Verite Winery - Vineyards, Wine Styles, Best Wines (2024)

by Anthony Zhang

Looking for the best wines from the prestigious Verite Winery?

Nestled in the rolling hills of Healdsburg in Sonoma County, California, this iconic winery makes spectacular Bordeaux-inspired red wines that are among the best in the world. Interestingly, they’ve got seven 100-point scores from wine critic Robert Parker since 1998.

Why are Verite Wines so popular? And, how do you choose a good Verite wine for investment?

In this article, let’s look at the colorful history, vineyards, and the Bordeaux varieties of Verite Winery. We’ll also show you the Best Verite Wines Of 2024 and How To Invest In Them easily.

A Quick Intro to The Verite Winery

Verite Winery is the dream of two great winemakers - Jess Jackson and Pierre Seillan - and was founded in 1998.

It’s most famous for its Bordeaux-style wine blends - La Muse (Merlot-based), La Joie (Cabernet Sauvignon-based), and Le Désir (Cabernet Franc-based.)

“Verite” is a French word that means “truth” and was named so based on the philosophy of the winery - “la droit du sol” - which means ‘the right of the soil.’

The winemakers have a holistic approach towards vineyard selection, design, farming, and winemaking.

Further reading: Discover all you should know about your favorite blush wines - the Beautiful Rose Wine and Smokey Zinfandel!

Before we get into the winemaking details, let’s see how the winery came to be.

A Brief History Of Verite Winery

The Verite Winery was founded by Jess Jackson - the founder of the San Francisco based Jackson Family Wine group.

When Jess met winemaker Pierre Seillan in the mid-1990s, he invited Pierre to join him in California. Both of them had strong faith in the incredible potential of the Healdsburg terroir.

Before starting the Verite Winery, winemaker Pierre Seillan worked in his family estate in Bellevue, the Château de Targé in the Loire Valley, and several other châteaux for Raoul, and Jean Quancard. Today, he is the Vigneron for 6 wineries - Verite and Anakota in Sonoma County, Château Lassègue and Château Vignot in Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux and Arcanum and Valadorna in Tuscany.

Together, they found a perfect plot in Thomas Rd in Healdsburg - and that’s how one of the greatest wineries in the world was born.

Verite Winery is now managed by winemaker Pierre Seillan and his daughter, Helen Seillan. Helen pursued studies in Viticulture and Oenology from the Institut Rural de Vayres in Bordeaux. She works as an assistant winemaker at the estate.

Read More: Try these best Sauvignon Blanc wines or Tasty Riesling Wines. Or, add intense flavor to your day with Delicious Chianti or the French Chateauneuf du Pape Wine.

Let’s now peep into the estate’s vineyards.

The Verite Vineyards

Vigneron Pierre Seillan divided the four Verite vineyards into 50 small vineyard blocks called micro-crus. These small vineyard blocks are divided according to the micro cru philosophy based on terroir and soil types or soil structure, vine quality, and micro-climates.

The four vineyards of Verite Winery are:

1. Alexander Valley

This appellation receives a high amount of sunlight. The terroir is perfect to grow Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes produce wines that are powerful, complex with rich and spicy notes.

2. Bennett Valley

The Bennett Valley has well-draining and sandy loam soil. It experiences a cool climate due to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean. The valley has warm days and cool nights that are ideal to grow grape varietals with balanced acidity.

3. Knights Valley

The Knights Valley is known for its warm afternoons and cool evenings, which are best to grow Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety and Merlot. The grape varietals grown here are complex and have an outstanding concentration.

4. Chalk Hill

The Chalk Hill appellation has mineral deposits in its chalk-textured soil. Three varieties of grapes are grown here, and each of them faces different directions - Merlot faces northwest, Cabernet Franc faces east, and Petit Verdot faces South.

: Looking for the best red wines to serve at your party? Impress your guests with a glass of Stylish Barbera or Elegant Malbec Wine.

You can also make your party fancier with Lively Mimosa cocktail.

The Bordeaux Inspired Wines Of Verite Winery

Here’s something unique about the winemaking process at Verite:

The wine made in each micro-cru is stored separately in French oak barrels for fermentation. Once the wine is fermented, Pierre mixes wines from the different micro-crus in varied proportions based on his intuition and skill.

This process gives Verite wines their unique personality, quality, and taste.

Now, Verite Winery produces three types of wines:

1. Verite La Muse

The Verite La Muse is a Pomerol-style wine known for its sophisticated elegance, softness, and strength. These wines contain Merlot (a minimum of 88%), Cabernet Franc, and Malbec.

They perfectly portray the depth and texture of the eastern Sonoma County micro-cru. These wines have 14-14.7% alcohol content.

2. Verite La Joie

La Joie is a Pauillac style wine made from the Cabernet Sauvignon grown along the steep hillsides and volcanic benches of the Mayacamas mountain. These mountain vineyards produce wines that are exuberant, energetic, and complex.

La Joie has an alcohol content ranging between 13.9 and 15%.

3. Verite Le Désir

Le Désir is a Cabernet Franc-based drink with exotic aromas and an iron graphite core with a striking minerality. These are complex wines that unveil in layers over time. As it ages, notes of licorice, chocolate, and cocoa powder increase, along with spice.

These wines have an alcohol level of 14.4%.

To make things easier for you, we’ve handpicked eight of the best win bottles.

8 Best Verite Wines to Buy in 2024 (Including Taste, Prices)

Here is the list of our favorite Verite wines of 2024 - most of which will age beautifully in your cellar.

1. 2016 Verite Red, California

This world class wine has a bold taste and a fine tannin structure. On tasting it, you’ll find a rich and structured feel with earthy and dark berry undertones on the palate.

Price of 2016 Verite Red, California: $1294

2. 2015 Verite Red, California

The 2015 Verite Red from this winemaker is a Bordeaux-blend with a bold structure. This red wine is a blend of grapes from Sonoma County and Napa Valley. It’s an elegant and complex wine with notes of black cherry fruit, oak and black fruit.

Price of 2018 Verite Red, California: $1261

3. 2007 Verite Le Désir - La Joie - La Muse Assortment, Sonoma County

2007-Verite-Le-Désir-La-Joie-La-Muse-Assortment-Sonoma-County.jpg

This assortment pack includes three mouth-watering Bordeaux-blend red wines from the winemaker - La Muse, La Joie, and La Désir. Fit for any occasion, you can pair these wines with beef and venison.

2007 Verite Le Désir - La Joie - La Muse Assortment, Sonoma County: $1094

4. 1998 Verite La Muse, Sonoma County

This vintage wine, upon tasting, is fruity with a touch of vanilla, chocolate, and tobacco. It has notes of spice, cedar, Asian plum sauce, and black fruit like black cherry.

1998 Verite La Muse, Sonoma County: $896

5. 2007 Verite La Muse, Sonoma County

This light-bodied wine, upon tasting, offers wonderful notes of vanilla, black fruit, cedarwood, oak, and spice. It also has light flavors of dried forest berries and dry fruits like prune and raisin. Its texture coats the palate like liquid velvet.

2007 Verite La Muse, Sonoma County: $480

6. 2008 Verite Le Désir, Sonoma County

This full-bodied, complex wine has flavors of blueberries, blackcurrants, tobacco, vanilla, cherry, and leather. It has mellow and lasting tannins with oak, licorice, and chocolate undertones.

2008 Verite Le Désir, Sonoma County: $445

7. 2016 Verite La Joie, Sonoma County

Tasting this vintage wine would give you the flavor of tobacco, blackberries, blackcurrant, black plum, and espresso. It also has notes of jalapeno and rose with grainy tannins.

2016 Verite La Joie, Sonoma County: $430

8. 2004 Verite Archipel, Sonoma County

This bold, structured old world style Verite wine is made from the grapes sourced from Alexander, Knights, and Benette valleys. It’s a unique and rich blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec grape variety.

2004 Verite Archipel, Sonoma County: $70

Now let's see whether Verite wines are good for long-term investing.

Is Verite A Good Investment Wine?

Verite’s leading wines - La Muse, La Joie, and La Désir - have got a track record of 90+ ratings from renowned wine tasting experts like Robert Parker, James Suckling, Anthony Gismondi, and others.

The value of Verite wines in the market is also shooting up - thanks to their high demand.

Consider the 2015 Verite Red. The price of this popular wine increased by 228% (from $387 to $1269) between June 2019 and January 2021)!
The price of the 2016 Verite La Désir - La Joie - La Muse Assortment went up by 46.3% (from $438 to $641) in eight months (July 2020 to January 2021).

When it comes to aging, Verite wines have excellent potential. Merlot wines can age well for about 3 to 20 years and Cabernet Sauvignon wines for 5 to 20 years of bottle age, and more!

Cabernet Franc wines are recommended to be enjoyed within 5-10 years. However, Pierre predicts that the 2015 La Désir - which is a Verite Cabernet Franc wine - can age for 40 years and the 2008 vintage can age for 20 to 30 years.

How can you get your hands on a bottle of Verite wine for your collection?

You can either visit their winery on Thomas Road in Sonoma County and spend some time in their tasting room. Better still, you can use the services of an expert wine investment company like Vinovest.

How will that help?

Let’s take a look.

Invest in Verite And Other Collectible Wines Through Vinovest

Vinovest is a wine investment firm that buys, authenticates, and stores your wine for you as they mature. You can also access your wines online or in real life anytime from anywhere.

How Does It Work?

Investing with Vinovest is very easy and can be done in four simple steps - while you sip a glass of Champagne cocktail or Kir Royale!

Create an account with your name, email ID, and password.

Step 2: Fill Out the Questionnaire

Fill a short questionnaire to help their wine experts understand your wine investing style. Based on your choices, Vinovest will recommend wines that you can buy.

Step 3: Fund Your Account

Add a minimum of $1000 to your account.

Step 4: Create a Customized Portfolio

Vinovest’s algorithm will suggest investment wines to you. And you can access the wine’s details easily in a few clicks. Create your portfolio, sit back, and watch it grow!

Benefits of Using Vinovest

Vinovest offers other benefits besides helping you select the best wines for your portfolio.

1. Easy Buying and Selling

You can buy and sell the finest and rarest wines of all time in a few clicks using the artificial- intelligence based platform. This way, you have the ultimate liberty to purchase and sell your wine with guidance from wine experts.

2. Best Prices

Vinovest helps you buy wines directly from winemakers (or top wineries), global wine exchanges, and trusted wine merchants at the best below-retail prices.

3. Curated Portfolio

Vinovest has a team of world-class sommeliers and data scientists to help you build a portfolio of investment-grade wines.

4. Optimal Storage and Safety

Vinovest stores your precious Pomerol Wine, Pauillac, or Pinot Noir bottle and other wines safely and strategically next to major wine-growing regions. Your wines will be stored under optimal light, humidity, vibration, and temperature.

5. Comprehensive Insurance and Security

Vinovest monitors your Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Barbera D’Asti, and other wines 24/7. They have power back-ups to maintain the required climate in case the primary method fails. They also offer a full insurance policy at market value which is almost like a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for your wines.

6. Low Overall Costs

You’ll only have to pay a 2.85% annual fee (2.5% for a portfolio of above $50,000). This fee includes wine purchasing, fraud detection, storage, insurance, portfolio management, and selling.

7. Easy Delivery

Want to drink your Pinot Blanc or gift your Pouilly Fuisse? You just need to tell Vinovest when and where to send it. They will safely deliver your Pinot Noir and other wines to you or your buyer.

8. Deep Network

With Vinovest, you can visit an upcoming vineyard or a private sale. You can also join their Master Sommeliers in wine tasting events that host famous winemakers and the who’s-who of the wine world.

Add an Exotic French-Californian Wine To Your Cellar!

Verite wine is special due to its impeccable winemaking and unique parentage - French fruit grown on fertile Californian soil.

These Bordeaux inspired wines with their unique taste and age-ability would make the perfect addition to your collection.

So, sign up with Vinovest to buy wines from the Verite winery and other investment wines in no time!