Alban Vineyards Patrina Syrah, Edna Valley, USA

奧爾本帕瑞納西拉干紅葡萄酒

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Readers looking for an alternative to the higher-priced and harder to find wines in this lineup should focus on the 2009 Patrina. As I noted last year, the Patrina is a new Syrah made from parcels that have never been used for Reva, Lorraine or Seymour’s. The 2009 is a gorgeous, classy wine that captures the essence of the Alban house style. Sweet red cherries, flowers and mint are some of the many notes that flow from this impeccable, silky and polished Syrah. Today, the 2009 is accessible, open and even more beautiful than it was from barrel. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. This is a fabulous set of wines from John and Lorraine Alban. Quite simply, I was blown away by what I tasted. As I noted last year, the whites are increasingly made in a more energetic style, not a bad thing as the fruit is already so expressive from the start. Over the years, a similar evolution has taken place with the reds. The inky, black color of the Syrahs is now gone. Today, Alban favors lengthy barrel aging for his top reds, a technique he compares to “braising” in cooking, which requires softer and gentler fermentations at the outset. Beginning around 2006, Alban started doing fewer pump overs and in general encourages longer, slower fermentations. The wines used to go into barrel with some sugar still left to ferment, while today they go in drier than in the past. Over the years, new oak levels have also come down. Most of the current releases are 2008s, a vintage Alban describes as characterized by a spring frost, drought and cloudy days with less heat and sunlight than is typically the case. Readers may want to check out my video interview with John Alban for more on current and upcoming vintages. Tel. (805) 546-0305; www.albanvineyards.com

The 2009 Syrah Patrina is a new wine made from parcels that have never been used for Reva, Lorraine or Seymour's. The parcels are an assortment of younger vineyards and plots that were previously under contract when Alban sold fruit to other growers. It is a gorgeous, inviting wine laced with expressive aromatics and layers of supple, generous fruit. The radiance of the vintage is on full display. This is a great introduction to the house style, and should also drink well upon release. Alban plans to give the Patrina 24-25 months in French oak. At $48.00 a bottle the Patrina will be the least expensive wine in the Alban range. The Patrina will be sold through standard distribution channels rather than through the mailing list. It offers a rare and affordable glimpse into the craft of one of the Central Coast's most enduring pioneers of Rhone varieties. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020. My visit with John and Lorraine Alban and winemaker Glenn Skrabanik was a highlight of the ten days I spent in the Central Coast. I tasted all of the 2008s and 2009 reds from barrel, plus the 2007s from bottle. Those lucky enough to visit the winery won-t see barrels ordered by conventional numbers, rather each series of barrels carries the names of thematic categories such as Kentucky Derby winners, Academy Award winners, etc. It is fair to say no one has done more for the Rhone Ranger movement in this country than John Alban. First and foremost, the Alban wines have led the way in terms of quality for many years. A founder of the hugely successful Hospice du Rhone, Alban has also planted and developed a number of clones that bear his name and that are used widely throughout California. For most of his early years Alban was forced to sell fruit from his property and rent out portions of his winery as a custom crush facility to make ends meet. Amazingly, after all these years 2011 is the first vintage in which Alban is not selling fruit and is vinifying only his own wines. Readers will find no shortage of compelling wines in vintages 2007-2009. The 2007s are big, powerful wines that show the opulence and weight of the year. Vintage 2007 was the first of three drought years that followed the generous 2005 and 2006 harvests. Alban gave his three top Syrahs a whopping 44 months in 100% new oak barrels. The 2008s are the product of a season marked by a spring frost. A blast of heat followed over Memorial Day, but the rest of the summer was relatively cool, with little sunlight because of the forest fires that year. As great as the 2007s are, I found myself equally drawn to the 2008s for their greater delineation and complex, multi-dimensional personalities. The 2009s are warm, radiant wines with silky, forward fruit and highly expressive aromatics. The 2008s and 2009s are still in barrel, though, so there is plenty of time to follow their evolution.Tel. (805) 546- 0305; www.albanvineyards.com