The 2019 La Muse offers the purity and layering of the best 2019s from Sonoma County. The nose opens with generous aromas of mushroom, underbrush, licorice and garrigue complementing a core of Morello cherry. The medium to full-bodied palate is silky and plush with pixelated tannins. Its fruit is still somewhat coiled, driven by graphite tones at this stage, although it offers plenty of refreshing acidity that gives a weightless, ethereal feel to the fragrant finish. It deserves several more years in bottle to unwind.

90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec . Lots of sweet blackcurrant and roasted cherry fruit on the nose here, there are even hints of brown banana together with baking spices. Rounded and soft, this is often the most ‘ Californian ’ of the three Vérité wines, and so it proves this year. Despite this, there is ample, chalky depth and a tightening on the finish. It should improve with time. (TP)