2016 Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard

A great example of the vintage, the 2016 Syrah Reva is ultra-classic and displays complex olive/iodine notes along with a thrilling core of blackcurrants and blackberries, ground pepper, and loads of spice. Full-bodied, ultra-pure, and utterly seamless on the palate, it's a magical wine that I'm probably under-rating by a point. Give bottles 4-5 years and enjoy over the following 20 years or more. There are certainly no dogs in the recent vintages from John Alban – 2016, 2017, and 2018 are all brilliant vintages. At the top of the heap, the 2016s have everything: Incredible purity of fruit, flawless balance, and power paired with considerable elegance. These are magical wines and some of the finest I've tasted from the estate. Mostly still resting in barrel, the 2017s have big, exuberant personalities with already complex aromatics as well as plenty of structure on the palate. I was only able to taste the Patrina from 2018, but this is always a good indication of the quality from John, and it has a touch of the 2016s’ purity and elegance. I'll review the 2018s from barrel prior to release. Readers can't go wrong with any of these latest wines.

Brilliant purple. Seductive dark berry liqueur, exotic spice, potpourri and incense aromas are complemented by hints of cola, mocha and smoky minerals. Juicy, seamless and energetic on the palate, offering densely packed black and blue fruit, cherry cola, spicecake and violet pastille flavors that show sharp delineation and spread out as the wine opens up. Velvety tannins lend shape to a strikingly long, penetrating finish that shows intense dark-berry- and spice-driven tenacity.