2018 La Sirena Pirate TreasuRed, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

This is a fun wine from a "pirate" themed bottle. It is a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Grenache, Petite Sirah and Cab Franc. Purple/ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose is nice with black cherries, black raspberries, some plums, gravel, vanilla and spice. Medium to full bodied. Plush texture. Medium tannins. On the palate, this has some varietal complexity. Some depth. Easy drinking. Flavors of black cherries, black raspberries and plums. Good finish. A nice wine on its own, this worked well with a variety of home made pizzas. Seems at peak right now but should go another few years.

Grade:

Score:

Vintage:

2018

Current Price:

$65.00USD

Napa Valley’s Top Ten "Best Kept Secret" Wineries

BEST OFF-THE-BEATEN-PATH NAPA TASTING ROOMS After having visited numerous renowned wineries, many of us are looking for the hidden gems within the Napa Valley. Good wines are certainly valued, but the entire experience a winery provides leaves guests wanting to return and telling their friends and family to visit. Each winery listed in this article has some special draw, whether it’s art, architecture, ambiance, gardens or compelling history.

Read full article

Top 75 California Wines to Try Before You Quit Drinking (a non-dump bucket list if you will!)

In my last article, I listed the Top 75 French Wines to Try Before You Quit Drinking . In this article I look at the “non-dump bucket” list for wines from California. This proved to be a different task. First, very few wineries have a long track record of making great wine. Secondly, while California is diverse, it does not have the diversity of climates and terroir and grape varietals of France. Still, it does produce some of the best wines in the world and any wine lover should make it a point to try as many of them as they can. Here is my list: 1. Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon – It’s hard to pick the first wine. This one is a great wine in every vintage and has been for a long time. Expensive but still possible to afford and made in large enough quantities to be found in grocery stores. Every lover of Cabernet should try this once.

Read full article

50 California Central Coast Wines You Should Be Drinking Right Now

The California Central Coast, identified as Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo (and its main wine region Paso Robles) and Monterey is California the way it used to be, or at the very least, California the way people want it to be: small towns, charming architecture, varied history of Missions and Indians, and coastlines for miles; a slow pace, clean air and a belief that no one real really works very hard. But the area has been home to grape growing since the Spanish brought vine cuttings from Spain via Mexico in the late 1700s and winemakers and vineyard managers have been working hard ever since. To celebrate this beautiful region IntoWine.com offers these 50 wines that represent the diversity of the California Central Coast.

Read full article

Top Napa Cabernet Sauvignon - 2019 Tastings

The top Cabernet Sauvignon tasted and reviewed by Loren Sonkin in 2019.

Read full article

2008 Hospice du Rhone Events: Highs & Lows of American Rhone-style Wines Tasted

The Rhone Report: About Rhone and Rhone-Style Wines and Winemakers is part of an ongoing series. The 16th annual Hospice du Rhone events in Paso Robles, California from May 1 to 3, 2008 was an opportunity to consider Rhone-style wines from a fresh perspective. Unlike most tasting opportunities, these events included Rhone-style wines from the Rhone Valley itself (51 wineries), elsewhere in France (4 wineries) as well as from Spain (4 wineries), Australia (17 wineries), South Africa (6 wineries), Chile (2 wineries), Argentina (1 winery) and the United States. The American wines were mostly from California (144 wineries), but a few examples from Arizona (2 wineries) and Washington State (5 wineries) were also included. While this is a California-dominated event, and while many of the Rhone Valley’s best producers aren’t represented, there is still sufficient European and other entries to make for interesting comparisons and contrasts. The events included two general tastings and a series of focused seminars.

Read full article

2018 La Sirena Pirate TreasuRed, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Food and Wine Pairing Tool

Related Articles

Napa Valley’s Top Ten "Best Kept Secret" Wineries

Top 75 California Wines to Try Before You Quit Drinking (a non-dump bucket list if you will!)

50 California Central Coast Wines You Should Be Drinking Right Now

Top Napa Cabernet Sauvignon - 2019 Tastings

2008 Hospice du Rhone Events: Highs & Lows of American Rhone-style Wines Tasted