Chris Wheaton

9.4

Always great to stop through Hong Kong which is kind of Wine Tourism at its best out of region…. Picked up this very youthful bottle to evaluate: saturated almost black/purple in the glass; nose somewhat mute at first but after a day or so all blackberry and plum; first sip almost painfully intense, great acidity and velvet tannins. Long haul wine and great but not outstanding. I’m more in line with NM than AG’s 100 points. — 5 months ago

Bruce Dunbar

8.9

Revisiting the ‘20 Old Vines after a year or two in the cellar. Dusky clear purple. Sweet cherries and earth on the nose. Smooth, rich, almost no tannin. A lovely creamy, dark finish like plum pie with ice cream. These Old Vine blends are some of the best values in the Turley line up if not all of CA Zinfandel. — 2 years ago

Bruce Dunbar

8.9

The ‘21 Juvenile is inky purple with bright edges and a minerally nose that runs a bit hot (15.2% abv). The fruit is subtle and a touch bitter, partially offset by a bit of oaky creaminess. This wine is usually a bang for the buck leader in the Turley line-up, so hopefully a little more time in the bottle will help. Update 9/24: still running hot but mellowing with more vivid dark fruit, firm tannins, decant or age further. 2/25: tight and tannic, no spice, some red fruit emerging. 9/25 a different story; dark, smooth, earthy and mineral driven. 2/26: spiciness layering in still with bright acidity. — 3 years ago

Bruce Dunbar

9.4

There’s a song that includes the line ‘Forget about experience, I’d rather have potential.’ The 2017 Hayne PS brings both — old vine depth with lots of room for aging. Coming out of the bottle an almost milky purple color and with a nose that full of dark fruits and a bit musty, the 2017 is taught, full of massive tannins, and has streaks of vanilla, dark berries and maybe even a bit of lemon. Enjoy it and tuck a few away for 5-30 years to get the full potential. Update 6/26 - nose still leap out of the glass, deep dark elements elevated by mild acidity, moving to elegance — 5 years ago

Jonathan Wall

9.4

The nose and palette smacks you in the face with a variety of dark purple flowers. You proceed to drink the rest just saying “WOW” with every sip. Great Syrah tasting line up. Melville was most versatile... great alone or with food, anytime, anywhere. Loved it! — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

The Old Vine is where their line up starts to get more interesting.

The Old Vine is thicker, richer & more brooding. The fruits are more; ruby, lush and dark. Blackberries, black raspberries, dark plum, dark cherries and strawberries overlay the top. Nicely layered baking spices-cinnamon, nutmeg, soft clove and vanilla, crushed rocks, alluvial limestone & volcanics, graphite, tobacco, used leather, dark spices, saddle-wood, cocoa, mocha, caramel with fresh & withering red, dark & purple florals. Excellent acidity and a nicely balanced, knitted & elegant finish. — 6 years ago

Somm 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. — 6 years ago

Antra Stabler

9.7

In line with the relic. Slightly purple tongue. Fruity, but not overpowering. — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.6

Okay…so I entered the night fully aware that we were going to be taking down some unicorns…but this?!  I wasn’t prepared for this. I walked into the room, greeted my fellow brothers-in-wine and began to set my contributions next to the other bottles in the line-up. I casually scanned from left to right in complete wonder at what was on display…and stopped halfway, as my eyes recognized a label from the recesses of my memory. A label that had been filed away under the category of “Academic” since there was very little likelihood that I would ever see a bottle, let alone have an opportunity to enjoy it. And yet, here I was, in a small town north of Lincoln, NE, staring in disbelief at a bottle of 1990 Gentaz-Dervieux. I turned to our host who, at this point, was smiling at me; like a childhood friend who had invited me over to play with his GI Joe Aircraft Carrier, the U.S.S. FLAGG. “F***ing Gentaz?!”

The nose? Magic. Brambles, granite, mushrooms, cumin, espresso, purple flowers, leather, smoke; so sanguine, so savory. Vinous. Rustic. Tremendous with Iberico pork cheek, mushroom ragu with lavender and thyme. I took my time. Drink now through 2035+. — 2 years ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.0

So tart, amazing licorice and very pure purple fruit; volatile acid that almost crosses the line but comes up clean in the end. Good juice, good vintage and a return to balance compared to 2018. — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.4

For planning purposes of something in the future, I tasted 2014 central coast Syrahs from high end producers blind. Along with the Lillian (my bottle), there was SQN, Andremily, Torrin Akasha, Booker Fracture, Alban Reva and Alban Lorraine.

First off, I love these wines. The price in comparison to the others is impressive, and it always delivers. I double decanted this about two hours prior to the blind tasting. Dark purple in the glass, with aromatics of both sweet oak as well as whole cluster stem inclusion. Loads of dark floral notes, ripe blackberries, cherry jerky and that kiss of sweet oak. The palate remained the same from opening through the end of the blind tasting…a distinctly fuzzy profile on the palate with gorgeous mid palate depth and richness of blue and black fruits with plenty of herbal flair and spice. It toes the line between cool climate Syrah with their signature black peppercorn and iron, as well as big central coast Rhône style with its rich and textural palate. No rush on opening, but it sure is great now.

Out of the 7 in the lineup, this was the “cheapest”, and tied for 3rd place (with the Andremily being the runaway favorite, Alban Lorraine taking second, and this tying the SQN). — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

I like how under appreciated WS is in the market by consumers & by critics when they score them young. That means that I can pick these up on the secondary market for just either side of $50 pre-aged.

This 12 shows the beauty of the vintage. Glorious mouthfeel. It glides on the palate as juicy, round, ripe & ruby. The fruits are outstanding up & down their line up with 6 years plus of bottle age. Love the dark cherries, cherries, black raspberries, strawberries with highlights of blue & purple fruits. It’s their raspberries & blue fruits I really enjoy from them. Before it unfurls in the decanter, it shows quite a bit of dark spice/clove but mellows by the second glass. Cola, soft & subtle baking spices; cinnamon, vanilla and hints of nutmeg. Rich, dark soil, dry crushed rocks, limestone minerals, some herbaceousness with brilliant; dark, red, purple & blue florals. Acidity is especially good. The finish is beauty, elegance & balanced defined persisting for minutes.

Photos of; Williams Selyem Winery and our visit to their October pick up party 4 or 5 years ago. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.6

Wednesday Wine Committee from this past week. A fantastic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds, 1 dessert wine. All tasted blind as usual.

Possibly in its prime drinking window, and it is gorgeous. Everything about this screams high quality left bank Bordeaux (which is what I called it). It was beautifully perfumed with a mix of potpourri, dried black cherries, blackberries, graphite, saddle leather and herbs de Provence. Perfectly balanced on the palate with dark fruits enveloped in cedar and sweet pipe tobacco. There is a line of ripe purple fruits down the middle accompanied by dust and mocha which is just delicious. — 6 years ago

with Dan, joe and 2 others

Jay Kline

9.5

First, the Gentaz and now, Verset?! Be still my beating heart! Noël Verset is a freaking legend. His first vintage was during the period of peace between the first and second world war which means, for most of his career, Cornas was a tough place to make a living making wine. It wasn’t until the 1990’s that things began to turn around and by that time, Noël was in his 70’s. Talk about perseverance. By the time he made this 1996 vintage, he had already started selling off some of his vineyards and by 2006, he was done making wine altogether. 

And this 1996? It is lighter in color than the other wines in the Cornas line-up; almost a pale garnet with a transparent core. The nose is just crazy. I just wanted to smell it for the rest of the night. Wild mixed berries, dried purple flowers, garrigue, tobacco, and coffee. This was a Cornas of elegance and thinner on the palate relative to the Allemand and Clape. Long finish. Divine with venison, umami bomb, potato and pearl onion. Drinking very well now and could hold for longer but why? — 2 years ago

Brad Jensen

9.0

First impression: You can tell it’s from a top producer. It’s very refined and deliberate. Not delicate, but doesn’t hammer you. Velvety, with smooth tannins playin wayyy in the background. Like the bass line in jazz. The nose is there, but it it’s not all THAT bold, with notes of blueberry, dark rose, black cherry, and dark chocolate. Color is a deep red with purple melded in the middle. Surprisingly medium/light body, with light tannins, more to the rim and background but the flavors are surprisingly restrained, like there’s a hole in it. Good, but not great. — 3 years ago

Bruce Dunbar

8.9

Released Fall ‘21. A a blend of Zin and other varietals from two vineyards high up in Howell Mountain. The 2019 was inky purple with a surprisingly vanilla/creamy nose. This carried through to the palate but it also had a great back-end kick loaded with bright berries and soft tannins. Another very good player in the Turkey line up. — 4 years ago

Willie Carter

9.2

Dense ruby red with light purple flecks. A wide brim with clear signs of bricking. The nose is certainly not tired with plenty of black olives, licorice, and chocolate cake. Old leather and coffee with dried cherries and plums. A little fat from the grill too just to make it even better.

The American project from Jonathan Maltus of Chateau Teyssier and baby, this is not your standard copy and paste Napa Cab. This is some serious stuff. Big but not huge. Full of depth but not ponderous. Rich and full throttled but not a mess of indistinct fruit. The ripeness of the fruit never crosses the line. Pronounced fruit on the palate with hedonistic cherries and explosive blue fruits. Beautiful vegetal notes along with a burst of green forest. Firm tannins and long finish. Starting to show its age a little so drink them if you got them. I’m not sure these wines are made anymore so if you see any, get them all. — 5 years ago

Ben Gunning

9.0

I like it! Little darker colour than I expect. Getting the pencil shavings on the nose and fruit - Some floral too. Not super fruity to my nose or maybe I’m having trouble placing the fruit - something purple? Medium body - Medium acid and pretty subtle tannins - nice, tight structure I’d say - in line with what I’m used to from Ontario Cab Francs (which I tend to like a lot). This is day two. Was drinking on a zoom call last night and focused more on the laughs so nothing popped out... Price is right - the other Chinon option was pushing a like hundred bones so was happy they had a well priced one available... — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Follow up to the Clos Fourtet and to close out the Allen Brothers Ribcap.

The nose reveals, dark, ripe & slightly stewed fruits of; blackberries strawberries, black raspberries, black cherries, dry cranberries & blueberries. Steeped fruit tea, anise to black licorice, dark, fruit liqueur, dry crushed rocks, dry herbs, dry twigs, cinnamon, light nutmeg, clove and vanilla, leather, cedar, graphite, dry tobacco to cigar ash, dark spice, sweet tarriness, eucalyptus with candied mixed in with withering, dark florals & red, blue, purple flowers that are set in lavender.

The palate is, rich, ruby and round. The mouthfeel is glorious. This is a perfect window for a first bottle of the 08 Dunn Howell Mountain. The dusty tannins are round and about 50% resolved. This 04 has another 15-20 years of good drinking ahead of it...properly stored of course. Dark, ripe & slightly stewed fruits of; blackberries strawberries, black raspberries, black cherries, dry cranberries & blueberries. Steeped fruit tea, anise to black licorice, dark, fruit liqueur, dry crushed rocks, slightly, moist clay, dry herbs-sage, dry twigs, cinnamon, light nutmeg, clove and vanilla, lots of dark melted chocolate, mocha powder, leather, cedar, graphite, dry tobacco to cigar ash, dark spice, sweet tarriness, dry, dark earth, limestone minerals, slightly, moist clay, volcanics, eucalyptus with florals that are candied mixed in with withering. They are dark, red, purple, blue & violets that are set in lavender. The acidity is round and near perfection...Colorado rushing river like. The long, well knitted, balanced, elegant finish lasts minutes.

Just misses 95. It will be there in another 5-7 years and could stretch to 96 at its peak.

The advantage Howell Mountain has is it sits above the fog line (more sunlight hours) and benefits from cool nights giving it slightly longer vine fruit ripening & better acidity.

Photos of; the legend, Owner-Winemaker Randy Dunn, an aerial view of his Howell Mountain Vineyard, barrel room and landing pad to process fruit for fermentation. — 6 years ago

with Christina and James

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I coravined a taste of this last weekend and had my first major disappointment with Ladera. That all changed with a 45 minute decant & food tonight.

This bottling & for many vintages in the early 2000’s was the steal of Howell Mountain producers. I was buying it at Costco for $41-$45. Now & for some time, you can’t find a bottle of this at Costco regardless of price.

The nose as I was decanting it was very perfumed florals with potpourri. Now, the nose sings with the blue & purple fruits that identify wine as a Howell Mountain producer. Blackberries, blueberries, olallieberries, boysenberries, mulberries, dark cherries, black plum, plum, stewed strawberries, raspberries haunt the background, sweet tarriness, dark, berry cola, black licorice, dry & fresh herbs-bay leaf driven, limestone, dry crushed rocks, softly laid baking spices; clove, vanilla, cinnamon & nutmeg, dark spice, dark chocolate bar, dry tobacco, some graphite, soft, used leather with spectacular, candied, fresh & slightly withering; dark, red, purple, blue florals framed in soft violets & fields of lavender.

The body is full, rich, lush and round. The tannins are nicely resolved but, still show baby teeth & tarriness. The tension, structure, length and balance are just the other side of peak. Blackberries, blueberries, olallieberries, boysenberries, mulberries, dark cherries, black plum, plum, stewed strawberries, raspberries haunt the background, sweet, very dark, tarriness, cherry kirsch liqueur, dark, berry cola, black licorice, dry & fresh herbs-bay leaf driven, limestone, dry crushed rocks, moist clay, softly laid baking spices; clove, vanilla, cinnamon & nutmeg, black tea, dark spice with comfortable palate heat, dark chocolate bar, expresso roast, dry tobacco, some graphite, soft, used leather with spectacularly floral, candied, fresh & slightly withering; dark, red, purple, blue florals framed in soft violets & fields of lavender. The acidity is near perfect & holds back the slightly higher ABV. The finish is; rich, round, elegant, sexy, gorgeous, velvety, well balanced and persist endlessly.

Not as outstanding as their 2002 but, very good & still has another 8 years & possibly plus of good drinking ahead. Proper storage of course.

Photos of; Ladera & their beautiful flowered Estate, barrel tasting room, entrance sign with Estate vines & a visual of why Howell Mountain is such a great terroir. It’s above the fog-line and therefore gets more sun than the Napa Valley floor. More sun and cooler temperature at elevation means longer fruit hang time & more even fruit ripening. — 6 years ago