Gerard Depardieu Ma Verite 2002, Haut Medoc
(photo source: Google; a younger Depardieu)
A matured bottle of wine that is in the midst of its ideal drinking window, this 2002 vintage from Haut-Médoc is a wonderfully drinkable. When actor-owner Gerard Depardieu says he could drink 14 bottles of wine in a day, he probably means this!
Ma Verite(literally My Truth, but whose and what truth?)2002 is made from 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 10% Petit Verdot. Nose and taste like a Merlot-driven wine, this shows some rich fruit(blackberry primarily), chocolate, tobacco, bread, coffee notes, and is primarily a wine in the modern style for the contemporary market in similar veins as Bernard Magrey's famous Pape Clement, La Tour Carnet, Fombrauge, Haut Peyraguey. While this Ma Verite 2002 lacks some acidity and freshness by now, it tastes of the wine is full, balanced, with good structure, developed tannins and a long finish(over 10 seconds of consistent fruit on the palate). It uses 30-year-old vines, and only 6,000 bottles made.
It is indeed a big, garage wine, displaying skills in blending(across communes), raising grapes(corp thinning, grape selection), old style making with organic element(cows poo). There are quite some good comments. For example: Decanter, Vivino and Parker et al. as follows:
89-91 Wine Advocate Well-known actor Gerard Depardieu is producing this garage wine with the assistance of Bernard Magrez (the proprietor Pape-Clement). Crop thinning was accomplished at 2-3 bunches of grapes per vine in this 5-acre vineyard planted with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 10% Petit Verdot. This terrific 2002 should merit a 90-point score after bottling. It possesses great fruit in addition to a big, spicy, cedary nose with background toasty oak. Opulent, layered, and multidimensional, with tremendous fruit and intensity as well as seamlessly integrated tannin, it’s a shame there is not more available. It proves what can be done in the Haut-Medoc from a draconian selection as well as conservative viticultural and winemaking techniques.
