Alban Vineyards, Reva Alban Estate Syrah, Edna Valley

Pretty darn tootin' good. Drinking well.

2013 vintage

Red purple. Huge Cedar, tobacco and dark fruits on the nose. The usual expected blueberry, chocolate, cola, vanilla and supporting tannins. Big!!! Yummy!

2013 vintage

This is a very nice wine and it a good place to drink now. Still lots of fruit, but secondary notes of tar, leather and tobacco are beginning to manifest. Probably will go a good bit longer, but drinking very well now (Feb 2026).

2013 vintage

Plenty of blackberry, olive and smoke flavors in a well balanced wine...long on the finish with lots of staying power.

2013 vintage

From magnum. No notes taken. This is entering its first prime drinking window and showed beautifully. The tannins are fully melted, giving way to a seamless texture supported by freshness and well-measured tension. The fruit core leans dark and ripe but never oversteps. Chocolate nuances add depth and intrigue, while an earthy and mineral foundation provides lift and balance against the sweetness. The wine holds its shape from start to finish, showing great balance. 94pts.

2013 vintage

Remarkable how consistent the Reva wines are: blackberry, meaty, figgy richness, savory and delicious wines. This didn’t feel like a 12-year-old wine at all. Still fresh, bright color, no real development of tertiary flavors, and distinctively Alban. As suggested, doesn’t seem to be aging rapidly, so I’d feel comfortable drinking now and through 2040.

2013 vintage

If you love in your nose kind of wines - this is your wine. I do! Complex nose that you can sniff for hours.

2013 vintage

Decanted for one hour. Aromas of blackberry, huckleberry, anise, forest floor and baking spice. Ripe blackberry, huckleberry, black plum, anise, black tea, bramble and spice on the palate. Very long finish with nice depth. Full bodied. Drinking well. Served with hickory smoked pulled pork sandwiches.

2013 vintage

cherry, boysenberry, blackberry and blueberry. rich and lucious. wonderful syrah

2013 vintage

Trying this at 12 years. What I like to see in my aged bottles is a layer of sediment on the bottom side, which this had. Stout cork and no infiltration. Cork is stained deep maroon. Strong wine, both in alcohol and flavor. Alcohol made the wine potent but never shouldered the flavor aside, a great accomplishment. Deep burgundy in glass. Denser wine. Not for everyone but I quite like this now and again. Opened three days now and has …

2013 vintage

An outstanding wine. Rich, smooth, and elegant. Cassis, blackberry, licorice and spice. Has legs yet but no reason to wait on our remaining bottles. This is in a very good place.

2013 vintage

This is “cool climate” Syrah from Edna Velley. Really nice after only about 20 minutes of air. This reminds me of a Belgian Quadruple Ale, with notes of concentrated chocolate, vanilla, and fig. There’s nice fruit intensity (“jammy”) too, with Morello cherries, crushed raspberries, huckleberries, preserved plums, and dried mulberries (along with the chocolately notes, think Black Forest flavors). The finish is beautiful with violets, wet stones, and then crushed red pepper heat. There’s decent acidity on this to keep …

2013 vintage

An absolute lovely wine to pair with a low-key Thanksgiving dinner with our daughter, son-in-law and two young grandchildren. This wine was singing from the get go. The fruit is amazing with a purity that coats your palate. The finish is gratifying after every bite of the delicious traditional turkey dinner.

2013 vintage

Filtered venturi decant, 15 min rest and poured. Absolutely perfect with pan seared beef filet in my porcini in wine reduction sauce (+sprig of rosemary of course :-p ).

2013 vintage

Beautiful wine to kick off Memorial Day weekend overlooking the beach. Did not take detailed notes but this was very fruit forward and a bit jammy. The heat of the wine offset the cool late afternoon breeze.

2013 vintage

5years later wow. Just sensational and pop n pour ready. Smooth and great with Italian food.

2013 vintage

Aerated with a Vinturi and decanted for one hour. Ripe blackberry, huckleberry, bramble and spice aromas and flavors. Very long, layered finish. Full bodied. Served with grilled marinated tuna steak.

2013 vintage

Excellent, a crowd pleaser, a favorite of the new-world missus.

2013 vintage

Nice pull by Nutty08. This wine was really delicious, hedonistic, but a little more open than other vintages of Reva, including 09 and 10. The sweet vanilla oak and fig notes are there, it’s mouth coating with balanced acidity. We decided that these are good to drink now and perhaps not intended to age eternally.

2013 vintage

Great for the style it is. Hides it's 15.5% ETOH well. Huge floral notes with violets, crushed rocks and a little pepper. Has some notable chocolate and vanilla notes which I don't love but didn't fine intrusive. Finish is powerful and lengthy. Quite intense adding some coarse tannins. I don't get any tertiary notes at all--still rather primary but I suspect the palate is smoothing out and integrating.

2013 vintage

Dark purple in color with a wide reddish rim. Fruity nose with lots of black fruits, cedar and chocolate notes. Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs. Dry and very fruity on the palate with nice complexity. Showing blackberries, cooked plums, cedar, tobacco, vanilla, dried fruits, light earth, barnyard, light vegetables, herbs, chocolates, espresso, cola and black pepper. Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries. This is a delicious Syrah from Edna Valley in California. Showing nice …

2013 vintage

Opened in the bottle for a few hour. Very soft from the start with minimal tannin or acid. Well balanced and delicious so likely at peak. Sweet leathery cherry, raspberry, black tea, mint, cassis and smoked meat. I’ve had Reva a few time and definitely fits my memory. Well made but the ripeness is dialed above most of John Alban’s contemporaries. No complaints from me.

2013 vintage

Bought at Costco. “Cellared” for a couple of years. Fabulous classy wine. Full body and juicy as one expects but the tannins are v mellow and melts in the mouth. Would even say it’s elegant for a Syrah. Also enough complexity (can taste the vines) to make it interesting. Had it with barbecued beef and they v much complimented one another - would say it would go even better with Wagyu’s fat (which ours wasn’t..).

2013 vintage

Drinking well in 2023.

2013 vintage

Color/App: dark, inky core -> dense fuschia/ruby rim; medium ++ viscosity. Intensely black fruited nose with charcoal, roasted meat and a hint of violets. Palate of blackberry coulis, boysenberry, iodine, black olives and wet slate. This is full bodied and reasonably well-balanced, especially considering the (well hidden) high Etoh. Good acidity, long finish, low tannin load, delicious and a nice foil for seared NY strip; there's a lot to like here. My only proviso would be that this is less …

2013 vintage

I waited too long on this one. Starting to dry out and loosing some color. No richness to it like many other newer vintages from the same producer/vineyard.

1999 vintage

Got it right with my last note. In a good spot but will certainly carry on for a long time

1999 vintage

PNP. cork wet 1/4 way up. Color is dark purplish garnet with little sign of age. nose has full-on meaty syrah aromatics w some brett and hints of reduction. swishing shows some acid and residual tannin, but the tannins are supple and pleasant. sipping this shows its full weight, which is ponderous, but the acid keeps it from being awkward. this was fantastic tonight, and certainly in a prime drinking window, but will undoubtedly hold

1999 vintage

Color: opaque indigo core -> dense ruby rim: NOT the normal appearance of a 16-year old Cali Syrah. Crazy intense bouquet of charcoal, roasted sirloin, bacon, some Alban funk (low-level here), smoke, a little black pepper and a notable floral component (violets?). Just a stupendous nose and one of the best Cali Rhone bouquets I've ever had the chance to sample. Enjoyed the stellar '01 Reva just a couple of nights ago and I'd have to say that this eclipses …

1999 vintage

Buzz is right about this one...it has really come round (not that I remember the old acidic ways) and it a pretty good ringer for a top notch northern rhone from a suitably ripe year....vibrant fruit and not at all heavy or ponderous and elements of meat and smoke....grat

1999 vintage

Who says California Syrah can't improve with age? (OK, normally I might say it, but not in the case of Alban Reva) This wine, even with 13+ years age on it, still had vibrant fruit, smoked meats and some funk on the nose, and an extremely long finish. In a prime window right now, but certainly showing no signs of fading yet.

1999 vintage

Great nose, firm acidity, and the fruit gains weight with decanting.

1999 vintage

Opened and drank half the bottle right away. Dark in the glass, medium deep red in color, this Reva showing a flamboyant nose of cedar and redwood, slight funk, earthy dusty strawberry, watermelon and raspberry. A lot going on with the aromatics. In the glass, this shows a lively acidic profile featuring tart cherry, blood orange, currant and cranberry. I personally like the nose much better, we'll see what the 1/2 remaining reveals with a night under vac-u-vin. Day two …

1999 vintage

Alban Vineyards Tasting 1993-2009 (Buzzini House) : The big acid year for Alban has finally given up its grip! What great fresh acid in this...giving the rich and sweet wild berry pie fruit, super lift. Classic tar, big dusty spices, licorice....killer!

1999 vintage

Fantastic syrah, balanced out beautifully after decanting 3 hours. Even better the next day.

1999 vintage

This reminds me more of a Washington State, cold clime Syrah than the more recent vintages of the Reva. I popped the cork 2 hours before dinner and the first sips were lean and tangy. Color was dark purple, showing no signs of age. Nose was explosive (this is an Alban after all) right from the start: big blue fruits with a floral overtone. The sharp acidity mellowed through dinner and the grip backed into balance. This is definitely a …

1999 vintage

Popped and poured - no decanting. This is drinking beautifully - nose and palate of roasted meats and spicy, dark blue and black fruits. Everything is in balance - elegant fruit, framing acidity, and a lengthy, smooth finish. The wine kept improving as time went by and it started to warm up a bit. When the last glass was poured, the nose was evident from quite a distance away. Still has enough power to hold for a while, but it …

1999 vintage

Not altogether typical for Alban or Reva, this is lighter and thinner and more French. distinct scents and tastes of olive and meat that I associate with syrah. Paired well with dinner. You can see why it gets lower scores from the Bob and even Tanzer, but a very nice dinner companion

1999 vintage

Hospice du Rhone; 5/3/2007-5/6/2007 (Paso Robles, CA) : Still very young

1999 vintage

Sweetness is mostly what I got from this wine. Lots of gunk and sediment around the cork. Plummy nose with some tobacco. Lots of grainy weight and extract on the palate which resolved pretty much into a currant jelly-like sweetness. Didn't like this at all.

1999 vintage

Drank one of two bottle purchased 9/14/04 at a Clubhouse this fall, can't remember the date. Fine wine, well received. Not quite as good as the Lorraine, but would be interesting to taste the two side by side one day

1999 vintage

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Alban Vineyards, Reva Alban Estate Syrah, Edna Valley

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