Alban Vineyards, Lorraine Alban Estate Syrah, Edna Valley

Popped and poured. This is evolving at a glacial place. Black as night. Full bodied, loaded with flavor. Black currant, gravel, spice and roast meats. Layers of flavor. Well integrated and not over the top despite the elevated alcohol levels. Terrific.

2006 vintage

My, oh my, this was just stunning. PNP, no decant, but as the wife and I eventually found the bottom of the bottle, I found myself thinking if it would have benefited from a splash decant, as it continued to improve with air. Keep in mind, I was already thinking it was at or near perfection after my first sip. At 19 years old, this showed little sign of age. The finish, as others have mentioned, went on and on. …

2006 vintage

Popped and poured. This is in terrific place now. On the nose a bit of violet, roast meat and earth. On the palate full bodied, rich and youtful. Although high alcohol, it also has very good acidity and balance. Black raspberry, iron, roast meat and spice. Very long on the finish. A touch of heat is the only drawback. Many more years of aging to come.

2006 vintage

Succulent blackberry, mocha, and gamey aromas with rich meaty fruit and floral notes with layers of complexity on the palate and long finish. Drinking well!

2006 vintage

Gorgeous Alban Syrah... some of the very best CA has to offer.

2006 vintage

A huge wine with massive concentration and purity of fruit; still very young though so wait another 2 years before opening and this should easily last another 10

2006 vintage

Color/App: opaque, inky core -> seriously dense ruby rim; the appearance totally belies the fact that this is a 16 year old wine. Dense, powerhouse nose of boysenberries, cherries, blueberries, some floral elements (violets?) and a touch of cinnamon. The palate is honestly just too, too, too much -- too much fruity puppy fat, too thickly extracted, too much alcohol (giving it a sense of sweetness). Thank god there is some good acidity here to stop it from crashing over …

2006 vintage

I am not sure what the point in rating this is, because you’re either in the mood for this or not. This is par-tay! har-day! in yer face CA extravagance with zero apologies. Somewhat sweet on the tongue, cherry/very ripe blueberries, raw roast beef, cola nut and frankly who gives a monkey’s ass because you’re already bombed from 16.2% LSD. Matched with an equally redonkulous American wagyu Ny strip steak and I thought I was at a Hollywood wrap party. …

2006 vintage

Bought this straight from the winery and has sat in my cellar since. Been saving it for a special occasion, and today was that day. Man was I disappointed. Over extracted, way to high on the alcohol, and lacking in depth and complexity. Had you told me it was Barossa, I would have believed to begin with. Then as it sat in the decanter it didn’t integrate, just got more over the top. Will be selling my remaining bottles.

2006 vintage

BYO US Wines (@Terkel) : Dense and compact red fruit but not as wild as when it was young. There is a touch of ripe red tomato and lots of oak. It has a reasonable balance and length and I don't see this improving with more time as the alcohol is dominating a bit. Still a lovely wine.

2006 vintage

Slow ox for one hour. Fabulous nose of blackberries, roast meat, bacon fat and spice. The wine is massive, layered, meaty, with terrific structure and a long finish. There is no question this is a great wine but after a while it almost felt like hard work to drink it’s so big and chewy.

2006 vintage

1 hour decant. This is a balanced rich wine, that’s nothing like a Rhône Syrah. Time has favored this wine but it’s a little too over extracted for my taste and hasn’t developed enough secondary flavors. The finish has a spicy cinnamon component

2006 vintage

Covid-19 Intro/Retro (Chez Hughes) : Blind. Sweet (over)ripe black fruit that has some dirty earthy notes. Rich, sweet and full throttle fruit. I get the decadence but it's just too cloying and heavy for me. Guessed Saxum. My #3, Group #2.

2006 vintage

Another incredible wine tasted alongside the 2007 Clos Saint Jean La Combe des Fous. Lots of deep concentrated fruit in the nose and flavor. Blackberries, blueberries, black raspberries, licorice, chocolate, floral, earthiness, and minerality in the nose. Blackberries, plums, and licorice in the flavor. A full bodied wine, very well balanced, complex, and a very long, lingering finish. Delicious!

2006 vintage

Gorgeous texture. So lavish. Luxuriously elegant forest red and black berries in a velvet caress. Oh wow this is RP 100. Should have checked that before drinking on a random evening.

2006 vintage

Big, big wine. Still very young. Masses of dark black and blue berry fruit. Lavish oak. But not obviously Syrah. Maybe just too young to assess properly but can be enjoyed now for its rambunctious fruitiness. Markedly different from the ‘01 Elderton Shiraz.

2006 vintage

Popped and poured. This is a dark-red wine, one with mouth destroying intensity. The nose is highly-concentrated — one with notes of blackberry, sweat, and terriyaki beef jerky. In the mouth, there are dense and layered waves of sweet red fruit, granite, and chewy darkness. The mouth is rich and layered, leaving a rather long finish of sweet dark fruit. Overall, this is an incredibly concentrated wine. Yet it is not lopsided at all. This is a great wine, but …

2006 vintage

Tampa Spring Break (the second); 2/17/2017-2/19/2017 (Various spots (homes, Mis en Place, Capital Grille)) : Another one of my favorites of the tasting. This was was just great. Very berry but then the black pepper brings it a bit more into balance. Lots of cherry, cranberry but with hints of spiciness. Excellent wine.

2006 vintage

Tasted double blind. On the nose this had quite a bit of barnyard funk - so my first thought was maybe Cayuse. On the palate this was dark and meaty, with savory iron notes and lots of interest. Very enjoyable!

2006 vintage

Tasted twice with consistent notes. Cayuse Cailloux 2006 edged this out as 5 out 6 preferred the Cayuse Cailloux over the Alban. THis is still drinking great. I thought it was a bit more put together than last time. Delicious!

2006 vintage

Wine of the night. Served alongside Lafite, Harlan (2nd wine of the night), Dom, and the like. Pornographic, and super rich even now. I'd hit it again. And I will. Sexy juice. What is amazing is that the wine retains acidity and balance with all of those whips and chains. Bonus!

2006 vintage

After a very tiring 7 day work week….I wanted something with 100%ABV….well…not really…so this 16.2% will do! Oooozalicious as always……Lorraine has always been the more elegant Alban for me…..the powerful woman that knows how to strut her femininity and sexitude! This wine, now 10yrs young, is black and inky….tons of sediment, so decant or stand up for a couple days……dark liqueured berry fruit….dried blueberries, blackberries, cherry cordials…..little VA heat noticed…but this was a PnP. Extraordinary ripe and richness here….."Oooozing" is …

2006 vintage

This wine epitomizes what a syrah can and should be. It is intense and full-bodied but remains smooth and focused. Early flavors of dark fruit and berries, plum and dates are joined by 80% cacao and almond extract mid to late palate and finishing with a building soft tannin explosion that lingers interminably leaving one craving the next sip.

2006 vintage

No surprises here. Beautiful Alban style syrah. Drinking much better than it did a few years back.

2006 vintage

From the first sniff, I'm again captivated by cherry. Surprised as I was expecting something different, I take a sip. Smooth, flavors are sleemless, I'm captivated, best Alban ever.

2006 vintage

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Alban Vineyards, Lorraine Alban Estate Syrah, Edna Valley

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