(14.2% alcohol; 64% cabernet franc, 24% merlot, 8% cabernet sauvignon and 4% malbec): Bright, deep ruby. Seriously dark aromas of cassis, violet, bitter chocolate and espresso. Hugely rich and ripe but with uncanny energy and definition to the flavors of black raspberry and musky bitter chocolate. This has the density of a top vintage of Chateau Ausone. Finishes with a boatload of ripe tannins that are buffered by the wine's palate-staining fruit. Another monument in the making.

The 2012 Le Desir has a medium garnet color and woodsy, musky scents of mossy bark, fir needles and desiccated flowers. The palate has firm, velvety tannins, unexpectedly bright currant fruit and a long, tobacco-laced finish. I would be inclined to drink this over the next 5 to 7+ years.

Verité's 2012 Le Desir is huge and bombastic today. The 2012 has the highest percentage of Cabernet Franc of any of the three vintages in this tasting, which may be the reason it comes across as not fully put together at this stage. The aromatics are nowhere near expressive at this stage, instead, what stands out is the intensity and primary quality of the fruit, along with the wine's dense, full-bodied personality. Time is going to be of the essence with the 2012.

64% Cabernet Franc, 24% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec. Fruit from Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill, Bennett Valley, Knights Valley. Harvest 13 September to 5 October. Aged 15 months in 100% new French oak. There will be no 2020 release, so Vérité are instead offering three-bottle verticals of 2019, 2015 and 2012. Still impressively youthful at the core with plush ripe fruit. The tannins are just as youthful, providing a chalky backbone against seductive black fruit. This is very smooth and now delicious to drink, melding fruit and spice together. Another excellent expression of Cabernet Franc. (TP)

The 2012 Le Desir (64% Cabernet Franc, 24% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Malbec) reminds me of a young vintage of Ausone, such as 2005. The wine has amazing minerality and an explosive blueberry nose intermixed with blackberries, new saddle leather, charcoal and camphor. It is full-bodied, with espresso notes emerging on the palate. There are 1,900 cases of this super-endowed, prodigious wine that should drink well for 35-40 years. How fun it would be for mega-millionaires to put this in a blind tasting of a great vintage of Ausone in 10, 20 or 30 years from now.