2014 Alban Syrah Patrina Estate

Youthful purple. Deep-pitched black and blue fruit and Indian spice aromas show very good clarity and pick up candied licorice and violet flourishes with air. Smooth and sappy in the mouth, offering sweet blackberry and cherry compote flavors and a late suggestion of cracked pepper. Supple, slow-building tannins shape a long, energetic finish that lingers with strong, fruit-driven tenacity.

The inky colored 2014 Patrina is a sensational wine and readers looking to check out the Alban style need to latch onto bottles. Cassis, blackcurrants, scorched earth, charcoal and dark chocolate all emerge from the glass, and it’s voluptuous, sexy and layered on the palate. It's as approachable as they come from John, but that still means it will keep for a decade or more. If I had to come up with a list of the greatest wine estates in the world, Alban Vineyards would certainly be in there. Readers need to understand that this estate is an anomaly, lying at the very end of the Edna Valley, and the only estate in 50+ miles making wines of this quality. Vintages here marginally track the larger Central Coast theme, yet not always. These are singular wines. John commented that he thinks 2015 is a step down over 2012, 2013 and 2014, but that it’s better than 2011. I only tasted his whites, but like everyone else in 2015, his yields were decimated, so there’s very little of these to go around. I report on the red from barrel next year. His 2014s are all terrific as well, with full-bodied, ripe, classic Alban Style. Where this estate doesn’t track with the rest of the Central Coast is with his 2013s and 2012s; in general, the 2012s are the sexier, more open-knit, and the 2013s more concentrated and structure. In John’s case, the vintages are reversed, with the 2012s showing more structure and the 2013s just packed with sweet fruit. As I’ve written in the past, for the life of me, I can’t understand why no one else in the Edna Valley tries to make wine anywhere close to this level of quality.

Inky purple. Peppery dark berry and cherry scents are complemented by suggestions of olive, dried violet and woodsmoke. Gently sweet blackberry and bitter cherry flavors gain focus and lift from peppery spice and smoky mineral qualities. The juicy, dark-fruit-driven finish repeats the olive note and is framed by silky, harmonious tannins. This could be nothing but Syrah.