
Blind California Cult Cabernet Tasting (Mill Creek, WA): Tasted blind. This wine had a very elegant nose, with some nice aromas of lead pencil shavings upfront that had a couple people thinking Bordeaux ringer (until the Real Bordeaux ringer showed up as #4 wine in this flight). The palate had chocolate, earth and red/black fruit flavors that carried through a medium-long finish. This was really a great wine that I ranked #2 in this flight, but was very tempted to switch to #1 after the reveal.
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3/5/2010 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
Very dense color, nice taste of dark berry with hints of dark chocolate. Short finish. Improved a little bit after 30 mins in the glass. Disappointing overall performance. It feels like I opened this bottle too early... I should have probably decanted, but I will revisit the remaining of the bottle in a day or two instead. UPDATE: Starting to come together on day 3. Drank very well with lamb chops, but still not convince that it is worth the high price tag.
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2/28/2010 - idrinkvino wrote: 93 Points
Lovely flavours of deep black cherry and chocolate. Very good.
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10/11/2009 - limule wrote: 99 Points
Absolument splendide
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5/19/2009 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
Birthday Bordeauxs and Bordeaux Blends (my place): nose: excellent balance and depth with great tones of cedar, black currants, cranberries, leather, cassis, spice box and bits of smoke. This was very bordeaux driven on the nose and certainly fooled me blind. Certainly came across as more muscular then the 99 La Muse and there is a real nice robust quality to this
taste: good robust medium/full feel with good medium tannins and well balanced tones of dark red cherries, black currants, tobacco, spice box and cedar tones
overall: certainly for more bordeaux based palates as this is the opposite of a fruit forward wine. Brawny and rich, there is a lot to like about this wine as it just hits all the right parts for me. On the young side, but didn't come across as too young, this is certainly drinkable, but could probably use a bit more time sideways
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3/20/2009 - hcampana wrote: 92 Points
This was a misunderstood wine on the table. Perfumed, elegant and medium bodied, this resembles a ripe year Bordeaux more than most hyper concentrated Cali Cabs. The nose is dominated by subtle, but very distinguishable red fruits (raspberry), which is a bit unusual in a Cab dominated blend. I really liked the aromatics, the pleasant flavors and the length. A very complete wine that is a great tool for palate alignment between Robert Parker (96 pts) and James Laube (86 pts).
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2/21/2009 - sbeeks wrote: 95 Points
Still fantastic. Glad I have more, becasue this is a fantastic wine. Tannins not overpowering yet fully developed. Deep chocolate and blackberry tones, big but still subtle fruit. A bit tight on the opening, takes an hour to open, but very worth it.
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1/6/2009 - dccc wrote:
Gave to Carolyn Rogers for SWFL Winefest meeting
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5/26/2008 - sbeeks wrote: 93 Points
Fourth wine of the evening, 2002 Maiden first, 2001 Hundred Acre second, 2002 Peter Michael Les Pavots 3rd, 2001 Verite La Joie a distant fourth. A night of big wines. Found this to be a little thin on the finish, did not hold up to the competition.
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5/21/2008 - Cheryl wrote:
05 Kistler, 82 Dunn, 97 Insignia, 01 Verite, 02 Quintessa, 98 Kracher (Ox, Jersey City, NJ): I liked this, but it was too young. It was served pop and pour and we should have decanted this. It had an incredibly smooth mouthfeel. Short finish. Gorgeous nose. I found this hollow on the mid-palate - something was missing there. Nice. Hold for a few years or at least decant.
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9/26/2007 - napaJ6 wrote: 94 Points
Great nose! Awesome bordeaux style wine with dense tobacco, wet earth, and plum. I was amazed at how big this wine was without having the heavy concentration. The only reason this wine did not merit 95/96 points was the missing layers in the finish that make you wish it never ended. However, maybe with some cellar time this wine will evolve into a blockbuster.
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1/20/2007 - Scooter wrote: 91 Points
One of seven reds served at an annual wine dinner. The 24 of us knew the disparity in the ratings by Parker and Laube. If you want to see which of these raters this is a good wine to do it with. We all agreed this was very nice wine that is ready to drink now. We all agreed it wasn't a "classic" but definitely was not on the verge of being "average".
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12/30/2006 - sbeeks wrote: 95 Points
Couldn't wait any longer, wanted to see what this was all about; opened the first of 8 bottles. Tasted on opening. Definitely starts out a bit closed -- but fruit comes out after 15-20. Chocolate, black cherry, fresh earth. Deep color. After an hour you can tell that this is going to be a barn-burner in a few years. Unctuous, silky texture. Very Bordeaux-like; love that 20% Merlot. Great tannic structure, although might be slightly soft. Should age well. Try again in a year.
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12/16/2006 - Mike V wrote: 93 Points
Closed Phase. Very dark but not thick or viscous. Bordeaux like nose. Lovoly cader and spice. On the palate all smoke and dark fruit.
Holod
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10/27/2006 - bmarshall wrote: 92 Points
Still very young... should wait at least a couple more years as this bottle seemed a little closed down. Nice, but not powerful nose of black cherry, blackberry, earth and a little eucalyptous. Nice, refined, medium to full bodied palate had nice black fruit. Finish was nice, but not extraordinary. Clearly an elegant, well made wine, but maybe in a little bit of a dumb phase... hold on to it.
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8/1/2006 - tanglenet wrote:
At at tasting at Verite. My wife and I both had similiar impressions. The 01 La Joie, the 01 La Muse and the 01 Le Desir all shared similar flavor profiles, even though the blends were incredibly different. Very hard for us to tell the difference. #1, these are babys and need a good 5 additional years or more. They were really tight and unyielding. We were told that they were open for 4 hours and if I had this and wanted to open (which I don't recommend doing right now) I'd decant 12-24 hours. That said, you could tell that there was a incredibly refined and elegant wine hiding here. Not a fruit blockbuster, but a finely drawn out and delineated product. These will be quite good when they mature.
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6/14/2006 - Spencer wrote: 97 Points
Absolutely stunning. This was quite closed down the night I opened it, but by the next night, it had opened up beautifully. Sexy, voluptuous texture. Great balance. Incredibly deep, perfumed, and layered nose. Long, complex finish. Not at all like a big "blockbuster" Cal cab; this was completely proportional. I'm not sure what else you could ask for from a California cab - great wine.
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5/1/2006 - dea wrote:
took two days to open up but it was wonderful once it did
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9/3/2005 - Thilo wrote: 96 Points
Incredibly good. Color is dark purple to the rim. Nose shows tobacco leaf, currant, leather, and a hint of dill. Palate reveals plum, cassis, leather, and a hint of dill again. Tannins are nicely integrated and the wine is well balanced by acidity. Really a beautiful wine with an almost exotic nose and palate. WOTN all around.
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5/21/2005 - nvandyk wrote: 96 Points
A fantastic wine. Mailing list prices increased from $90 in '01 to $150 in '02, so before deciding how much of my Verite allocation to take I figured I better try one of these babies, despite how young it is. Double-decanted, first glass after an hour. Nose was a bit closed, tannins a bit overwhelming immediately on the palate but just as I was writing it off as way too soon to call, everything resolved perfectly on the mid-palate and concluded with a perfect, rounded finish. Intrigued, I waited another hour before drinking the next glass. I was rewarded with a very young sample of what is going to be a stupendous wine. Perfectly balanced between fruit and a coffe/chocolate aspect. This is going to be a spectacular wine in a few more years. I would absolutely allow 3-4 hours decanting if you can. Bravo, Verite! I'll take my ful allocation, thank you! :)
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10/26/2004 - Spencer wrote: 95 Points
Farmington Wine Class - 2001 California Cab Tasting. Inky black color. Expressive and complex nose full of coffee, chocolate, and blackberries. At first it came across as being a bit angular, but it quickly filled out and grew in depth and complexity. Wonderful, concentrated flavors of blackberry, coffee, and minerals. With aeration, the finish grew longer and more complex as well. Very much like a ripe-year northern Medoc, which I believe was their intent. Beautiful wine, but needs some more time in bottle.
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1/21/2004 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful blackberry and vanilla nose; lovely vanilla, cassis fruit with good sweet licorice notes on a big mid-palate; medium finish 94+ pts.
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