Paul Lato, Matinee Syrah, Santa Barbara County, California, USA 2015

This is the second wine to Paul Lato’s Il Padrino Syrah from the famed Bien Nacido vineyard. It’s a crunchy, perfumed joy which belies its hefty alcohol to deliver a decadent, smooth and light-footed palate. Shot through with plum and mulberry there are roasted coffee and dark chocolate notes too, a splash of vanilla coming from 18 months of new oak.