Sadly none of us Brits are going to California any time soon. But if you’re lucky enough to be able to afford it, the sun-soaked hills of Sonoma can be brought directly to your living room via three bottles of wine and a Zoom call with a Frenchman.
Bear with us…
If you’re a polo fan, you may already have heard of Vérité; if you’re a wine fan, you definitely will have.
This big-hitting Californian red is the official wine of the most prestigious polo club in the world – Guards Polo Club – and it’s served there in the royal box.
Fortunately, you don’t have to have royal lineage to enjoy a bottle or two. Or three.
Hedonism is offering a trio of Vérité 2014 wines – La Muse , La Joie and Le Desir – alongside a private ‘master class’ with Dimitri Mesnard MS.
The master sommelier will host a virtual tasting session to talk you through what makes these Californian wines
The master sommelier will host a virtual tasting session to talk you through what makes these Californian wines so impressive.
Mesnard cut his teeth at the two Michelin-star Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons as a sommelier, before becoming group F&B manager for the Hotel du Vin group.
A protege of both Henri Chapon MS and industry legend Gerard Basset MS MW, Mesnard is now chairman of the Court of Master Sommeliers.
He’s also the international brand ambassador for Jackson Family Wines, which includes in its stable the equally overachieving Vérité.
It’s fitting that this label’s ambassador should be French – for so is its vigneron, Pierre Seillan, and so is its philosophy.
Despite its Californian location, the grapes and the winemaking here are trés Bordelaise. Sonoma’s eastern inland appellations are warm, dry, and ideal for Bordeaux varieties, including the stalwarts of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc.
The microclimates in each of Verité’s appellations – Bennett Valley, Alexander Valley, Chalk Hill and Knights Valley – are warm enough to fully ripen red Bordeaux varieties, but cool enough to retain the natural acidity needed to make timeless, age-worthy wines.
Guards Polo Club's official wine
Dimitri Mesnard MS
To give you a little amuse bouche, here’s what you can expect to taste…
Vérité Le Desir 2014
A bouquet of blackberries, rose petals and herbs de Provence unite in the iron-rich minerality that is the varietal’s birthright.
Perfectly cultivated fruit, then harvested by micro-cru and masterfully blended, produces an intensely structured, long-lasting wine
Vérité La Muse 2014
Driven by merlot, this complex and texturally expansive wine offers notes of black fruit, violet, savoury spice, and cocoa powder.
The palate of soils resound throughout the wine, displaying exceptional balance and length.
Vérité La Joie 2014
The structure and integrity of cabernet sauvignon is on full display in this remarkably layered wine.
Cassis, tobacco box, and truffle unite in a powerful testament to the varietal.
Born in the gravelly, volcanic soils of Sonoma county, the terroir will echo from the bottle for decades to come.
The trio of Vérité 2014 - La Muse, La Joie and Le Desir - are available for £1,020 via hedonism.co.uk where you can book the virtual tasting at the same time.
