TN: 2003 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard

WINE TALK
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  • 2003 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley (11/29/2010)
    Ok, its been almost 5 years since I last had this(where does the time go?)…and this is STILL a beast of a wine! As black as a wine can get, the mouthfeel is full and rich, very sweet and ripe, yet has plenty of acidity for cut. But don’t kid yourself…this is as ooooze monster as they come! Throw this in a blind Burgundy tasting with a bunch of Burgheads…it will scar them for life! For those who like the style, this is quintessential big boy Syrah. Just HUGE gobs of rich dark black/blue fruit, but with plenty of mineral and acidic structure to balance it out well imo. Complex as hell with smoky tar(I think John likes to think of this as “minerality”)…it’s TAR John! :wink: dusty graphite spice, smoked meat, gorgeous florals, little heat(but more like Port). Flavors just go on and on, but I’ll tell you it still needs more time. I just had a '97 Lorraine and it was smokin! This is way bigger than that wine…but I would love to see what 13 yrs does to this? I’ll bet it will be amazing! For now, this wine IS amazing to this Alban-head…but could get better. So +pts it is. (97 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker on GrapeStories.com

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Had this three weeks ago with Bowden and P-Rob. Pretty much agree with your note.

Awesome wine…esp. for the coin back in the day.

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must be winter in the SJV [thumbs-up.gif]

i love how you have been going big in the Alban world… great TN! i will be in the Carlisle Zin world this winter, maybe check in on a few Australian Shiraz to see if they can age 6-8 years… God knows the weather is perfect for big reds:)

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Just a mood you get in…once you have one, you can’t stop! But I’m still “starting” with white burgs though!

I’ll have to adjust my palate before we do our old cali tasting.

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One of my favorite wines of all time . . . .

Shortly after moving to the Santa Ynez Valley, I took my wife and kids out to dinner at Brother’s Restaurant at Mattei’s Tavern for her birthday. We ordered a couple of bottles of wine off their list, including this one - at about $90. We enjoyed the bottle over a three hour period, and I was simply amazed how many twists and turns the wine took over that period. Definitely taught me a good lesson about patience and keeping an open mind when consuming reds - they may not shine right off the bat, but give them awhile and they will definitely take some turns . . . and many will definitely be for the better.

Cheers!

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glad you enjoyed it.

had it a while back and it sucked, hot and gross. maybe a bad bottle but had it again two weeks ago and about the same.

I think I have one more bottle hanging around and I am hoping for the best

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The bottle with P-Rob and Bowden was nothing like what we had at Napa Valley Wine and Cigar. While I didn’t dislike it as much as you did, it certainly wasn’t living up to the praise it has garnered.

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The perfect wine to Coravin…still an absolute slute of a wine…gives everything!!! An over indulgent beauty! [worship.gif]
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