TN: Alban Syrah Reva '00...(short/boring)

TomHill · February 26, 2018, 3:52pm

Cracked this one last night:

AlbanVnyds Syrah Reva AlbanEstate/EdnaVlly (14.2%) 2000: Very dark color w/ some bricking; strong toasty/charred/burnt/Fr.oak light peppery slight reductive slight alcoholic very strong blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry bit complex perfumed nose; quite tart/tangy strong blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry/ripe slight peppery/spicy strong charred/burnt/oak bit complex flavor w/ light smooth/ripe fully resolved tannins; lightly tart/tangy rather roasted/charred/burnt/pungent/oak strong blackberry/Syrah/ripe/boysenberry/bit cassis/spicy bit complex finish w/ modest smooth/ripe tannins; much more drinkable & a bit more maturity/complexity than the Lorraine but still plenty of primary fruit; a fairly attractive fully-mature Alban Syrah w/ fully resolved tannins that probably just as well be drunk up.

A wee BloodyPulpit:

I tried the Alban Lorraine several weeks ago, w/ the following TN:

Tom on 2/7:

Tried this last night w/ my braised sausages:

AlbanVnyds Syrah Lorraine AlbanEstate/EdnaVlly (14.7%) ArroyoGrande/SLOCnty 2000: Very dark color w/ slight bricking; tons of sediment plateing the side of the btl; very strong toasty/charred/burnt/smokey/Fr.oak intense blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah some pungent/roasted bit reductive very primary/monolithic nose w/ little evolution or complexity; not particularly alcoholic or fumey; fairly tart/tangy/citric very intense blackberry/Syrah/boysenberry/very ripe very strong charred/burnt/roasted/Fr.oak slight licorice/pungent huge fruit/primary/monolithic flavor w/ ample smooth/ripe tannins; very long/lingering very strong burnt/charred/toasty/Fr.oak very intense blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah/ripe/licorice some tart/tangy/citric finish w/ some ripe/smooth tannins; a ton of intense Syrah fruit and burnt/charred oak but none of the evolution/complexity you’d find in a 17 yr old Qupe/EdmundsStJohn; big/powerful/extracted/monolithic Syrah that leaves you in awe.

A wee BloodyPulpit:

Since AlbanSyrah was a recent topic of discussion, I thought I’d crack one to refresh my memory of John’s wines. This was probably the last of the Alban wines I bought afore I was dropped from the mailing list. Have the Reva and the Grenache loaded & ready to go.
I drank this Syrah over about a two hr period as I prepared dinner and logged in wines. There was no substantial change in its character save the loss of the slight reductive character in the nose. I left the remaining hlf btl in the decanter on the counter overnight and retried it this morning w/ my breakfast Wheaties. A substantial part of the burnt/charred oak had left, the Syrah fruit had lessened a bit in intensity, but there was no display of evolution or complexity or drying out you’d expect in an 18 yr old wine left open overnight; it was still a pretty massive/monolithic Syrah.
This wine was pretty much what I expected from an Alban Syrah of 18 yrs of age. Huge monolithic fruit & oak but virtually no signs of evolution or complexity that you’d get in a middling Qupe or EdmundsStJohn. That’s pretty much been my experience w/ his Syrahs over the yrs (did I mention that I followed JohnAlban from the very start?). It’s a unique/singular style of Syrah…a style that I no longer find particularly appealing. When I taste them, I’m left in awe with the extract & power that John can coax from his grapes. Which is why this style appeals to Monktown attourneys while meanwhile he’s exiled Bob & Steve to the Monktown woodshed. When you taste them young, you’re struck by their intensity & power and just “know” that they’ll last forever. And that’s probably right…I can’t recall an Alban Syrah that I thought was over the hill, save his first '93 which was pretty creaky at 10 yrs of age.
This Alban style is one that appeals to many folks. It reminds me of those body-building magazines I used to drool over when I was a teenager (which…I should point out…was not all that long ago); certain that if I had that kind of body, all the chicks would be lusting for me. It’s sorta like who would you rather sit down and have a conversation over a nice glass of Riesling. DonaldTrump…which is all about power & winning & $$'s & being first in the World. Nope…not for me. I’d much rather share a Riesling w/ RichardFeynman or JackKilby or RuthBaderGinsburg.
End of (not anti-Alban) rant.
Tom

for which I was accused of bashing JohnAlban.
I thought this Reva was fully mature and I see no reason not to drink it because, given the track record of Alban Syrahs, I don’t expect it to ever develop the complexity and interest you’d find in a typical Jaffurs/EdmundsStJohn/Qupe Syrah at this age. This Reva was more palatable than the Lorraine, but only a bit more interesting.
The Grenache '01 up next.
Tom

John_Tomasso · February 26, 2018, 8:32pm

I am following this with interest, as I still have two bottles of the '02 Reva and a bottle of the '00 Lorraine, both purchased from our old pal out in Los Olivos.
I still remember the way he took me off to the side, looked around to make sure nobody was listening, and then whispered out of the side of his mouth that he “had a couple of bottles of Alban if I wanted them.”
What a sales technique! I felt so . . . special! I couldn’t get my credit card out fast enough.

I never really found a time to open those bottles and my tastes changed along the line and so they still sit in my cellar - but I will open one or more of them very soon in honor of the best wine retailer I’ve ever known!

TomHill · February 26, 2018, 8:55pm

Yup, John…BobSenn was one of the best. With those special wines, he wanted to make sure they went to someone deserving.
When I’d come into the shop, he’d start calling winemakers…”TomHill is here…don’t you want to come over and see him?” You probably got one of those calls, John.
Tom

Ken_Zinns · February 27, 2018, 5:24am

Wow - John Tomasso! Haven’t seen you post here in ages! Hope we see a bit more of you on Berserkers.

James_Cross · February 27, 2018, 6:38pm

I had a slightly different experience with Bob. I stopped in one Sunday on the odd chance he’d have some Alban. He proceeded to thoroughly vet me like he was running a TSA checkpoint. After some Q/A he deemed me worthy and went into the vault and emerged with two 99 Lorraines. One will be opened before summer.