Tobin Trevarthen

9.1

A lovely Julian Fayard produces wine. Cab, Petit Verdot and Syrah. Smooth and silky. Rose and lavender pedals to the nose. Red Fruit with boysenberry and caramel flavor popping through on the finish. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

On the nose; dark cassis in a slight candied or syrupy style. Hint of smoke, nicely soft layered baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon, light clove & star anise. Boysenberries, blueberries, blackberries, black raspberries, black plums and plums with violets, lavender, and dark fresh florals.

The body is medium full. The tannins are soft and round. Boysenberries, blueberries, blackberries, black raspberries, black plums and plum, hint of smoke, nicely soft layered baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon, light clove. Star anise, dark medium spices dry crushed rocks, limestone, suede leather, violets, lavender, and dark fresh florals. The acidity is beautiful. The long finish is juicy, balanced, well polished, elegant and last minutes. Very easy to drink now but, 5-7 years patience will be rewarded.

Purlieu means, “the edge of the forest” or “an outlying area.”

Photos of, Coombsville Vineyard, Winemaker Julien Fayard tasting the wine in barrel, their beautiful Cabernet fruit and their new winemaking facilities. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.4

Julien Fayard, winemaker for Covert Estate, Azur, Taplin Cellars, Matthew Wallace and more, stopped by Fort Worth tonight to showcase a few different wines. A pleasure to meet and share wines with!

This was fun to taste alongside the Matthew Wallace. Two very different AVAs (this being Coombsville, MW being Stag’s Leap). Both had similarities in dark fruit being the most dominant, but this had much more “cool” fruit notes as well as stone and graphite. This wine showed an immense amount of freshly squeezed blackberries on the mid-palate with cedar and mint. At 5-years old, it still shows as a baby with the tannic finish. Long decant necessary.

I was able to visit this property back in ‘16 and the caves and tasting room and drop dead gorgeous...some of the most beautiful I’ve come across. Entire line-up is very solid. — 7 years ago

with Benjamin and Weston

Ron Haber

9.4

Julien Fayard is a pro. Soft, elegant with lingering flavors holding up to steak and eggplant. A wonderful expression of a 15.1% alcohol wine that is soooo balanced — 8 years ago

Mac Hofeditz

9.2

Great wine small batches — 9 years ago

Carl Fischer

9.5

Such a great wine. If you like big, fruit-forward, silky wines that punch well above their price point this is one for you. Lots of berries and vanilla on the nose, lush black and red fruit, hint of minerality, sweet tannins with a long finish. Made by Julien Fayard (winemaker at Purlieu - another great wine), this **easily** holds its own with wines costing 2x as much. — 9 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.0

Dark ruby red. Dark spices on the nose with black currants, graphite, spices and black raspberries. Medium tannins (6/10) and medium plus bodied. A little savory on the palate with dark berries, mulberries, bark and minerality. Medium plus finish. Drink till 2025.


Thanks Drew, David and Allison for the spectacular service at RARE, cannot wait for our next visit. This bottling is the second label for Purlieu Wines made by Julien Fayard.

$$ - Purchased at RARE Steakhouse in Washington, DC for $135.00. Retail price is around $57.00. #restaurantweek #raresteakhouse #purlieuwines #cabernetsauvignon #redwine #washingtondc — 6 years ago

with Sean and India

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

This is Purlieu’s sister winery. We were the second tasting given in their new facilities just on the edge of Napa as you approach from American Canyon.

We started our visit with a splash of their 17 Sauvignon Blanc as we toured their new facilities.

A hybrid of tropical & dry style. It has understated tropicals of mango, pineapple, white citrus, peach, cut grass, round acidity and nicely polished finish.

Photos of, their lobby, labels of the assorted different producers that make their wines there and their tasting bar.

For those of you not familiar with Le Pich, I took this from their site...Le Pich, which is the Wappo Indian term for "golden eagle," is the sister label of Napa Valley's esteemed Purlieu Wines. The wines are crafted by rising star winemaker Julien Fayard. Originally from France, Julien has lived in the Napa Valley since 2006, when he and his wife agreed to settle down by “meeting halfway” — between his home in France… and hers in Sonoma. In France, Julien worked in both Provence and Bordeaux, where he defined his core winemaking style at the exalted first growth Château Lafite-Rothschild (he even lived in Lafite’s grand château for a period) as well as at Smith Haut Lafitte. In Napa, Julien worked at Quintessa before joining Atelier Melka, where he spent five years as the Director of Winemaking. He has worked with the likes of Lail Vineyards, Gemstone, Dalla Valle, and more and his Le Pich wines are some of the best values we've found in Napa Valley. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.2

Julien Fayard, winemaker for Covert Estate, Azur, Taplin Cellars, Matthew Wallace and more, stopped by Fort Worth tonight to showcase a few different wines. A pleasure to meet and share wines with!

Without a doubt a nod to Julien’s upbringing. Very Provençal with little acid, salmon colored in the glass. Strawberry, peach and stone driven on the palate. — 7 years ago

with Weston and Benjamin

Tom Dare

9.0

2012 very floral at first, then opens up to more butterscotch notes. Well worth aging for a few years. — 8 years ago

Carl Fischer

9.2

This wine is new to me thanks to the folks at 750. Made by Julien Fayard, the nose is full of cherries, lead and a touch of menthol. The palate is rich with concentrated flavors of cherries dominating. The tannins are strong but balanced by nice acidity. Would have guessed in the 125/150 a bottle range (it's around 65). — 8 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.2

Top notch RRV Chardonnay from Julien Fayard in its prime. Tropically buttered toast. Round and rich Love it, thanks Bert and Rachel. — 9 years ago

with Rachel

Kristi Devine

9.5

Approachable, smooth, sumptuous and enticing. Gotta love a Julien Fayard Blend — 10 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

The nose reveals ripe, dark currants. Blackberries, black raspberries, boysenberries, black plum, plum and baked strawberries. Nice soft dark, spice, steeped black fruit tea, limestone, anise, light eucalyptus/mint, slight dark fruit liqueur notes, vanilla, cinnamon, clove with blue/purple flowers.

The body is full. The tannins are big but, soft, rounded, tarry and sticky. All three vintages drink easily young, yet will cellar 10-15 plus years. Ripe, dark currants. Blackberries, black raspberries, boysenberries, black plum, plum and baked strawberries. Nice soft dark, spice, steeped black fruit tea, limestone, anise, light eucalyptus/mint, slight dark fruit liqueur notes, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, dry top soil, dry crushed rocks, soft leather notes, saddle-wood limestone minerals, with blue/purple flowers. The acidity is round and nicely executed. The finish is big, well balanced, lush, elegant and last minutes.

Photos of, Teucer vineyard in Coombsville, Winemaker Julien Fayard, new tasting bar on the southern border of Napa and winemaking facility. — 7 years ago

David Friedman

9.7

Omg is this drinking well. Sumptuous and silky. Julien Fayard killed it with this one! Get some! — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.3

Julien Fayard, winemaker for Covert Estate, Azur, Taplin Cellars, Matthew Wallace and more, stopped by Fort Worth tonight to showcase a few different wines. A pleasure to meet and share wines with!

I enjoyed tasting this and the Taplin Reserve side by side. Both wines are more red and black fruit driven. The Terra 9 wins the QPR award. Lots of cherries, black cherry, dark chocolate, blackberries and mocha. This could be pop and pour, but is best with 30mins-1hr of air. — 7 years ago

with Benjamin and Weston

Carl Fischer

9.2

While I’ve greatly enjoyed their Terra 9 label, this is my first time trying their estate wine made by Julien Fayard. There are tons of red fruits on the entry, which are balanced by baking spice and a touch of minerality. Very smooth on the entry and finish. Moderate acidity. Very good now but will likely be better in 2-3 years. Decanted for 2 hours. — 7 years ago

Ron Haber

9.5

2012 Cabernet. Julien Fayard strikes again. Soft, round, elegant-sipping each taste slowly to conjure up the flavors in the back palate. — 8 years ago

dan boedeker

9.2

A good representative Cab Franc with lots of fruit, oak, spice. Built to age but was really approachable young. Happened upon this bottle by accident but from Nicholas Jones wine group and winemaker Julian Fayard. Would buy again especially at price point $25. 180 cases made — 9 years ago

Derek Hearst

9.4

Cool find! This is a fantastic Julien Fayard made wine from Nicholson Jones. The wine has lots of leather both on the nose and palate. The nose gives a nice herb bouquet, but the palate has strong sage and eucalyptus. It ends with a crazy burnt sugar note on the finish. All the while, the fruit shows extremely well. Wow, this is a very complex, well structured wine. — 9 years ago