Vérité was established in 1998 through the combined vision and passion of Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke, and the expertise and experience of Pierre Seillan, one of France’s most highly regarded and respected Vignerons. Pierre’s philosophy of farming vineyards involves assessing all of the factors that impact the fruit quality and determining specifically which rootstocks, varieties and clones will produce at the highest quality given the soils, aspect and micro climate factors involved. By looking at the vineyard and farming in this manner, he creates small blocks within the vineyard, some comprised of only a few rows of grapes, each representing the ideal expression of some aspect of the variety planted there. Pierre calls these blocks “microcrus.” The micro-crus are farmed, harvested and vinified separately, and from this array of distinctive flavors, Pierre blends his wines.
At Vérité, all the vineyards utilized are in the Mayacamas Range of Sonoma County, offering some of the most diverse soil types and micro climates in California, and therefore offering Pierre an exceptional palette from which to work The vineyards include Alexander Mountain Estate (Alexander Valley), Jackson Park (Bennett Valley), and Kellogg (Knights Valley). From this selection of vineyards and their various micro-crus, Pierre blends wines that express his insight into the great wines of Bordeaux:
La Muse: a merlot based wine that delivers the broad richness and depth of great Pomerol.
La Joie: a wine that is driven by cabernet sauvignon and offers the power and depth found in Pauillac.
Le Désir: a wine which expresses the enchanting aromatics and flavors of cabernet franc and is an analog to outstanding Saint Emilion wines.
This old world approach combined with a new world sensibility creates wines that go beyond the traditional concepts associated with “old” and “new” world, resulting in wines that are beyond category.
As Vigneron, Pierre’s intent is to act as the translator of the soil, seeking out the clearest message, and the most compelling voices available in any particular piece of land, and then blending these components in a way that offers layered complexity and texture that is rare. It is no wonder that given this meticulous attention to detail in farming, winemaking and blending, the wines of Vérité have received outstanding recognition as some of the finest wines produced in the world.