Pirates Reserve Red Blend

The Pirate TreasuRed blend comes in a short, rum-like bottle (750ml) with an old treasure map for a label with burnt edges. On first glance, one might mistake this bottle for a fun gimmick wine — the type of wine where the packaging is far more interesting than the juice inside the bottle. That’s not so much the case here, even though the packaging is fairly eye-catching; even amusing. This fruit-forward wine displays a deep ruby/purple color with aromas of [predominantly baked] cherry, raspberry, cassis, anise, warm spice and toasted vanilla notes. The palate is lush, mouth-filling, and round showing dense, ripe fruit, supple tannins, low-to-middling acidity, with (just) a touch of heat on the fruit-driven lasting finish.