Even richer and fuller on the palate, and capable of standing toe-to-toe with the best Grenaches in the world, the 2009 Pandora checks in as a blend of 95% Grenache and 5% Syrah that was aged in 64% new French oak. Coming from a single block of pure chalk soils, its inky purple color is followed by notions of blackberry, black cherry liqueur, smoked ham, vanilla and hints of chalky minerality that give way to a full-bodied, layered and voluptuously textured wine. Despite all of the fruit, it has beautiful mid-palate density and a big, ripe tannic structure. Count me a fan and don’t miss an opportunity to taste this wine! It should benefit from short-term cellaring and drink nicely for 15 years or more. Drink 2015-2024. Located at the very southern end of the Edna Valley and residing in its own little micro climate, Alban Vineyards, under the guidance of John Alban, is a reference point for Rhone varieties in the world today. Looking at the vintages reviewed here, both 2009 and 2010 are strong, with the 2009s possessing plenty of sweet fruit and relatively approachable profiles, and the 2010s showing slightly more structure, with lively acidity and big frames that will fill in once bottled. As is common with John’s Syrahs, these continue to gain in richness and depth as they mature in barrel (they see upwards of 4 years in barrel) and really don’t show all of their material and richness until 4-5 years after the vintage. In addition to his single vineyard Syrahs, I was blown away by his Mourvedre-dominated Forsythe and the Grenache-heavy Pandora (which comes from a single plot of chalky soils). Both are up near the pinnacle of what’s coming out of California today and should not be missed. Tel. (805) 546-0305; www.albanvineyards.com

Alban’s Grenache-based 2009 Pandora comes across as exceptionally young. It is one of the firmer of the 2009s in this lineup. It clearly needs time, but there is a purity and energy to the fruit that is striking. Dark red berries, savory herbs, flowers and tobacco flow through to the structured finish. Today, there isn’t a whole lot of 2009 vintage sexiness, but hopefully that will emerge over the next year or so. The blend is 95% Grenache and 5% Syrah. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. (Not yet released)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