The 2009 Grenache explodes from the glass with layers of silky, expressive fruit. Most of the wine’s charms are in its up-front, juicy personality. Overall, I find a little less complexity and length than in the 2008, but some of that may be because the wine was only bottled four weeks before this tasting. There is an immediacy in the 2009 that should allow it to drink well upon release. 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 Viognier is very fresh, with loads of honeyed peach and apricot as well as some exotic lychee and floral notes. The wine has good acidity and medium to full body, with more minerality than most California Viogniers. (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