Mas Sinen Negre Priorat is made from 38% Garnacha, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Carinena, 16% Syrah
Aged in 90% French, 10% American oak barrels for 12 months.
Maceration for 21 days. ML in stainless steel tanks.
Clarification with white egg and soft filtration.
The wine shows great spice and leather components, some minerality and a lot of ripe red fruits aromas as well.
This wine is certified organic.
Review:
"Dark, bright-rimmed ruby. Highly perfumed, mineral- and smoke-accented red and dark fruit preserve, baking spice and floral pastille aromas, along with hints of licorice and black tea. Gently chewy and focused on the palate, offering juicy cherry, blackberry and spicecake flavors that deepen and turn spicier as the wine opens up. Finishes impressively long and sappy, with a lingering floral nuance, well-integrated tannins and a jolt of smoky minerality. Raised in new and used barrels, 90% French and 10% American.- Josh Raynolds"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (March 2021), 93 pts
Mas Sinen Clos Priorat is made from 38% Garnacha, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Carinena, 16% Syrah.
Before the 2017 vintage, this wine was called Negre. It is the same vinification and level of excellence as the prior cuvee, but with a different name.
It's quite ripe, concentrated, powerful and oaky with black rather than red fruit and peat and graphite aromas. The palate is full-bodied with plenty of rough-hewn tannins and moderate acidity, and is in need of bottle age and/or powerful food. An XXL Priorat.
Mas Sinen La Vall Priorat is made from 57% Garnacha, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cariñena (Carignan), 9% Syrah.
This wine has a highly intense, lively vermilion red color, complex yet direct aromas with predominant ripe black and red fruits, notes of minerals and forest herbs. Flavors are strong, full and layered with round, fresh and delicate tannins.
Pairs with meat, sausage, cheese.
Mas Sinen Negre Priorat is made from 38% Garnacha, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Carinena, 16% Syrah
Aged in 90% French, 10% American oak barrels for 12 months.
Maceration for 21 days. ML in stainless steel tanks.
Clarification with white egg and soft filtration.
The wine shows great spice and leather components, some minerality and a lot of ripe red fruits aromas as well.
This wine is certified organic.
Review:
"This is a super ripe and fleshy ball of rich dark berries and plums with a super rich, long and fluid texture. Such length and depth of blackberry fruit here. Drink now."
- James Suckling (July 2019), 91 pts
Keermont Amphitheatre Red is made from 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 22% Merlot, 17% Petit Verdot, 5% Malbec and 1% Syrah.
Starting with the 2015 vintage, this new cuvée replaces the Keermont Estate Reserve. It is now the winery's flagship red blend. With this blend they aim to bring to life the nuances of both the terroir at Keermont Vineyards and the particularity of each vintage. Venetian red in color, this wine exudes complex aromas of dusty, ripe strawberry complimented by hints of baked pudding, vanilla, and sweet citrus blossom.
Review:
"The maiden 2015 Amphitheatre has an intense bouquet of dark cherries, star anise, camphor and wild heather scents, all well defined and expressive. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and fleshy ripe red fruit laced with white pepper and sage, fanning out wonderfully toward the finish. This is a beautiful maiden release, exuding breeding and class, from Alex Starey at Keermont. - Neal Martin"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2021), 95 pts
My First comment tasting this wine is "wow!" It's delicious; our flagship wine at Paradigm and it delivers. Dense, deep, ripe aromas of black berry and black cherry-like fruit layered with caramel and toastiness from a nice mix of French Oak barrels. Flavors coat the palate with matching notes in a classic Cabernet Sauvignon presentation. One of our best Cabs to date!
Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot , 1% Petit Verdot
Review:
"Owned and managed by the Harris family, Paradigm winery produced its first vintage in 1991 in Oakville with winemaker Heidi Barrett. A self-contained winery estate with 50 acres of vineyards, Paradigm maintains a hands-on approach to all winemaking and vineyard operations. The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon consists of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, and is aged in both new and used French oak for 20 months, then aged a further 20 months in bottle before release. The total production for this vintage was 5,544 bottles." Blind tasted by Dave Allen, Stephen Brook, Terry Kandylis (at Decanter Magazine's December 2019 Californian Cabernet 2015 Panel Tasting, London, 17 Sep 2019)
- Decanter 95 Points
Mas Sinen Priorat Petit Mas Sinen is made from 45% Garnacha, 30% Cariñena (also called Samsó), 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah, 5% Merlot.
Aged in oak barrels for 6 months.
Maceration for 21 days. ML in stainless steel tanks.
Clarification with white egg and soft filtration.
The wine shows great spice and leather components, some minerality and a lot of ripe red fruits aromas as well.
This wine is certified organic.
"Saturated ruby. Expressive aromas of dark berries, cherry cola, licorice and violet, plus a smoky mineral quality in the background. Sweet, deep-pitched black and blue fruit and floral pastille flavors gain weight as the wine opens up. The long, focused finish shows outstanding clarity and spicy thrust, with velvety tannins framing lingering cherry and floral pastille notes. - Josh Raynolds" - Antonio Galloni's Vinous (March 2021), 90 pts
The Mas Sinen Estate
Mas Sinen is located in the village of Poboleda, in the province of Tarragona. The winery dates back to the 19th century and has been in the family for a few generations. Mas Sinen is a beautiful estate made of stone and surrounded by the family vineyards. Today, Salvador Burgos and his wife Conxita Porta, together with their two daughters, continue the family tradition using the most modern technologies to produce high quality wine from the Priorat Denomination of Origin.
The ancient Mountainous region of Priorat incorporates nine villages of wine production. They are:
- Gratallops
- Bellmunt del Priorat
- Torroja del Priorat
- Poboleda
- Porrera
- La Morera de Montsant
- Escaladei
- La Vilella Alta
- La Vilella Baixa
- El Llorar
- El Molar
The vineyards measure 1.662,55 hectares on size or 4,106.50 acres.
Priorat is about vines per hectare and not about hectares, because the yields are so low.
The name Priorat comes from the word Priory and refers to the 12th century Carthusian Priory established in the region
The old vines in the Priorat region are almost entirely Garnacha and Carignane.
Soil type: local schist called llicorella (decomposing soil type).
Prior to 1979 very few wineries were in production and the area was becoming depopulated. The interest and revolution in Priorat was created by five wineries whose names all began with the word Clos.
1. Clos Mogador - Rene Barber - the modern day pioneer of the region
2. Clos Martinet
3. Clos de L'OBAC
4. Clos Erasmus
5. Clos Dofi - famous winemaker, Rock star and self prom Alvaro Palacios
Today many new small producers with less than 3,000 cases in production are emerging from this area.
Prices for the wines are high and Priorat along with Rioja are the two regions entitled to the highest quality designation by D.O. law: Denominacion de Origen Calificada or DOQ
Today there are 73 wineries in Priorato with new ones coming all the time.
Wines are designed to age for 10-20 years. The styles vary, but Priorat reds are normally dark colored, muscular, tannic, ripe, rich in alcohol in nature Think Chateauneuf-du-Pape from Spain with a Spanish twist.
The Mas Sinen Vineyards
The vineyards measure 15 hectares total. They are planted in terraces, in the slopes of the "Mas Sinen" mountain and are situated 300-500 meters above sea level, cultivated under organic methods. The vines are 5 to 50 years old planted to local schist called llicorella (decomposing soil type) which is typical of the Priorat region.
Avennia Sestina Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc.
The story of this wine - The Sestina is an ancient form of poetry from Medieval France. Just as a modern poet can fill this form with new expressions, Avennia uses the traditional Bordeaux blend to express Washington. Sestina is their vision for an old vine, complex blend where all of the components complement each other. This wine is designed for the cellar, so the emphasis is on structure, balance, and complexity.
Winemaker Tasting Notes - “Good deep ruby/garnet color, with aromas of black cherry, fresh black currant, dark mocha, cigar box, and graphite. The palate is lively and dense with mountain berries, mocha, vanilla honey, damp earth, and wildflowers. The finish shows a distinct chalky minerality and beautiful tension. This is a classically balanced and ageworthy Sestina. Drink 2025-2040.” - Chris Peterson, Winemaker
Review:
"The Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated release from Peterson, the 2017 Sestina comes from the Red Willow, Bacchus, and Dionysus vineyards. Rocking levels of crème de cassis, sappy herbs, violets, and cedar pencil all flow to a full-bodied, incredibly pure, polished 2017 that offers flawless balance, ripe tannins, and a great, great finish. It's more approachable than normal yet is still going to evolve for 15 to 20 years. The blend is 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, all raised 20 months in 50% new French oak."
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2020), 95 pts
The 2017 Brunello has certainly enjoyed the benefits of a careful selection in the parcels (including the Millecento vineyard). The wine has a wide nose. It maintains crisp fruit and floral notes. In the mouth it is elegant, complete and supported by an excellent acidity.
Review:
Aromas of ripe berries and plums with some flowers and nutmeg follow through to a full body with round tannins and a juicy finish. Slightly chewy, but friendly and succulent. Excellent 2017, despite the dry growing season.
-James Suckling 94 Points