Verite La Joie 1998 750ML

A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot (85% Sonoma fruit and 15% from Napa), this fully mature 1998 should drink well for another 10-15 years. Notes of cedar, tobacco leaf, Christmas fruitcake, black currants and loamy soil emerge from this beautifully constructed, rich, full-bodied effort. It comes across like a serious Pauillac from Bordeaux.

Fully mature yet still with ample life and longevity ahead of it, the 1998 La Joie reveals a ruby color as well as classic tobacco, bay leaf, saddle leather, and cassis aromas and flavors. Possessing full-bodied richness, a layered texture, good purity, and plenty of length, drink it any time over the coming decade or so.

This is holding on beautifully for a very difficult and wet vintage. Fresh and clean with currants, lime and hints of cedar and meat. Medium body, firm and velvety tannins, and a savory finish.

A mix of up-front, supple-textured mocha, currant and vanilla, and harder-edged tannins that gang up on the finish, firming, with leather, herb and a chewy, gritty aftertaste.