Tasting Notes
"A blend comprised primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon that is articulate and powerful, La Joie expresses the richness and depth of a Pauillac-style wine. The 2004 La Joie is a dark to opaque ruby color. It has a powerful and youthful nose, very Bordeaux-like with distinct dark currant, blackberry, and cassis aromas, complemented by notes of anise, violets, graphite, and gravel. On the palate, it is also a powerful wine possessing rich, dense, full-bodied flavors of blackberry and dark plum with hints of new leather, and an interesting combination of dark earth and minerals. It’s a very succulent wine with a velvet texture, firm tannins, and a strong finish." - Pierre Seillan, Vigneron

Acclaim
94+ Points - International Wine Cellar, Stephen Tanzer, May 2007
"Bright ruby-red. Black and blue fruits complicated by licorice, minerals and fresh herbs on the nose. Rich, broad, lush and full, even if it conveys less easy sweetness and personality today than the Muse (but then this is Seillan's Pauillac-style blend). Best today on the sensational back half, which features a major coating of suave tannins and an extremely long, aromatic finish that reverberates with subtle floral tones. Interestingly, this cabernet-based wine has a higher pH than the merlot-based Muse: 3.78 vs. 3.64."

93 Points - The Wine Advocate, Robert M. Parker, Jr., December 2006
"The 2004 La Joie, which is sourced from the same areas as La Muse, is usually composed of 70% or more Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc. This pauillac-like effort is more tannic, structured, and masculine, offering hints of forest floor intermixed with smoke, seaweed, black currants, scorched earth, graphite, chocolate, and coffee. Powerful, big, and back-strapping, it is atypical for a 2004 given its structure and brooding character. Cellar it for 2-4 years and consume it over the following 15 or more."

Specifics
Composition: 65.65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19.65% Merlot, 9.8% Cabernet Franc, 4.9% Petit Verdot
Source: 100% Sonoma County
Oak: 16 months barrel aging in 100% New French oak
Alcohol: 14.3%
TA: 0.57
pH 3.71