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1996
CABERNET
SAUVIGNON
This wine was the first release of
Cabernet from La Sirena. Cabernet is what I do best
and am best known for so I was particularly excited
about this release.
Just the
Facts:
- Tiny production of only 225 cases ( 750 ml.
bottles), 5 cases hand painted etched magnums, 6
3L, 2 6L - that's it!
- Grapes are from our vineyard in Calistoga at
the foot of Mt. St. Helena.
- Harvest Date - Sept. 14,1996( My
Birthday!-what a gift.)
- Blend is 96% Cab . Sauv.(Barrett Vineyards),
4% Cab Franc. (grapes from Showket Vineyards-
neighbors of Dalla Valle)
- Some Chemistry - 13.5% alc., T.A. 0.61, pH
3.52
- Wine is dry and has completed malo-lactic
fermentation.
- Aged in French oak barrels , about 35% new
for 21 months
- Bottling date - July 15, 1998
- Release date - August 1,1999
Tasting Notes: -
"Beautiful dark garnet in color. Has an
intense bouquet of black cherry, blackberry,
tobacco, red licorice and violets. Wonderful
complexity and layering of aromas and flavors.
Bursting with fruit on the palate of similar berry,
cherry-like character. A big but elegant wine with
lots of life and personality. Tannins are soft,
reflective of this vintage which produced many
wines that will typically be approachable earlier
than normal. One of my favorite things about this
wine is the purity of fruit from beginning to end
and that minutes later the flavors continue. A wine
that can be enjoyed now but will hang in there for
a long time with its fruit driven style."
~Heidi Peterson Barrett
Winemaker, La Sirena Wines |
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1997
CABERNET
SAUVIGNON
The second release of Cabernet Sauvignon
from La Sirena - '97 was such a spectacular
vintage.
Just the
Facts:
- Harvest Date - Sept. 9,1997
- Blend is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cab
Franc.
- Some Chemistry - 14.2% alc., T.A. 0.62, pH
3.55
- 100% French oak barrels, about 38% New
- Bottling date: July 22, 1999
- Release date: September 1, 2000
- Tiny production of only 294 cases (750 ml.
bottles), 15 cases hand- painted, etched
magnums, 6 3L, 2 6L - that's it!
Tasting
Notes: (tasted 8/14/00 by HPB) -
"The 1997 vintage was an outstanding one
producing fully ripe, deeply colored and
concentrated wines. This Cabernet shows full, deep,
dark ruby color with incredible layered aromas of
cassis, black current, and ripe Cabernet fruit,
with smokiness, briar and a touch of caramel. It's
hard to keep your nose out of this one! Fully ripe
in the mouth, the flavors are seamless and silky
from start to finish. It has a wonderful texture
and mouthfeel as well. A very enjoyable, balanced
wine that shows what a fine vintage 1997 was. A bit
bigger than the '96, still velvety but with the
volume turned up. My guess based on the structure
and balance of this wine is that it will age very
nicely, although it's pretty enticing at the
moment."
~Heidi Peterson Barrett
Winemaker, La Sirena Wines |
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1998
CABERNET
SAUVIGNON
This wine was the third release of
Cabernet Sauvignon from La Sirena. The 1998 vintage
was very late to ripen and a more challenging than
usual vintage for winemakers. We had a long cool
growing season and what we needed in the fall was
warm weather, two weeks to complete the ripening
process. That's exactly what we got!
Just the
Facts:
- Harvest Date - Oct. 14,1998 (5 weeks later
than the '97)
- Blend is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon (Calistoga),
2% Cab Franc (Oakville).
- Some Chemistry - 13.98% alc., T.A. 0.56, pH
3.58
- 100% French oak barrels, about 38% new
- Bottling date: July 12, 2000
- Release date: September 1, 2001
- Tiny production of only 376 cases (750 ml.
bottles), 20 cases hand- painted, etched
magnums, 6 3L, 2 6L - that's it!
Tasting
Notes: (tasted 8/15/01 by HPB) -
"The 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon is very deep, ruby red
in color. It shows fully ripe fruit, black cherry
and cassis in the nose with spicy, smoky layered
tones. A very complete, well structured wine in the
mouth. Ripe and rich, the balance is quite seamless
and silky from start to finish. Flavors are similar
to the aromas; black fruits, cherry, berry, and
cassis accented with subtle sweet toasty oak notes.
Lots going on here. The wine grows in the glass
over time (usually a good indicator of ageability).
This is the kind of wine that made Napa Valley so
world famous for Cabernet. I think it's
delicious!"
~Heidi Peterson Barrett
Winemaker, La Sirena Wines |
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1999
CABERNET
SAUVIGNON
This wine was the fourth release of
Cabernet Sauvignon from La Sirena. The 1999 vintage
was very late to ripen (2nd year in a row) and
produced a very light crop. It is a great vintage,
one of the best of the awesome 90's decade. We had
a long cool growing season with a burst of heat
during harvest resulting in a frenzy of picking.
The wines we made are big, with deep concentrated
fruit flavors and elegant balance.
Just the
Facts:
- Harvest Date - Oct. 11,1999
- Blend is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon (Calistoga),
2% Cab Franc (Oakville).
- Some Chemistry- 14.8% alc.,T.A. 0.61, pH
3.57
- 100% French oak barrels, 35-40% new, 22
months in barrel
- Bottling date: August 8, 2001
- Release date: September 1, 2002
- Production of only 575 cs. (750 ml.
bottles), 25 cs. hand-painted, etched, gold leaf
1.5L
Tasting
Notes: (tasted 6/0502 by HPB) -
"The 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon is very deep, ruby
red in color &endash; classic beautiful Cabernet.
The nose is of fully ripe fruit, lots of berry and
black cherry tones layered with sweet and smokey
french oak. The flavors match the aromas. The
mouthfeel is big and round, tons of fruit and
power. It is super ripe and concentrated but
without the hot finish you can get in a hi-alc.
wine. This is a big Napa Valley Cab. Extended
flavors make a long lasting impression. A very
balanced elegant wine, super enjoyable, easy to
drink. Will certainly be enjoyable upon release as
always, but can be further enhanced with a bit more
time in bottle. This is the kind of wine that has
made Napa Valley so world famous for it's Cabernet.
I hope you enjoy drinking it as much as I did
making it!"
~Heidi Peterson Barrett
Winemaker, La Sirena Wines |
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2000
CABERNET
SAUVIGNON
This wine is the fifth release of
Cabernet Sauvignon from La Sirena. The 2000 vintage
was somewhat early ripening with low yields that
generally produced some very elegantly structured
wines. The wines are delicious and won't
necessarily require as much bottle age to be
enjoyed.
Just the
Facts:
- Harvest Date - September 21, 2000
- Blend is 98% Cabernet Sauvignon (Calistoga),
2% Cab Franc (Oakville).
- Some Chemistry- 14.6% alc., T.A. 0.58, pH
3.68
- 100% French oak barrels, about 38% new for
22 months
- Bottling date: July 23, 2002
- Release date: September 1, 2003
- Tiny production of only 496 cs. (750 ml.
bottles), 20 cs. hand-painted, etched, gold leaf
magnums, 8 3L,2 6L- that's it!
Tasting Notes:
(tasted 7/9/03 by HPB) - This
wine shows deep ruby color as in past vintages. The
nose is quite open and expresses black cherry and
wild, brambly berry aromas layered with sweet,
toasty French oak. The wine is very soft and round
in the mouth with a supple, elegant tannin
structure. Flavors mirror the aromas with lovely
ripe fruit and moderate use of oak for complexity.
The overall balance is quite seamless with a
satiny, silky finish. This wine showed a lot of
charm right off the bottling line. It is a nicely
balanced wine with lots of flavor and elegance,
easy to enjoy now and over the next ten years or
so. Salut!
~Heidi Peterson Barrett
Winemaker, La Sirena Wines |
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2000
NAPA VALLEY SYRAH
This was the first
offering of La Sirena Syrah! I have to say that I
have been a fan of Syrah and Rhone wines for many
years so I am thrilled to get to work with this
variety. Even in a challenging cool year like 2000,
this variety is a pleasure to make. It seems to do
great in a range of growing regions, soil types,
and climates.
Just the
Facts:
- Harvest Date - Oct. 9,
2000
- Blend is 100% Syrah,
grapes from the eastern Napa Valley hills near
Lake Hennessy
- Some Chemistry- 13.8%
alc., T.A. 0.62, pH 3.71
- 100% French oak
barrels, 40% new, 19 months in
barrel
- Bottling date: May 31,
2002
- Release date: November
15th, 2002
- Tiny production of
only 252 cases (750 ml. bottles), 25 cases
magnums, 18 3L
Tasting
Notes: (Tasted 11/11/02 by HPB) -
"The 2000 Syrah is a
beautiful ruby red color. It is fragrant and spicy
in the nose with plenty of ripe fruit character. It
has a somewhat smoky, meaty aroma with a hint of
white pepper (things you hope for in Syrah!) This
wine is round and silky, yet lively in the mouth.
The flavors are similar to the aromas with fruit
character of plum and dried black cherry. It shows
a fairly pure expression of varietal Syrah fruit.
The balance is very good with a nice textural
finish. It should drink well with a vast array of
delicious dishes. A very easy to drink, enjoyable
wine. Cheers!"
~Heidi Peterson Barrett
Winemaker, La Sirena Wines |
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2001
NAPA VALLEY SYRAH
This is the second offering of La Sirena
Syrah! What a wonderful vintage we had in 2001.
This variety is a pleasure to work with since I
have been a fan of Syrah and Rhone wines for many
years. I started working with a combination of Napa
Valley and Santa Ynez fruit in 2001. It seems to do
great in a range of growing regions, soil types,
and climates. The wines definitely complement each
other in this Syrah blend.
Just the
Facts:
- Harvest Date - Sept 8, 2001Napa Valley, Oct
5, 2001 Santa Ynez
- Blend is 100% Syrah, 85% eastern Napa Valley
hillside,15%Santa Ynez
- Some Chemistry- 14.5% alc., T.A. 0.64, pH
3.82
- 100% French oak, 40% new, 21 months in
barrel, variety of coopers
- Bottling date: June 3, 2003
- Release date: February 1, 2004
- Production of 234 cs. (750 ml. btls), 15 cs.
magnums, 10 3L btls. (Not much to go
around!)
Tasting
Notes: (Tasted 1/26/04 by HPB):
"The 2001 Syrah is a beautiful ruby color. It is
fragrant and spicy in the nose with plenty of dense
ripe fruit character. It exhibits ripe plum, red
licorice, and some enticing deep earth tones in the
nose. This wine is round and silky and a bit more
dense and rich than the delicious 2000. The flavors
are similar to the aromas with fruit character of
plum and dried black cherry. It shows a fairly pure
expression of varietal Syrah fruit, great balance
and texture."
~Heidi Peterson Barrett
Winemaker, La Sirena Wines |
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2003
NAPA VALLEY SYRAH
This is the fourth offering of Napa Valley Syrah from La Sirena.
I make Syrah from both Napa Valley and Santa Ynez grapes and find the fruit to be quite distinct by region so I decided to bottle them separately to show off their regional characteristics. The variety seems to do great in a range of growing regions, soil types, and climates and is a pleasure to work with since I have been a fan of Syrah and Rhone wines for many years. It simply makes delicious wine!
Just the
Facts:
- Harvest Date - Oct 14, 2003
- Blend is 100% Syrah (eastern hills of St.
Helena)
- Some Chemistry - 15.2% alc., T.A. 0.62, pH
3.85
- 100% French oak barrels, 40% new for 22
months
- Bottling date: May 25, 2005
- Release date: Oct 1, 2006
- Production of 750 cs. (750 ml. bottles), 20
cs. 1.5L Magnums, (12) 3L double magnums
Winemaker Tasting Notes: (tasted 9/6/06 by HPB)
Deep garnet in color, this is a beautiful wine. Aromas are of ripe plum, spice, white pepper, and cedar with some classic Syrah smoked meat tones. A pure expression of the variety grown in the Napa Valley. On the palate, it is very luxurious, super round, silky, rich and mouth-filling. The flavors echo the aromas with layers of black fruits and spice, great texture and wonderful balance. This wine has it all!
Robert Parker Says:
"Barrett does a superb job with Syrah, and there are now two bottlings from La Sirena. The 2003 Syrah Napa displays a roasted, scorched earth character along with sweet blackberry fruit, licorice and pepper. Opulent, thick, juicy, and impressively endowed, it should last even longer than the 2002." 93 pts |
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