The tasting note for 2002 Verite La Joie Sonoma County is from Robert Parker and the score is 97 - A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec, the 2002 La Joie is fully mature and drinking beautifully, with the alluring, savory tones of a well-aged Cabernet - dark berry fruit, shitake mushrooms, coffee grounds, graphite, leather and underbrush. The palate retains a core of dried blackcurrants, while its tannins have softened and integrated, and gentle bursts of acidity carry umami-like flavors of meat drippings, iron and soy sauce. It will continue to provide pleasure over the next decade. I tasted several vintages of Vérité at the winery with Chris Jackson, brand winemaker Fabian Krause, Pierre Seillan and his daughter, Hélène, in the spring of 2022. We tasted the recently bottled 2019s, barrel samples of the 2020s and several library vintages, including the 2002s, which will be re-released soon, and the inaugural 1998s, which was Pierre’s first vintage in California—the 72-year-old has now crafted 54 vintages around the world. “Hélène is here to continue our family tradition,” he said. “I am my dad’s experience,” Hélène responded.