La Joie, Vérité Winery 2012

The 2012 La Joie, which is a blend of 76% Cabernet, 12% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, blew me away. A profound effort, with 55% of it coming from Hillsides in Alexander Valley, 31% from Knights Valley and the balance from Chalk Hill, the wine shows great minerality, oodles of crme de cassis fruit, incense, licorice, crushed rock, and a provocative full-throttle mouthfeel. A wine of great intensity, purity and equilibrium, this definitely begs for 4-7 years of bottle aging and should drink well for at least 30+ years.

The 2012 La Joie, 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot, comes primarily from the Jackson-owned Alexander Valley Mountain estate as well as higher elevation vineyards in Knights Valley. At 14.3% alcohol, it is the most powerful wine in this portfolio, revealing a masculine, muscular style with an inky/purple color and a big, sweet nose of licorice, unsmoked cigar tobacco, forest floor, blackberry, creme de cassis and toasty oak. This full-bodied, powerful effort is more structured and broodingly foreboding than La Muse. Forget it for 5-6 years and drink it over the following three decades.