Very deep, dark red colour with a purple tint; the bouquet dense and complex, with savoury rather than fruity personality, and neither variety showing out obviously. Very full-bodied, concentrated and dense, with fabulous ripe, powdery, fine-grained tannins in abundance. Very mouthfilling with a long, long carry. A wine of wonderful depth, power and texture. (57% cabernet sauvignon, 43% shiraz. 150 cases made)

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2025 Lassègue jumps from the glass with powerful notes of juicy blueberries, crushed black plums, and black cherries, leading to hints of peonies, licorice, Sichuan pepper, and cedar. Full-bodied, the palate is chock-full of bright black fruit layers with blue fruit accents, supported by firm, ripe, grainy tannins and a refreshing backbone, finishing very long and opulent. This is the best vintage of Château Lassegue I have tasted and a testament to more than 20 years of redevelopment done by Pierre Seillan, his son Nicolas, and the team at Jackson Family Wines.

Deep ruby red in colour. Aromas of woodland scents, sweet scented berry fruits and spice. Blackcurrant, dark plum, wild cherry, blood orange, fennel pollen, star anise, cedar notes, sweet tobacco and graphite. Cool silky entry, deep textural richness. Savoury. Slightly exotic. Epic on the finish.

A new single vineyard that's from just in front of Cardinale (just across from To Kalon), the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Colline Vineyard is 100% varietal that spent 21 months in 55% new French oak. While this fruit previously went into the Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Kristy Melton thought it was too special and would make a great single vineyard. Cassis, perfumed blue fruits, violets, darker chocolate, and graphite notes all define the bouquet, and it's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with beautiful tannins, a layered, balanced mouthfeel, and outstanding length. It's a gorgeous bottle of wine.

A site that they've worked with since 1968 (they're the only estate to work with this fruit, which went into the Beaulieu Private Reserve in the past), the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Bosche has a big, complex bouquet of red and black fruits as well as savory herbs, baking spices, chocolate, and graphite. It's rich, full-bodied, has a rounded, layered mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish.

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard
was matured for 15 months in 90% new French oak.
Currently resting in tank, it's aromatically pure and
layered with scents of warm blueberries and cassis,
licorice, mushroom and earth. The full-bodied palate is
seamless and youthfully coiled, with clay-textured
tannins and a finish that hints at more nuance waiting
to emerge.

The 2021 Le Désir is a blend of 87% Cabernet Franc,11% Merlot and 2% Malbec and was matured for 16 months in new French oak. Currently resting in the tank, it explodes with gregarious aromas of blueberry, dried thyme and lavender, fennel, coffee grounds and truffle. The medium to full-bodied palate is light on its feet, with ultra-powdery tannins, fi reworks of fresh acidity and a youthfully coiled finish featuring mineral, floral fruit.

The 2020 La Muse is a barrel-sample blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Malbec. Opaque ruby-purple, it has pretty aromas of cured meats, coffee beans, aniseed, underbrush and Morello cherries, with a streak of graphite. The full-bodied palate is powerful, with a dense core of black cherries and blueberries, a touch of chew to its tannins and bright acidity.

Tasted as a barrel sample, the 2020 Le Desir is made from 80% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot, and 5% Malbec. Deep purple-black colored, it sets off with fragrant scents of kirsch, redcurrant preserves, and black raspberries with wafts of dried roses, garrigue, and aniseed, plus a hint of black pepper. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a solid structure of ripe, grainy tannins and just enough freshness to support the intense, tight-knit fruit, finishing long and mineral-tinged.

The 2020 La Muse, tasted as a barrel sample, is made from 95% Merlot and 5% Malbec. Deep purple-black colored, it comes bounding out of the glass with eager, exuberant notes of baked plums, black cherry compote, and blackberry pie with touches of licorice, sauteed herbs, and black soil plus a hint of graphite. Medium-bodied, the palate is surprisingly elegant, featuring a solid frame of grainy tannins and lovely, seamless freshness, finishing on a lingering licorice note.

USA, Northern California, Napa Valley: 2016 & 2017 – A Tale of Two Vintages A barrel sample blend of 75% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot and 5% Malbec, the 2017 Le Désir is very deep purple-black in color and sings of crushed black cherries, black raspberries and kirsch with hints of black tea, cigar box, new leather, licorice and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, firm and grainy, the palate offers beautiful depth and perfume with firm, grainy tannins and long, lively finish. One of the few 2017s to rival its 2016 counterpart.

Seillan said that 2015 (which was still in barrel at the time of my tasting) was the finest vintage of his lifetime, which is strong praise indeed. Certainly, he has three titanic wines aging in the wine cellars. The 2015 La Muse is a blend of 89% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec. Sweet notes of unsmoked cigar tobacco, mocha, espresso bean, chocolate, plum, Asian spice, blackcurrant and black cherries soar from the glass of this opaque-colored wine. It has great fruit, real sucrosity and lushness in the mid-palate, and a super-duper inner core of glycerin followed by sweet, refined tannins in the finish. It is a strikingly flashy and flamboyant style of wine that should drink well for its first 30+ years of life.

Inky/purple/black in color, with a nose of graphite intermixed with acacia flowers, blackberries, cassis, and charcoal, this 2001 reveals profound intensity, superb purity, and a mulitlayered finish of more than 60 seconds. Aromatically, flavor-wise, and texturally, it is a spectacular tour de force in winemaking. More accessible than the structured, delineated 2001, the 2002 should be drinkable between 2005-2022+.

A barrel sample, the 2016 Hartford Court Chardonnay Far Coast Vineyard features fresh grapefruit, lemon curd and white peach notes with wafts of crushed stones and lime blossom. The medium to full-bodied palate is super intense and wonderfully layered, packed with citrus, floral and mineral notes packaged in a creamy texture and defined by a racy backbone, finishing very long. Wow!

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesThe 2018 La Joie was tasted as a final-blend barrel sample, due to be bottled in January 2021. Composed of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot and 3% Malbec, it will have been aged for 16 months in 100% new French oak. Deep garnet-purple colored, it needs a little coaxing to reveal fragrant roses, violets, chocolate box and pencil shavings notes with a core of black currant pastilles, mulberries and warm plums. Medium to full-bodied, very tightly knit, elegant and refreshing in the mouth, the intense black fruits are mineral laced and perfumed, finishing with great length.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm When I tasted this last year as a barrel sample, it was blended with some Cabernet Franc and Malbec. This is a finished tank sample made of 100% Merlot, the first time La Muse has been entirely made of Merlot. It is due to be bottled in January 2020 and will be bottled as a 20th anniversary edition (it will also be the 50th year of winemaking for Pierre Seillan). The 2017 La Muse is a little reticent to begin, giving glimpses at black cherries, fresh blackberries and warm cassis with hints of violets, star anise, charcoal and damp soil with a waft of tapenade. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is wonderfully spicy/minerally with a firm backbone of rounded tannins and plenty of freshness to lift the earth and mineral-laced black fruit to a long finish. 2,500 cases are to be made.

USA, California, Napa Valley: 2017 — Napa's Perfect Storm When I tasted this as a barrel sample last year, it was made up of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot and 4% Malbec. This is a new barrel sample blend, made up of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot. Deep purple-black colored, it comes striding out of the glass with bold, confident notes of warm red and black currants, boysenberries and ripe black plums with hints of pencil shavings, rose hip tea, underbrush and Marmite toast. Medium to full-bodied, it has a firm structure of grainy tannins and just enough freshness to lift the dense, muscular black fruit and earthy layers to a long finish. 3,000 cases are to be made.

A barrel sample, the 2016 Hartford Court Chardonnay Jennifer’s Vineyard gives intense lemon drops, pineapple, guava and passionfruit notes with wafts of orange blossoms, brioche and ginger. The medium-bodied palate is positively electric, featuring super-charged citrus and tropical notes with mineral and spice layers in an elegant frame, with a seriously zippy backbone and very long, layered finish.

USA, California, Napa Valley: More New 2018 ReleasesThe 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) was tasted as a finished blend that has come out of barrel in preparation for bottling. It spent 12 months in 100% new French oak and is due to be bottled in April 2021. Deep garnet-purple in color, the nose is very primary, revealing pure blueberry, plums and crushed black currants scents with nuances of cedar, cloves and dried Provence herbs. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a firm, grainy texture with concentrated black fruits leading to a very long, fruity finish.

A barrel sample, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Montana Vineyard bursts forth from the glass with vibrant crushed black currants, black cherries and wild blueberries with hints of espresso, sage, dark chocolate and anise plus a waft of violets. Medium-bodied with taut, tightly wound muscular fruit, the palate features a rock-solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and great freshness, finishing long and layered.

A barrel sample, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Helena Dakota Vineyard gives up intense baked blackberries, crème de cassis and preserved plums notes with hints of iron ore and underbrush plus a touch of black truffles. Medium to full-bodied and firmly textured with ripe, grainy tannins, it has just enough freshness lifting the densely packed black fruit flavors, finishing long and earthy.

Composed of 93% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec, the very deep garnet-purple colored 2016 La Muse (a barrel sample) hits the ground running with gorgeous plum pudding, chocolate-covered cherries and blueberry compote notes over touches of dried herbs, violets, black tea, tilled soil and fungi. Medium to full-bodied with a firm line of soft, satiny tannins and oodles of freshness lifting the profound black fruit and earthy layers, it finishes with lingering notes of black truffles and stones.

The 2015 Le Désir, Vérité's Cabernet Franc-based red, is racy and sumptuous in the glass. Bright floral notes give lift to the red-toned fruit as this silky yet powerful wine shows off its alluring personality.

The 2010 Le Desir is a gorgeous wine. In 2010 the Cabernet Franc is 51%, considerably lower than it was in 2009, but the blend works beautifully here. Cabernet Franc provides the aromatics, while Merlot yields the fruit in this super, dense, powerful wine. All of the elements come together beautifully in this sumptuous, gracious wine. I can't wait to taste this when it is ten years old. The 2010 Le Desir is 51% Cabernet Franc, 41% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2030.

The 2002 Le Desir may be the finest example of this cuvee yet produced. A blend of 52.7% Merlot, 41.2% Cabernet Franc, and a tiny dollop of Cabernet Sauvignon as well as Malbec, it performs like a ballet dancer. Magnificently muscled, symmetrical, and stunningly proportioned, it is medium to full-bodied with explosive aromatics reminiscent of a charcoal fire combined with blackberry and currant fruit as well as violets. It possesses layers of concentration, a massive yet surprisingly light mid-palate, and a huge rich finish. Somehow, it does not come close to tasting over the top, heavy, or forced, but is clearly a blockbuster. This thrilling 2002 should hit its prime in 2-3 years, and last for two decades.