2006 Alban Syrah Lorraine Estate
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Utterly classic and one of the most profound wines I’ve been able to taste coming out of California, the 2006 Alban Vineyards Syrah Lorraine, from sandy soils (this estate’s cuvees are driven by soil types) and aged for close to 4 years in French oak, delivers a jaw dropping bouquet of darker styled fruits, licorice, roasted meats, and dark chocolate that gives way to more nuanced notions of spice, flowers, and even some red fruit characteristics with air. Very deep and gorgeously layered aromatically, the wine is massive on the palate with a full, rich texture that somehow stays light and fresh, impeccable balance (and even some elegance), loads of fruit, and a seriously mineral-laced finish that simply will not quit. Count yourself lucky if you’ve been able to latch on to a bottle or two of this. It’s superb now, and I don’t see that changing over the next two decades.
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Robert Parker
Jeb Dunnuck
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(16.2% alcohol) Inky purple. Knockout bouquet offers a kaleidoscopic array of red and dark berry and floral scents, with powerful complicating notes of incense, allspice, patchouli and white pepper. A dense, strikingly concentrated but lively wine that reaches every corner of the palate with sweet black raspberry, boysenberry liqueur and floral pastille flavors. Turns spicier with air, picking up an intriguing spicecake quality that carries through the focused, endless finish. This wine's blend of depth, power and energy is really something; you could actually drink it now, but it really deserves cellaring.
Named after his raven-haired Irish wife, the 2006 Syrah Lorraine, which comes from more sandy soils, is another prodigious effort. Like all of these wines, it is a remarkable wine of extraordinary intensity, with a stunning nose of blueberries, bacon fat, camphor, and even darker blackberries, along with unreal minerality and definition for a wine of this size and power. Full-bodied, with profound intensity of flavor as well as purity, this is another wine that spent nearly three and a half years in barrel prior to being bottled unfined and unfiltered. While there are 2,500 six-pack cases of the Reva, there will be only 350 six-packs of the Lorraine. (Not yet released) Released this fall, after having spent 43 months in barrel. It is a great vintage for this winery, and fortunately there are decent quantities available, since 2006 was a far more abundant vintage than the three very tiny crop years of 2007, 2008, and 2009. The Syrahs of 2007 are again extraordinary. I am sure they will continue to become more concentrated and put on weight as they spend more time in barrel. The 2008s won’t be released for another few years, so I will only give some brief comments. To reiterate, there is no 2008 Seymour’s, and production is even smaller at Alban in 2008 than it was in 2007. I tasted through barrel samples of the 2009 Grenache, Mourvedre, and several Syrah cuvees, and this appears to be a flamboyant vintage with big fruit, lots of ripeness, heady alcohol, and a soft, luscious, up-front style. The 2009s will be even more flattering and charming than the 2008s. Rhone Ranger pioneer John Alban was one of the very first to recognize the potential of France’s Rhone Valley grapes planted on California’s Central Coast. He is essentially the lone wolf in the Edna Valley, so Alban sits at the summit of quality in this region. His wines are probably the most concentrated wines of all the major wines reviewed in this report, but there is much more to them than just pure brute concentration. These are wines with extraordinary aging potential. Going through the 1999s and 2000s that I had purchased from Alban, they are still incredibly young wines, and I think it’s safe to say, these are probably among the longest-lived Rhone Ranger wines being produced in California. The exception would be the white wines, which are best drunk in their exuberant youthfulness. Alban’s 2006s will be released this fall, after having spent 43 months in barrel. It is a great vintage for this winery, and fortunately there are decent quantities available, since 2006 was a far more abundant vintage than the three very tiny crop years of 2007, 2008, and 2009. The Syrahs of 2007 are again extraordinary. I am sure they will continue to become more concentrated and put on weight as they spend more time in barrel. The 2008s won’t be released for another few years, so I will only give some brief comments. To reiterate, there is no 2008 Seymour’s, and production is even smaller at Alban in 2008 than it was in 2007. I tasted through barrel samples of the 2009 Grenache, Mourvedre, and several Syrah cuvees, and this appears to be a flamboyant vintage with big fruit, lots of ripeness, heady alcohol, and a soft, luscious, up-front style. The 2009s will be even more flattering and charming than the 2008s. Tel. (805) 546-0305; Fax (805) 546-9879
Opaque purple. Explosively perfumed nose shows strawberry and raspberry preserve and floral qualities, along with notes of Asian spices and white pepper. Deeply concentrated but energetic, offering zesty red and dark berry flavors and a strong note of candied rose. Supple tannins add shape and carry through a long, alluringly sweet finish.