Vérité Estate Vérité La Muse 2018 750ml

A blend of 90% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec, the 2018 La Muse was matured 16 months in 100% new French oak barrels. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the nose delivers a powerful perfume of cherry pie, blackberry preserves and baked plums, followed by suggestions of red roses, cast-iron pan, underbrush and unsmoked cigars, plus wafts of licorice and oolong tea. Medium to full-bodied, the black fruit and exotic spice layers flow so gracefully over the palate, textured by plush tannins and lifted with seamless freshness, finishing epically long and achingly fragrant. The intensity and complexity of aromas and flavors — all waltzing in captivating harmony—cannot fail to make your head spin in the best possible way. Electrifying!

Checking in as 90% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Malbec that was raised in new French oak, the 2018 La Muse reveals a dense purple hue to go with plenty of black cherry and currant fruits as well as cedar pencil, graphite, dark chocolate, and smoked tobacco. Ripe, full-bodied, and brilliantly balanced on the palate, with both elegance and incredible opulence, it’s a hypothetical mix of Châteaux Canon and Lafite. This masterpiece of a Merlot can be drunk any time over the coming 20–30 years. Give bottles an hour in a decanter if drinking any time soon. (Jeb Dunnuck)

Composed of 100% Merlot for the first time this year, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2017 La Muse rolls sensuously out of the glass with scents of black raspberries, Black Forest cake, boysenberries and cinnamon toast, followed by nuances of a garrigue, forest floor, beef drippings and clove oil. Medium to full-bodied, the richly fruited palate slowly builds in the mouth to a crescendo of black fruit preserves and exotic spice layers, framed by exceptionally ripe, round tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and fragrant. Stylistically, it stands apart from previously vintages, possessing the same magical intensity, but with less weight and more pop. 2,500 cases were made. (Lisa Perrotti-Brown)

Not far behind, the Merlot-dominated 2017 La Muse offers a big, rich nose of chocolate-covered black cherries, espresso, damp earth, and leafy herbs that gains more bass notes and richness with time in the glass. It tastes like a great Pomerol from La Conseillante. Full-bodied, it has an incredible sense of elegance and purity, plenty of mid-palate stuffing, and a great, great finish. Made from 100% Merlot (this is the first time this cuvée has been all Merlot), it’s another incredible wine from this estate that has the flesh and texture to shine today yet the freshness, purity, and balance to evolve for 30 years or more. (Jeb Dunnuck)

One of the most refined and tight Muses with blackberries, milk chocolate, pine needles and hints of dried herbs. Full-bodied, yet so in check with a great finish. It’s seamless and goes on and one. Intellectual, compared to past vintages. 90% merlot with some malbec and cabernet franc. Try after 2026, but attractive now.

This is dense yet agile young red with aromas and flavors of blackberries, black olives and black truffles. Full-bodied, layered and rich. Pretty ripe and melted tannins. Top merlot. Drink or hold.

The 2012 La Muse, which is 85% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 4% Malbec, is a smaller cuvée of 1,840 cases. The wine has plenty of spice box, cedar wood, Christmas fruitcake and Asian plum sauce, along with black cherry and blackcurrant fruit. Ripe, round, full-bodied and opulent, this is a wine that can be drunk now or cellared for another three decades. Interestingly, the alcohol levels are not all that high in any of these wines, with most of them rarely exceeding 14.3%. (Robert M. Parker, Jr.)

Composed of 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec, the 2015 La Muse sports a very deep garnet-purple color, leaping from the glass with exuberant crème de cassis, blueberry pie and licorice notes plus suggestions of Indian spices, dark chocolate, menthol, sautéed herbs and potpourri. Full-bodied, rich and seductive in the mouth, it delivers tons of black and blue fruit preserves flavors, accented by exotic spices, framed with velvety tannins and finishing on a persistent earthy/mineral note. 3,900 cases were made.

The 2017 La Muse is 100% Merlot for the first time. In this vintage, La Muse stands out for its freshness, energy and red-toned fruit. It will be interesting to see if the 2017 represents a longer-term shift. To be sure, the 2017 is aromatically deep, beautifully persistent and just impeccable in its balance. I liked it more than the 2016. (Antonio Galloni)

A huge, opulent wine, the 2014 La Muse wraps around the palate with tons of super-ripe dark red fruit, chocolate, spice and menthol. La Muse often shuts down after bottling, but the 2014 is still remarkably intense and voluptuous, with soft contours, silky tannins and exceptional balance. The purity of the flavors here is remarkable.

The 2009 La Muse (86% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec; 14.5% alcohol) is a blockbuster offering complex, intense notes of Asian plum sauce, figs, black currants, white chocolate and cedar. The wine reveals an extra level of texture and richness along with full body, an unctuous texture, and a super ripeness and richness that does not go over the top. The tannins are noticeable, but well-integrated as are the new oak and acidity. This big, backstrapping, Merlot-based wine is meant for long-term cellaring. Give it 4–5 more years in the bottle and enjoy it over the following 30 years.

The 2015 La Muse is developing beautifully. Ripe, ample and voluptuous in the glass, the 2015 exudes character. Even with all of its obvious intensity, the 2015 has quite a bit of freshness to balance out the ripe, racy Merlot-based fruit. Super-ripe red cherry, plum, mocha and spice notes build into the racy, inviting finish. (Antonio Galloni)

The 2012 La Muse is plump, juicy and forward; in other words a very typical expression of this vintage. Now at nearly five years of age, the 2012 is beginning to develop pretty aromatic notes that add complexity and nuance. Sweet tobacco, licorice, raspberry jam, mint and anise are all pushed forward. With time in the glass, the 2012 turns delicate and more refined, but it also seems to be going through a bit of a lull today. (Antonio Galloni)

Fine-grained, featuring muscular dark currant and plum flavors, flanked by mineral and black pepper accents. Firm tannins show on the finish, with bittersweet chocolate notes. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Drink now through 2023. 3,792 cases made. (Kim Marcus)

Mocha, chocolate, dark plums, smoke and cloves are some of the notes that inform the 2012 La Muse. Dark, sumptuous and impeccably balanced, the 2012 is super-impressive. The flavors are bold and intense, and while there is plenty of size and volume, the wine’s balance is simply impeccable. I imagine the 2012 will reward drinkers with a good 20 years or so of very fine drinking pleasure.

Offering layers of fresh-turned earth, spice, dark berry, leather and anise notes, this is chunky and chewy from extracted tannins, with a bitter edge. Ends dry and grainy. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2024. 800 cases made. (James Laube)