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

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

Combines dark, powerful blackberry, wild berry, plum and black licorice flavors on a seamless texture. Full-bodied, with floral, spicy, peppery aromas that end up gliding across the palate. Drink now through 2024. 450 cases made.??–JL??Region: California / Edna Valley Select to Add