Allison Lyzenga

8.9

Medium gold; medium plus intensity aromas of ripe yellow peach, apricot, mango, pineapple, cedar, cream, vanilla; dry, medium acid, medium alcohol, medium plus body, medium intensity flavors consistent with aromas; medium finish, very ripe juicy flavors, very good — 10 days ago

Jim McCusker

9.7

Okay, some explanation is in order. First of all, the wine is off-scale awesome. Absolutely beautiful fruit on the nose, balance throughout a lingering, elegant finish. Fantastic. The cork, on the other hand, was a disaster. This wine was stored on its side at 55 F upon receipt from the winery. I am absolutely certain that Justin does his due diligence in selecting corks, but something clearly was amiss with at least this cork from the 2007 Heartstone. This is just a word of caution: if you have this in your cellar, the wine is awesome. Just be careful with the cork! — 11 hours ago

with Vanessa

Paul T- Huntington Beach

9.5

Had my first bottle a couple months ago,
Great nose to it, but give it more time. This is no mega purple loaded Austin Hope. Real wine needs real time.

TEMPRANILLO
60% new French Oak
Coming from the original 2007 planting on our vineyard, rumor has it this big, rich, tannic clone of Tempranillo was backpacked in from Spain...but you didn't hear it from us. With a chalky mineral mouthfeel, it's complex aromatics will keep you guessing on what the — a day ago

"Odedi"

9.0

This is a great Cabernet Sauvignon from Los Olivos District in California.

Showing black fruits with pencil lead, dark chocolates, oak spices, licorice, vegetables, earth, bitter herbs and peppercorn.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity and long legs.

Dry, tangy and elegant on the palate.

Good by itself and better with food. Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

A blend of mainly Cabernet Sauvignon with some Cabernet Franc.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$55. — 7 days ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

With BBQ Chicken & Roasted, Rosemary Potatoes on opening night of the D&S Lounge.

John Alban’s wines remind me most of all the California producers/versions of North Rhone or Côte-Rôtie wines. Côte-Rôtie translates into for us as “Roasted Slope.” I assume that’s why his craft was dubbed as the “Original Rhône Ranger.”

Although this has the roasted characterizations of those wines, this certainly has more ripe, ruby style fruits. Also, more purple & blue fruits.

John’s higher end wines, Reva & Pondora remind me of the a French producer, Rostaing. Those two vineyard productions more closely mimic the Rostaing style.

The Patrina is a good intro into Alban wines. You can tell it is a direct descendant but, for far less money. The others are better but, this carries the best wine value in their line up.

The nose reveals; roasted & candied fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, black raspberries, black plum, black cherries, creamy raspberries & blue fruits. Used, French expresso roast grounds, anise to black licorice, purple fruit cola, coarse, ground, black pepper, dark spices, fresh tobacco leaf, cigar smoke, dry stems, dry crushed rocks, limestone & volcanic minerals, bay leaf, some sage, black tea, black olives, bandaid notes, saddle-wood to cedar, graphite notes with dark, fresh & withering, red, blue & purple candied florals, violets framed in a field of candied lavender.

The body is; lush, ruby, big and like velvet. The tannins are round but, still pack, chewy, tarry, meaty tannins that are 45-50% resolved. The structure, tension, length and balance are in a good place but, will hit a peak in five to seven years. The 2010 Patrina still has room for improvement and will last another 10-15 years. It is simply wine candy. Roasted & candied fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, black raspberries, black plum, black cherries, creamy raspberries & blue fruits. Used, French expresso roast grounds, anise to black licorice, purple fruit cola, coarse, ground, black pepper, dark spices with just the right amount of palate heat, grilled meats, chestnuts, fresh tobacco leaf, cigar smoke, dry stems, dry crushed rocks, moist clay, limestone & gritty volcanic minerals, dry stone, bay leaf, some sage, black tea, black olives, Steeped black tea, bandaid notes, saddle-wood to cedar, graphite notes with dark, fresh & withering, red, blue & purple candied florals, violets framed in a field of candied lavender. The acidity is phat & round. It holds the slightly elevated alcohol level nicely. The finish is excellent & consistent wire to wire. It’s long, ruby, candied fruits with just the right balance of earth that persists endlessly.

Just misses 9.4.

Photos of; the best room in our house for 6+ months of the year, our backyard. Aka, the D&S Lounge on Memorial Day Weekend 2020. — 2 days ago

Joseph Barsky

9.6

2013 Vintage. After watching the live TH tasting on Facebook yesterday, had to open. Nice presentation by Chef Julien Asseo of LPC and Chicken Shack in Paso Robles. You can see replay on Facebook or Instagram. Consistent with prior notes. The last year with Cinsaut and Counois in the blend as they removed them for more Mourvèdre production per the presentation. Looking forward to when we can visit. — 2 days ago

David L

9.4

2015 Sine Qua Non Entre Chien et Loup.
Blend of 44% Chardonnay, 40% Roussanne, 8% Petite Manseng and 8% Viognier.
Decanted it for 2 yours. Needs a bit more time in the bottle.
Deep golden color. Palate- Caramelized peaches, poached pear, apricot, orange blossom, spicy mint. Need to revisit this again in another 5 years. — 17 days ago

Kimberly Anderson

9.4

Big baller bottles for my SD birthday! SQN Sunday included mags of Labels and Pictures. Labels was in the zone and easily WOTN. — 14 days ago

with Gregory, Margaret and 1 other

Rob Brobst III

9.4

Ripe red fruit that taste fresh. Not under ripened and now over ripened.... good job here... — 14 days ago

Jim McCusker

9.3

My amazing wife of 16 years (as of today) wanted an older roussanne to start off with. This 2011 is the oldest one we have in the cellar. The color as well as the nose are fantastic. The palate is a little flat, suggesting to me this is on its way to reemerging but not quite there yet. But, still a great way to start off the evening on a beautiful night in Michigan! — 5 days ago

with Vanessa