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Inventory updated: Thu, Jan 29, 2026 04:02 PM cst
California Rhône at Its Peak: Alban Vineyards
If you’re a fan of powerful, age-worthy Rhône-style reds, Alban Vineyards belongs at the very top of your list. Widely considered one of California’s benchmark producers for Syrah and Grenache, Alban delivers wines with unmistakable intensity—dark fruit, savory spice, wild herb, and a signature sense of energy that keeps every sip fresh and lifted.
These are not “big reds” for the sake of being big. Alban’s reds combine concentration with precision: dense blackberry and plum, cracked pepper, smoked meat, violets, and hints of iron-rich minerality, all wrapped in polished tannins and a long, resonant finish. They’re equally compelling young with a decant, or tucked away for the cellar where they continue to gain complexity for years.
From the deeply expressive Syrah bottlings to Grenache-driven blends that balance richness with aromatic lift, Alban consistently captures the full potential of California’s Rhône varieties—bold, nuanced, and unmistakably collectible.
Availability is limited and these wines move quickly, especially in top vintages. If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to add serious California Syrah and Grenache to your lineup, this is it.
The following are the wines remaining from the offer sent on Thursday, January 29, 2026. Please enter your desired quantities and click the 'Add' button.
| Producer |
Vint. |
Wine |
Price |
Qty |
Order |
| | USA Red |
| Alban Vineyards |
2007 |
Alban Estate Grenache  |
$115 |
1 |
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WS 94 (11/2011): Dense, rich and meaty, this is full-throttle and rustic, with tiers of chewy blackberry, wild berry, loamy earth, ginger bread, underbrush, sage, cedar, tobacco and black licorice flavors. Ends with firm, chewy tannins. Drink now through 2022. 300 cases made.
WA 92 (8/2011): The 2007 Grenache opens with a sweet, beguiling nose that leads to exotic blackberry, coconut, plums, asphalt, tar and sweet spices. This is an especially deep, dense style of Grenache (there is 12% Syrah in the blend) yet all of the elements come together beautifully in the glass. Floral notes add lift and complexity on the finish, yet the Grenache remains big and quite powerful. Alban gave the Grenache 36 months in barrel. The Grenache is made from a variety of plots on the property, plus Syrah exclusively from the Reva parcel. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022. |
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2008 |
Alban Estate Grenache |
$105 |
2 |
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| WA 94 (8/2012): The 2008 Grenache presents an inward yet expressive core of dark red fruit, flowers and Provencal herbs. There is a gorgeous fleshiness in the glass, but the wine needs time to soften and open up. Today, the 2008 shows quite a bit of promise. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020. |
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2009 |
Alban Estate Grenache |
$120 |
2 |
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| VM 94 (12/2012): Opaque purple. Heady aromas of candied blackberry, blueberry and licorice, complicated by pungent notes of vanilla, violet and allspice. Lush, intensely flavored and broad, offering deep dark berry and cherry compote flavors and an exotic floral nuance. Finishes smooth and very long, with resonating spiciness, a hint of licorice and sweet tannins. |
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2000 |
Lorraine Alban Estate Syrah |
$100 |
2 |
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| WA 93 (8/2003): The inky/black/purple 2000 Syrah Lorraine Vineyard is saturated in color. It boasts a knock-out nose of melted licorice, blackberry liqueur, and acacia flowers. Full-bodied, huge, tannic, but ripe, this is a stunningly rich wine that should hit its peak in 2-3 years, and last for 15+. |
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2002 |
Lorraine Alban Estate Syrah Signs of Seepage; Slightly Raised Cork; Very Lightly Nicked Label |
$169.15 |
1 |
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2009 |
Lorraine Alban Estate Syrah |
$125 |
3 |
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| WA 97 (8/2013): Also totally brilliant, the 2009 Syrah Lorraine’s Vineyard possesses incredible purity and focus with its creme de cassis, black raspberry, vanilla, spice box and licorice-styled bouquet flowing to a full-bodied, seamless wine that has no hard edges, building tannin and an overall perfect blend of richness and elegance. It’s approachable now, but given the overall density, will also age effortlessly for 15+ years. Drink 2015-2024. |
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2013 |
Lorraine Alban Estate Syrah |
$200 |
2 |
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| WA 98 (12/2017): Very deep purple-black colored, the 2013 Syrah Lorraine Vineyard emerges from the glass with the most beguiling floral and lifted black fruit notes imaginable! Strutting an incredibly sexy fragrance of roses, chocolate-covered cherries, wild blueberries, sandalwood and eucalyptus with underlying Chinese five spice, hoisin and Sichuan pepper suggestions, it hits the palate with full-bodied, rich, sultry black fruit preserves and menthol laced flavors, supported by very fine, pixelated tannins and finishing with incredible length and depth. |
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2007 |
Pandora Proprietary Blend |
$150 |
2 |
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WA 95 (8/2011): The 2007 Pandora is an enormous wine endowed with awesome richness and power. Layers of dark fruit flesh out beautifully in this muscular, large-scaled wine. Dark plums, tar, sweet herbs and anise are some of the notes that wrap around the super-intense finish. The 2007 Pandora is 95% Grenache and 5% Syrah, both from the chalky soils of Seymour-s. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025.
WS 89 (12/2011): Big, ripe and broad-shouldered, with intense, chewy plum, blackberry, blackberry jam, pepper, spice, cedar and tobacco leaf flavors, ending with dry, leafy, gravelly aftertaste. Grenache. Best from 2012 through 2022. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 70 cases made. |
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2008 |
Pandora Proprietary Blend |
$140 |
2 |
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WA 95 (8/2012): Layers of silky, polished fruit flow across the palate in the 2008 Pandora (Grenache). As I noted last year, the 2008 is all about textural finesse and pure beauty. Hints of smoke, anise and crushed rocks frame the long finish. This is yet another marvelous wine from Alban. Pandora is 100% Grenache from the chalky, upper hillsides of Seymour’s. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020.
VM 94 (12/2012): (almost all grenache from "a very specific block," according to Alban; 15.9% alcohol): Opaque ruby. A heady, exotically perfumed bouquet evokes candied red fruits, incense and candied flowers, along with a smoky mineral overtone. Juicy and precise, offering intense raspberry and bitter cherry flavors that gain sweetness and weight with air. Closes with impressive energy and cut, leaving mineral and floral notes behind. This wine was aged in French oak casks, two-thirds of them new, for 38 months.
JD 93-96 (12/2011): Tasted out of barrel and a beautifully structured and endowed wine, the 2008 Alban Vineyards Pandora, almost 100% Grenache that spent 36 months in a combination of new and used barrels, was dense and closed at the time of this tasting, yet begrudgingly yielded ripe dark fruits, charcoal, chalk, pepper, and edgy minerality on the nose. Full bodied, yet with notable freshness and acidity, this beauty should be left alone for 2-3 years after release. |
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2016 |
Pandora Proprietary Blend |
$299 |
2 |
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| JD 99 (8/2020): All Grenache, the 2016 Pandora is another stunning wine that will probably merit a triple-digit rating in 3 to 5 years. Its deep purple/plum color is followed by a gorgeous perfume of black raspberries, licorice, ground pepper, spring flowers, and smoked earth. Showing more spice with time in the glass, it delivers full-bodied richness and the magical sense of elegance paired with power that only Grenache can do. Give bottles a few years in the cellar and enjoy over the following 15-20 years. |
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2019 |
Patrina Alban Estate Vyd. Syrah |
$69 |
2 |
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| JD 93 (9/2022): Moving to the reds, the 2019 Patrina offers lots of smoky red and black fruits as well as violets, pepper, and graphite notes. It's forward, charming, textured, and balanced, with plenty of classic Alban character. I'd be happy to drink it. |
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2000 |
Reva Alban Estate Syrah |
$75 |
1 |
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| WA 94 (8/2003): The saturated blue/purple-colored 2000 Syrah Reva Vineyard exhibits a slightly reduced nose, but with aeration of 60-90 minutes, glorious notes of blackberries, asphalt, singed leather, and wood emerge. Medium to full-bodied and moderately tannic, this young, unevolved, but promising 2000 will be at its finest between 2004-2015. |
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2006 |
Reva Alban Estate Syrah |
$200 |
2 |
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WA 100 (8/2010): The 2006 Syrah Reva, coming from parcels of dark, volcanic soil, has off-the-chart richness and intensity. This thick, opaque-purple colored wine offers up notes of scorched earth, ground pepper, and blackberry liqueur intermixed with cassis, licorice, camphor, and tar. The wine is spectacular in every sense. Full-bodied and certainly not for wimps, this is a remarkably concentrated yet very nuanced and intense wine that should age for 20 more years.
JD 98 (11/2010): Truly extraordinary, the 2006 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard is a jaw dropping Syrah, sporting rich, full aromatics of smoky dark fruits, steak tartare, tapenade, and licorice. These carry over to the palate where the wine is perfectly built, possessing awesome concentration, solid, almost burly structure, and a phenomenal texture that coats the palate, but at the same time, stays light, fresh, and clean. I’m a huge fan, and while delicious now, I’ve no doubt this will continue to drink well for 15 to 20 years.
WS 97 (12/2010): A luxurious style, rich, layered and dramatic, yet stays stylishly textured and balanced, offering a fleshy core of deep blackberry, wild berry and plum, with shades of tar, mineral, pepper and sage. Drink now through 2022. 2,300 cases made.
VM 94+ (11/2010): Glass-staining purple. Blackberry, boysenberry and licorice pastille on the nose, with mounting spice and floral notes and a strong wallop of cracked pepper. Deeply pitched black and blue fruit flavors expand with air and pick up strong spicecake and candied flower notes, along with velvety tannins. More backward than the Lorraine today, and showing a darker profile. The finish completely stains the palate and lingers with intense floral and spicy persistence. This is still a baby. Josh Raynolds. |
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2007 |
Reva Alban Estate Syrah |
$115 |
1 |
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| WA 96 (8/2011): The 2007 Syrah Reva is dazzling. It possesses striking inner perfume and beautifully delineated fruit. Blackberries, blueberries, freshly cut white flowers, licorice, tar and asphalt are some of the notes that take shape in the glass. Alban gave the 2007 Reva 44 months in untoasted French oak barrels. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2027. |
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2008 |
Reva Alban Estate Syrah |
$115 |
2 |
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WA 96+ (8/2012): The 2008 Reva (Syrah) is stunningly beautiful. This is a relatively delicate, feminine Reva that impresses for its length, balance and utter purity of fruit. Dark red cherries, flowers, mint and silky, saline notes wrap around the expressive fruit on the long, polished finish. A hint of truffles adds to the wine’s sensual, totally beguiling personality. In 2008, the Reva is drop-dead gorgeous. Readers should note that, in this vintage, there is no Lorraine or Seymour’s, so the 2008 is a “super-Reva!" Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020.
JS 95-96 (5/2012): Love the spice, game and dark berries, yet reserved and austere. Shows form and firmness. Long and beautiful. Should be in market in November 2012.
VM 94 (12/2012): (raised in French oak, 80% of it new, for 44 months; 15.1% alcohol): Glass-staining purple. Sexy smoke- and spice-accented aromas of candied black and blue fruits and potpourri, with a suggestion of black pepper building with air. Lush and expansive on the palate, offering deeply pitched but lively cassis and blueberry flavors and a suave floral pastille nuance. The spicy note comes back strong on the finish, which shows only a hint of tannins.
JD 93-96 (12/2011): The 2008 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard was the only Syrah produced in '08. Showing a lively, more energetic profile than the more heavy weight '06 and '07, it still doesn't lack for structure, depth, or complexity. Showing loads of tapenade, lavender, blood, and black fruits, medium to full-body, and a beautifully focused, pure texture and finish, this elegant Syrah should still benefit from short term cellaring once released. I love the vibrancy here, and it will be interesting to see how this shows from bottle. |
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2010 |
Reva Alban Estate Syrah |
$125 |
3 |
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| WA 95+ (8/2015): Coming from the coolest vintage on record at the time (before 2011), the 2010 Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard still hit 15.2% natural alcohol, of which it doesn't show a trace. Possessing the telltale Iodine and seaweed character this cuvee always shows, it has lots of darker fruits, smoked herbs, black olive and a touch of floral aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, concentrated, firm and structured, it's a serious, age-worthy wine from John that should be forgotten for 4-5 years. |
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2011 |
Reva Alban Estate Syrah |
$95 |
3 |
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WA 94-96 (8/2015): All of the 2011 Syrahs will be in bottle by the time you read this. The 2011 Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard offers a cool-climate, pretty and perfumed style to go with lots of pepper, violets, iodine and dark fruits, with just a hint of vanilla and oak. Full-bodied, fresh and lively, with bright acidity and fine tannin, it's a Northern Rhone look-alike that will have 15-20 years of longevity.
VM 92-94 (9/2015): Bright purple. Energetic black and blue fruit scents, with notes of olive paste and candied violet adding complexity. Shows very good focus and lift to its sweet boysenberry and cherry-cola flavors, gaining weight and sweetness with aeration. Finishes with excellent power and persistence, leaving peppery spice and cola notes behind. Quite Old World in style and structure, showing no excess fat or undue warmth. Josh Raynolds. |
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2016 |
Reva Alban Estate Syrah |
$149 |
2 |
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WA 99 (2/2021): The 2016 Syrah Reva offers that rare combination of power and elegance. Inky purple, it opens slowly to reveal pure violets, cracked pepper, exotic spices and milk chocolate over a luxurious core of cassis. The palate is intense, lusciously fruited and ultra-plush with an expansive freshness that calls you in for another sip on the long, detailed finish. Its excellence is clear, but this Syrah deserves plenty more time in the cellar and will age gracefully over the next 20+ years.
JD 99 (8/2020): A great example of the vintage, the 2016 Syrah Reva is ultra-classic and displays complex olive/iodine notes along with a thrilling core of blackcurrants and blackberries, ground pepper, and loads of spice. Full-bodied, ultra-pure, and utterly seamless on the palate, it's a magical wine that I'm probably under-rating by a point. Give bottles 4-5 years and enjoy over the following 20 years or more. |
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2017 |
Reva Alban Estate Syrah Corroded Capsule |
$125 |
2 |
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| JD 97 (9/2021): The beautiful 2017 Syrah Reva has a more elegant, streamlined, layered style that's already drinking nicely. Ample red and black fruits, bacon fat, olive, violets, and briny mineral nuances all define this classic Alban Syrah, and it's full-bodied, with a seamless mouthfeel, impeccable balance, and ripe tannins. It's certainly the more discrete, understated red in the lineup, yet this is a wine that builds with time in the glass and has perfect tannins, a terrific sense of freshness, and a great finish. It will keep for 15+ years in cold cellars. |
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2009 |
Seymour’s Vyd. Syrah |
$175 |
1 |
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JD 94-97 (6/2012): Showing more depth and structure than last year, the 2009 Alban Vineyards Syrah Seymour's Vineyard delivers a meaty, black olive-laced profile, with copious amounts of red and black fruits emerging from the glass. This full-bodied Syrah has fantastic purity, and silky, polished texture, and building structure that will require a handful of years in bottle to fully flesh out. Where the Lorraine and Reva will be approachable on release, I would opt for giving these slightly more cellar time.
WA 96 (8/2013): More angular and edgy, yet still more approachable than normal for this cuvee, the 2009 Syrah Seymour’s Vineyard has serious amounts of mineral-tinged dark fruits, licorice, smoked herbs and chocolate as well a firm, structured, full-bodied profile on the palate. This wine’s big bones, ripe tannin and bright acidity all point to a long life. Give it 3-4 years in the cellar and enjoy though 2024+.
VM 95 (7/2013): The 2009 Syrah Seymour's brings together all the best elements of the Alban house style. Orange peel, iron, smoke and fennel add compelling exoticism as this massive wine opens up in the glass. At once powerful, intense and nuanced, the 2009 is simply superb. Ideally, the 2009 needs at least a few years in bottle for the tannins to soften, but readers are going to have a hard time waiting. This intense, full-throttle Syrah should drink beautifully for another decade, perhaps more. (Drink between 2016-2024). Antonio Galloni. |
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2013 |
Seymour’s Vyd. Syrah |
$225 |
2 |
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JD 99 (8/2017): There's not much of the 2013 Syrah Seymour’s Vineyard to go around (100 cases), but it's another sensational wine. Black raspberries, cassis, licorice, chalky minerality and smoke all emerge from the glass, and it hits the palate with a wealth of fruit and texture. Showing awesome violet aromas and flavors, it's unquestionably the most approachable vintage of this cuvee I've tasted. It's already a joy to drink, in a primarily sort of way, but will be at its best from 2020 to 2040.
WA 97+ (12/2017): Very deep purple-black in color, the 2013 Syrah Seymour's Vineyard slowly unfurls with coaxing to reveal wonderfully pure, freshly crushed black cherries, black berries and black currants notes with underlying suggestions of cloves, espresso, chargrill and violets plus wafts of incense, sauteed herbs and chocolate box. The powerful, muscular, full-bodied palate continues on the theme of purity with incredible delineation, offering layers of black fruits and savory notions and a ripe, rounded tannins texture, finishing with epic length.
VM 96 (11/2017): Vivid purple. Smoke- and spice-accented black and blue fruit, floral pastille, incense and cola aromas are complicated by an exotic Indian spice overtone. Palate-staining cherry, black currant, violet and spicecake flavors are lifted and sharpened by a spine of juicy acidity. Gains flesh and weight with air while maintaining vivacity, and finishes alluringly sweet and extremely long, displaying persistent floral and spice notes and harmonious, slow-mounting tannins. (Drink between 2022-2032). Josh Raynolds. |
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2000 |
Alban Estate Grenache |
$30 |
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Sold Out
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| VM 90 (11/2002): Good full ruby. Expressive aromas of raspberry, bacon fat, roasted meat and smoky oak. Ripe and generous in the mouth, with sound acidity framing the strongly roasted flavors of blackberry, espresso, chicory, black pepper and charred oak. Once again, this grenache reminds me more of Cote-Rotie than of the Southern Rhone. Finishes ripe, firm and long. Stephen Tanzer. |
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