2005 Vérité La Muse

The myth perpetrated by Old World wine proponents is that California wines don’t age. Those critics need to taste Verité, because these wines are aging far slower than I imagined. The 2005 La Muse, a blend of 88% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and the rest Malbec, tips the scales at 14.5% alcohol and spent 18 months in 100% new French oak. Incredibly youthful, this wine has an opaque purple color and a beautiful nose of espresso roast, white chocolate, blackberry and cassis, with mocha and a touch of oak. The wine is full-bodied, with magnificent structure, texture and density. I could drink it now. That said, most consumers should give this wine another 3-4 years, and drink it over the following 30+ years.

(87.5% merlot, 10% cabernet franc and 2.5% malbec) Bright ruby-red. Perfumed aromas of cherry, coffee, red licorice and minerals. Suave and vibrant, with lovely lift and musky complexity to the juicy red fruit and mineral flavors. Powerful and deep but with superb elegance. Finishes youthfully tight and very long. A baby today. These 2005s were bottled in November of 2007.

(88% merlot, 10% cabernet franc and 2% malbec) Deep red-ruby. Vinous aromas of black cherry, licorice and minerals, lifted by pungent medicinal high tones. Silky on entry, then impressively dense in the middle, with a deeply mineral character to the pure flavors of black fruits, violet, bitter chocolate and spice. Tannins are substantial but fine, and the wine's structure and freshness promise a long and slow evolution in bottle.