2013 Alban Vineyards, Lorraine Alban Estate Syrah, Edna Valley, Bottle (750ml)

JD99 Almost always my favorite cuvee from this estate, the 2013 Syrah Lorraine Vineyard offers quintessential notes of black raspberries, crushed flowers, spice, smoked meats and chocolate. It's deep, full-bodied and layered, with plenty of chalky minerality on the finish, yet still has the 2013 approachability and sexiness of the 2013 vintage. If I had to come up with a list of the greatest wine estates in the world, Alban Vineyards would certainly be on it. Readers need to understand that this estate is an anomaly, lying at the very end of the Edna Valley, and the only estate in 50+ miles making wines of this quality. Vintages here marginally track the larger Central Coast theme, yet not always. These are singular wines. John commented that he thinks 2015 is a step down over 2012, 2013 and 2014, but that it’s better than 2011. I only tasted his whites, but like everyone else in 2015, his yields were decimated, so there’s very little of these to go around. I'll report on the reds from barrel next year. His 2014s are all terrific as well, with full-bodied, ripe, classic Alban Styles. Where this estate doesn’t track with the rest of the Central Coast is with his 2013s and 2012s; in general, the 2012s are the sexier, more open-knit wines, and the 2013s more concentrated and structured. In John’s case, the vintages are reversed, with the 2012s showing more structure and the 2013s just packed with sweet fruit. As I’ve written in the past, for the life of me, I can’t understand why no one else in the Edna Valley tries to make wine anywhere close to this level of quality.

RP98 Very deep purple-black colored, the 2013 Syrah Lorraine Vineyard emerges from the glass with the most beguiling floral and lifted black fruit notes imaginable! Strutting an incredibly sexy fragrance of roses, chocolate-covered cherries, wild blueberries, sandalwood and eucalyptus with underlying Chinese five spice, hoisin and Sichuan pepper suggestions, it hits the palate with full-bodied, rich, sultry black fruit preserves and menthol laced flavors, supported by very fine, pixelated tannins and finishing with incredible length and depth.