Nose of red fruits, cherry and baking spices, smooth and lush raspberry and slightly tart cherry taste with an earthy cola finish. Slightly heavier pinot than most but I like it a lot. — 7 years ago
Very nice balance that stood up to several courses including pork belly and halibut. Not as acidic as expected. — 8 years ago

Need to wait for it to cool down a bit to make proper comments...but it's going to be good...and I was right! White flowers and slate on the nose, with an explosion of peach, a touch of vanilla, and an interesting undercurrant of walnut. Beautiful mouthfeel, great balance, and a finish that just goes on and on. John Alban makes a great viognier...but a great Condrieu is another animal entirely. Awesome. — 10 years ago
Perfumed and showy-silky and balanced.. alban clones rockin it with a viognier co-ferm. Defintely the wine of the tasting, #Coastviewrotie — 11 years ago

A 100pt Sqn I will never forget. Tasted 2013. So powerful and tasted next to a 2005 alban Lorraine. This needs so much more time but went great with lamb. A pleasure. — 12 years ago
Amazing reduction and energy. Consistent with my previous note, easily one of the best 2016 Willamette Valley Chardonnay and I think a lot of that is due to the winemaker Alban, who is now the winemaker for Abbot Claim. Will be interesting to see what happens at 00 with Wynne Peterson Nedry as the winemaker. — 7 years ago
Much darker, earthier and herby Sauvignon than Roblins Terres Blanches — 9 years ago
A terrific offering from Blair Fox, the 2007 Terra Alta syrah exhibits classic central coast syrah aromas of roasted meat (reminiscent of Alban - though not quite in the same league), along with considerable depth and balance. Probably peaking right now, this was a terrific syrah to share with our dear friends Gavin and Claire on their first night back visiting Michigan! — 10 years ago
Great stuff. Definitely needs air. Like chili, it's even better on day 2 — 11 years ago
superb. easy to drink. would pair well with most bright foods. did not pair well with Gorgonzola — 13 years ago


Absolutely fantastic syrah. Great example of what can be achieved by picking the grapes a bit earlier to preserve some acidity, this wine has fantastic aromas reminiscent of a hybrid between the intense roasted meat, iodine characteristics of an Alban with the elegance of a Melville syrah. Beautiful intensity across the palate with enough layers of evolving flavors of dried blackberries to suggest that even at nearly 13 years this still has years of evolution ahead of it. Truly a pleasure to sample this wine! — 8 years ago

Dry, acidic. Apple — 8 years ago
Golden in color. Rich mouth. Dry and herbal, yum! — 9 years ago
A bit heavy on the tannins, but nothing else not to like — 10 years ago
Discovered this bottle at the Jefferson. Hunted it down so I could have a few bottles to myself. — 10 years ago
Like poor man's Cotat. Beautiful transparency — 11 years ago
QPR. Yes, find a true Cote Rotie in CA that matches this and then look at the sticker price. Love Alban but no comparison at this price point. Revisited in September. Iron, blood, black fruit. Young. Well balanced. Let sit. — 11 years ago
Paco Suro
Still got it. — 6 years ago