The 2016 Patrina is a rock star and readers looking for an introduction into the Alban style should snatch it up. Blueberries, red plums, crushed flowers, and violets notes all give to a full-bodied, pure, beautifully balanced red that has silky tannins and a great finish. It's a screaming value, and the good news is that there are 1,600 cases produced.

Our vineyards are a patchwork of isolated soil types that you may recognize as Reva, Lorraine, Seymour's and Pandora (very much wines of a place). Between and in route to these well healed sites are vineyards that are not so obviously distinct. We have blended these disparate and 'disenfranchised' blocks into a single wine we call Patrina. Like the Gypsy trails from which Patrina derives its name, we hope these bottles lead you to some great merriment, or more. While the grapes for Patrina are raised with the same detail and attentiveness as the rest of our vineyards, and then fermented open top with indigenous yeast, gentle pump overs and a few punch downs once soft, it is bottled unfined and unfiltered after 'just' 22 months in barrel to preserve its youthful exuberance. All the density and concentration folks have come to expect from our reds with black and blue fruits, mineral notes, and flowers. Winemaker