La Sirena, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

This is a Heidi Barrett Cabernet Sauvignon, which is to say that expectations run high, because Barrett is one of the most renowned Cabernet winemakers in California.  La Sirena is her own winery, lower key in reputation than the famous cult brands she has produced, but the wine she makes here does not disappoint.  Some tasters will swoon over the aromas and flavors of this wine (she describes them as wild blackberry, black cherry, currants, fresh roasted espresso beans and spice) while others will marvel at the wine’s structure and character — velvety in texture, rich in presence, quietly powerful with as much depth as it has length, a fluid drive across your palate that simply does not stop even when the wine is long swallowed.  This is one of those wines that causes you to believe that great wine is somehow mystical.  Give it air, give it your attention.  A blend of 87 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc at 7.3, 3.7 and 2 percent, respectively.