Vérité - La Joie - Sonoma Valley 2008

Decanter.com

97

byClare Tooley MWthe11/17/2021

With time, this Cabernet is now beginning to reveal its cornucopia of autumn fruits on the nose; black currants, plum, figs, red and blue berries. The palate is equally packed with flavour. However, the tannins remain upright, structural, imposing even, less rounded out than in La Muse or Le Désir. There is a delicious, savoury note to this wine, making it immensely appetising despite its firmness. It is drinking now, with a little help from a good steak, but has really only just begun its journey to ultimate pleasure.

Drinking Window 2020 - 2045

Wine Spectator

88

byJames Laubethe11/15/2012

Very dry and earthy, with a strong leathery edge to the crushed rock and dried berry flavors, maintaining a rugged personality on the finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Best from 2004 through 2014.   –JL

Wine Enthusiast

94

byRoger Vossthe7/1/2012

Right now this is not typically soft and lush like a cult Cab, but hard in tannins, with minerality like little particles of granite. Buried deep down is a pirate's treasure of ripe, intense blackberry fruit. New oak, to the tune of 94%, doesn't cloud the wine, suggesting this blend's its intensity and concentration. The wine is comprised of all five classic Bordeaux varieties, sourced throughout Sonoma County. Clearly this is one for the cellar; drink after 2018.

Vinous

94

byStephen Tanzerthe5/1/2012

Bright medium ruby. Highly aromatic nose and palate combine black fruits, licorice, minerals and bitter chocolate. Round and lush, with terrific intensity but also a distinctly youthful quality that suggests this wine will need patience. Finishes firmly tannic but not dry, with impressive persistence. Beginning with this vintage, Seillan has used a new robotic sorting machine that eliminates berries that are too big or too small. 94+

Wine Advocate

99

byRobert Parkerthe5/2/2011

How much fun collectors will have comparing the 2007 and 2008 La Joies over the next three decades. A blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec (48% from Alexander Valley Mountain Estate, 34% from Chalk Hill and 18% from Knight’s Valley), the 2008 has similar technical numbers to the 2007 (a pH of 3.68 and 14.4% alcohol). Wonderful notes of roasted herbs, asphalt, black truffles, blackberries, cassis, camphor and subtle oak are present in the majestic aromatics. In the mouth, the wine is extraordinarily concentrated, pure and dense with amazing length. It is another 30-40 year wine that confirms the confidence the late Jess Jackson had in both his vineyard sources and his winemaker, Pierre Seillan.

Wine Advocate

96

byRobert Parkerthe2/28/2011

Composed of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec, the 2008 La Joie (2,000 cases) is reminiscent of a California version of Chateau Montrose. Tannic, earthy and dense with lots of muscle, creme de cassis, underbrush and loamy soil notes, this wine should easily last 50+ years. Tremendous density and richness suggest a powerhouse that should be forgotten for 4-5 years and drunk over the following half century. 96+/100

Wine Advocate

95-97

byRobert Parkerthe2/27/2010

The 2008 La Joie (72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, and 3% Malbec) reveals sweet fruitcake, creme de cassis, tobacco leaf, licorice, and incense characteristics as well as tremendous body. It is the biggest, richest, most substantial and promising of this trio. It reveals a Pauillac-like, cedary, black currant-scented nose that suggests a first-growth Bordeaux. It, too, should age effortlessly for three decades or more.