Sort of muted upon opening but after an hour it emerged and is ponderous on the palate. Beautiful fruit, beautiful structure. Very deep and complex. Alcohol is apparent but never overshadows the structure and depth of wine. After a sip want the next, a great sign. Two days later, nose blossomed and very fragrant. Fruit now strong and nice, and there is a meat and funk taste. Jeeze, what does funk taste like? This was like molding hay and horse stall, but that was just a bit and for short second. Also a meaty taste was woven into it. Something for sure. The way I describe the flavors sounds bad, but it was a great characteristic. Liked this a lot more on second day. I've had Reva a number of times; sometimes I open right at peak, sometimes several years before, and sometimes past peak. My approach in the past was to buy at least two bottles. In one instance I opened one at peak. I thought I could run the next bottle out a good five more years, but when I did was bland and flabby. Other CT reviewers seem to indicate this is a twenty year wine, and it very well might be. But my advice is drink them in the window but don't let them go more than another year, two tops.
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Dark fruit, garrigue and iron ore come together in a top shelf Central Coast Syrah. Wonderful depth and texture, but it is the layers of complexity that makes this wine so special. It has the “X” factor that I seek in a wine. Great juice.
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Good grief this wine is great. 11 years and still going strong. Suspect this will continue to age well for another decade, if stored properly. Big, juicy, black fruit and the alcohol has integrated very well.
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Decanted for one hour. Aromas of blackberry, gamey meat, black plum, anise and spice. Blackberry, huckleberry, gamey meat, spice and ripe tannins on the palate. Very long finish. Full bodied. Served with apple wood smoked, baby back ribs.
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Slow ox 30 min. Deep, persistent, complex but nicely balanced now. Raspberry, black fruit, earth, roast meat and spice. Still so much life ahead. This is really impressive.
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After a two hour decant, the wine expressed notes of blue fruit, olive tapenade, garrigue and iron ore. Still somewhat tight on the first glass. As the unfurled during the last two glasses, it clearly became more expressive revealing the ‘X’ factor that I seek in a way wine. There are better days ahead of this wine. I will revisit this wine again in three to five years. Great juice.
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Decanted for one hour. Nose of black raspberry, huckleberry, gamey meat, anise and ground nutmeg. Blackberry, blueberry, gamey meat spice and ripe tannins on the palate. Very long, layered finish. Full bodied. Served with roasted pork tenderloin.
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Very good. Drank at the in-laws. They sucked it down. Not sure it was fully appreciated. The magnums probably do age better than the 750s. A versatile crowd pleaser.
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First bottle from this vintage for me. Still very young and fruit forward. Deep dark purple in color. As usual starts off with blueberries, vanilla, and follows with layer after layer of luscious dark fruits. Finishes with a great length of black fruits matched with moderate tannins and supporting acidity.
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Double decanted for 3 hrs, deep ruby, blueberries, med/firm tannins, long finish; outstanding & consistently Reva, drink or hold, just starting to drink & will last at least a decade
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Perfect winter wine for me. Flamboyant nose dark and brooding with a floral coffee infused element. Great balance and paired perfectly with our lamb stew!
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Decanted for one hour. Nose of blackberry, huckleberry, smoked meat, cocoa and spice. Black and blue fruit, smoked meat, spice and ripe tannins on the palate. Very long, layered finish. Full bodied. Served with Texas style smoked brisket.
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This wine is still a baby & I'd love to re-visit in 5-10 years. Very dark black-purple color. On the nose & palate, big blackberry notes with smoke. This wine does not show the bacon fat notes I love from Alban Reva Syrahs. Slightly better on Night 2, so I bumped up my original 93 score to a 94. Based on this experience, I'd cellar until 2022 or longer, unless you really love the up-front primary fruit characteristics.
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Tasted immediately after a decant. A big wine but smooth. A touch of olive and brine but dark fruit, spice and pepper are the prime drivers here. Sumptuous, juicy and delicious.
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Very similar to my March 1, 2017 note. Still super youthful, has not moved. Explosive, brash yet jubilant. Thick but not candied or anything other than what it is supposed to be. Just splendid with ribs, and post dinner sipping on a cool evening on the porch. On its own, I like more grace and nimbleness, but situationally such as this night, it was exactly what was needed.
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Fully mature, smooth and tasty. Landed right between 2010 Lynch Bages at 95 and 2015 Bevan Wildfoote at 97. A bit surprising that a Syrah could go toe-to-toe with two big Cabs, but it sure did. Four drinkers, consistent scores all around.
Not as dark as I recall the 06". This had a real bad chemical taste on opening, 2 hours later still struggling to get that super wet stone, dry oak taste off, and finding the fruit. Maybe day II. But this is not really pleasurable.
Day II. This wine needs 3 hours decanted. Weight now. Flavors back to terroir Syrah. Nose on this never expressive. Palate is full now, finish in the front, dry, Stoney, some interesting charred fruit on finish.
Try as I might this wine just disappoints compared to price, history, expectations.
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Aerated with Vinturi and decanted for one hour. Nose of blackberry, black plum, smoked meat, spice and underbrush. Black and blue fruit, smoked meat, spice and ripe tannins on the palate. Very long finish with excellent depth. Full bodied and well layered. Served with grilled rack of lamb.
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Friends opened this at our 3/2/19 card night. It had a rich, deep and complex nose of blackberry, blueberry, plum, black olives, smoked meat, herb and spice aromas. The palate was rich, dense, layered and dry with flavors that followed the nose
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Decanted and served. Textbook in many cases, big muscular and ripe, good richness but in now way sickly sweet with good spice and lots of depth. Light touches of smoke as it developed. Special and in its own way very good. Not for the feint of heart. 93
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Informal business lunch, no detailed notes. See my previous CT comment from June. This a sweet, sexy, silky Cali Syrah that needs to further settle and become the irresistible, intense, complex wine I had with rest of the bottle the day after my first bottle. Drank alongside the Guigal Ex Voto 2005 (more old world aristocratic) and the Torbreck RunRig 2010 (a monster of intensity and complexity) which were both a touch better on that day, more ready and more complex. My previous bottle got 98 points for the best moments of day two, this time and with less time to breath and develop it was still good but not as good as the previous bottle.
Decanting: Got 2 hours of air, 8h+ hours would have been better (see June comment).
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Very enjoyable. Little bit of raisin on the nose, good fruit on the palate, little Peper and nIce structure. Could age a few more years but really good now.
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This bottle was accessed with the Coravin at home. The wine was mid deep garnet red in colour and had a nose of ripe dark cherries along with a noticeable amount of bacon and some leather. Originally when I tasted this, it was right out of the cellar so the wine was slightly cool. That being said, there were strong flavours of slightly sour ripe cherries mixed with some peppery spices that I found to be slightly hot for my liking. The tannins were still quite strong while the acidity was at a nice level. Over time and warming in the glass, the wine did come more together but this wasn't one of Alban's stronger bottles. Still quite good.
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Short trip to Paso Robles (Booker/Turley): Needed 10 minutes in the glass to reveal its charms but the real deal was on day two: Dark forest berries, deep forest floor, violets and chocolate nose with lots of minerality, salty scents, fennel seeds, tobacco, black truffle and especially bittersweet chocolate and precise and clear blackberry aromas on the palate. So dark, deep, smooth, silky with an incredible amount of concentration, sweet tannins, good freshness and impeccable balance. Sensational. 98+ points for the best and most harmonious moments on day two (on day one it would have been a 93-94 experience at best). Overall, 97 seems fair. If you drink it today give it at least a 7h decant.
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Needs a few hours to really show its stuff. Will definitely improve with more cellar time. However, it is already a big, juicy wine that will not disappoint those who like big California reds. Paired perfectly with TX BBQ ribs and sausage.
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Following suit with Revas of the past, I was happy to find this was kicking out some nice dark blackberry, deep and ripe black raspberry, wild blueberry, charred oak, fresh layed asphalt, earth, clove, and nutmeg flavors. A hint of beef broth on the back end, adding interest. Wonderfully balanced and concentrated, if not in need of just a little more time in bottle to develop a smoother delivery of flavor. 94-95+ points for now, with some upside in a year or so.
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Scores around the table were 94, 95/96, 96, 96 -- a big mouthful of CA Syrah and all that implies. Certainly ready to drink, tannins have receded. Yes, will get smoother, but pretty nice right now.
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Very young - don't open it before 2022. Lots of dark fruits, roasted pepper and vanilla. Unbalanced acidity, vanilla flavor is to strong and artificial. Interesting and well made but not worth the money in my opinion.
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Dark fruit, which is much like a blackberry. Cocoa powder, tar, and some aspects of more old world syrah, with some game. There is enough acidity here but the wine just comes off a bit rich for my syrah tastes. It's also got a decent amount of coil, too. Overall, this is not my style, as the oak and the ripeness is just too tall for fragile tastes.
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Okay... There's nothing reserve or passive about this wine. I'm enjoying it but it's full thrust into orbit. Extremely dark opaque color, purple hue. Nose of blue fruit. Palate has great complexity between the fruit and spice. Blackberry and boysenberry with an aggressive tobacco note, cinnamon, iodine and hot tar/charcoal. Many of the claasic characteristics of Northern Rhone but clearly new world intensity. Fun.
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This bottle was drank at a local steakhouse after an hour of decanting. It was clear and deep red in colour with a nose of ripe cherries, caramel and some earth spices. All these smells were also tasted and the complete balance of the wine was wonderful. Not overly spicy and although the tannins and acidity were quite strong, they did not overpower the flavours in this bottle. The wine had a long finish and showed very well.
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Air, air, air. Give them air. Complexity in spades emerges with air. Cinnamon, cola, black fruits, tar and anise. Dense, tannic, but with a richness thread running through it. Highly enjoyable.
Day 2 is prime time. Deep licorice/anise and pepper. Chewy, decadent with a lingering finish. Best Reva since '09. 95 ish day 1 with air. 98 day 2.
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Simply wow!! I've had a glass or re of Alban, but my first bottle. Really good place now but can only imagine another 12-18 months that it will really fill out.
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Decanted and left in open decanter 8 hours until rebottled for dinner out. Exquisite. Powerful yet feminine nose of kirsch and sweet smoke. Broad deep palate with fine but very present tannins that build through a long finish. 96 if rating. No need to wait on this if decanting long. Love it.
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Not sure why, and only been a month since the last one, but this thing was rocking compared to the previous one. Beautiful on the palate, big, bold but not brash -- lots of dark fruit with a dusty feel, smoked meats and bacon fat.
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I see others admonishing to wait. Not sure why. I tasted this bottle 2 months ago and it felt disjointed. Now it is in focus. Smoke, vanilla, pepper and dark fruit on the nose. Well integrated on the palate. Perfectly balanced. Intense dark fruit. Long, pleasant finish. No rush to break this out, but it is showing well right now!
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Have always liked Reva's young, so what the heck, open a 2012! Quite big nose, especially compared to the 12 SQN Stein. Pitch dark, dark fruit and liqueur notes, with a fair amount of olive in the nose. Much more dormant on the palate that what I have seen with other vintages popped early. Still, lots of dark fruit, spice and smoked meat. Should be great in some years.
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Hold until 2020. This was fun to try, but I'm confident that this will be much better in another 3-5 years. Very dark and concentrated. Vibrant blueberry and dark fruit.
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2/24/2024 - pmarlo wrote: 94 Points
Sort of muted upon opening but after an hour it emerged and is ponderous on the palate. Beautiful fruit, beautiful structure. Very deep and complex. Alcohol is apparent but never overshadows the structure and depth of wine. After a sip want the next, a great sign.
Two days later, nose blossomed and very fragrant. Fruit now strong and nice, and there is a meat and funk taste. Jeeze, what does funk taste like? This was like molding hay and horse stall, but that was just a bit and for short second. Also a meaty taste was woven into it. Something for sure. The way I describe the flavors sounds bad, but it was a great characteristic. Liked this a lot more on second day.
I've had Reva a number of times; sometimes I open right at peak, sometimes several years before, and sometimes past peak. My approach in the past was to buy at least two bottles. In one instance I opened one at peak. I thought I could run the next bottle out a good five more years, but when I did was bland and flabby. Other CT reviewers seem to indicate this is a twenty year wine, and it very well might be. But my advice is drink them in the window but don't let them go more than another year, two tops.
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1/27/2024 - Castle Peak wrote: 93 Points
Much more enjoyable on day two. Will certainly benefit from a healthy decant.
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12/18/2023 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark fruit, garrigue and iron ore come together in a top shelf Central Coast Syrah. Wonderful depth and texture, but it is the layers of complexity that makes this wine so special. It has the “X” factor that I seek in a wine. Great juice.
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10/27/2023 - gesusser Likes this wine: 94 Points
Hour plus decant allowed this tasty Syrah to show Its class: smooth as glass; in its prime drinking window
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9/11/2023 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank with Kurt & Jenna and in-laws with fresh ribeye.
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7/18/2023 - gsiokis Likes this wine: 95 Points
Good grief this wine is great. 11 years and still going strong. Suspect this will continue to age well for another decade, if stored properly. Big, juicy, black fruit and the alcohol has integrated very well.
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6/23/2023 - OldHick95 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Nose of blackberry, cedar, spice cake. Many-layered with espresso and black cherry, cracked black pepper. Complex and fully integrated tannins.
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6/17/2023 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Similar to prior notes after a 2 hour double decant; outstanding, another great bottle, drink or hold
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5/14/2023 - hoservin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for one hour. Aromas of blackberry, gamey meat, black plum, anise and spice. Blackberry, huckleberry, gamey meat, spice and ripe tannins on the palate. Very long finish. Full bodied. Served with apple wood smoked, baby back ribs.
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12/29/2022 - mclanew Likes this wine: 95 Points
Slow ox 30 min. Deep, persistent, complex but nicely balanced now. Raspberry, black fruit, earth, roast meat and spice. Still so much life ahead. This is really impressive.
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11/20/2022 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Similar to prior notes after a 2 hour double decant; outstanding, drink or hold
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8/21/2022 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 94 Points
After a two hour decant, the wine expressed notes of blue fruit, olive tapenade, garrigue and iron ore. Still somewhat tight on the first glass. As the unfurled during the last two glasses, it clearly became more expressive revealing the ‘X’ factor that I seek in a way wine. There are better days ahead of this wine. I will revisit this wine again in three to five years. Great juice.
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6/11/2022 - pjhr Likes this wine: 95 Points
Delicious Syrah! Rich blackberry, spice, and floral aromas with rich meaty fruit and layers of complexity on the palate and long finish.
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5/23/2022 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Have rated well in the past. May be bottle variation. Didn't really impress anyone.
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4/22/2022 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Similar to prior note after a 2 hour double decant; delicious, drink or preferably hold
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1/15/2022 - tantotinto wrote: 94 Points
Note from two years ago still applies. “Dark fruit, spice and pepper. Sumptuous, juicy and delicious.”
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11/8/2021 - hoservin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for one hour. Nose of black raspberry, huckleberry, gamey meat, anise and ground nutmeg. Blackberry, blueberry, gamey meat spice and ripe tannins on the palate. Very long, layered finish. Full bodied. Served with roasted pork tenderloin.
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10/1/2021 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Similar to prior note after a 2.5 hour double decant; outstanding, but still young, drink or preferably hold
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6/29/2021 - cadamson Likes this wine:
Remains quite similar to my 11/7/2019 note. Not much evolution.
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5/30/2021 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very good. Drank at the in-laws. They sucked it down. Not sure it was fully appreciated. The magnums probably do age better than the 750s. A versatile crowd pleaser.
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4/3/2021 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Dark fruit. Blackberry and dark chocolate. Not quite the length and depth of the Lorraine but qualitatively very close. More pepper and baking spices.
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4/2/2021 - rustyRudy Likes this wine: 98 Points
First bottle from this vintage for me. Still very young and fruit forward. Deep dark purple in color. As usual starts off with blueberries, vanilla, and follows with layer after layer of luscious dark fruits. Finishes with a great length of black fruits matched with moderate tannins and supporting acidity.
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1/24/2021 - rpenn77 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Big bold syrah with pepper notes
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1/2/2021 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Double decanted for 3 hrs, deep ruby, blueberries, med/firm tannins, long finish; outstanding & consistently Reva, drink or hold, just starting to drink & will last at least a decade
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12/18/2020 - fdub Likes this wine: 97 Points
Perfect winter wine for me. Flamboyant nose dark and brooding with a floral coffee infused element. Great balance and paired perfectly with our lamb stew!
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7/10/2020 - Mootsie Likes this wine: 96 Points
One of the best Syrahs coming out of California.
Tapenade, black raspberry and anise. Give it about an hour plus decant
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5/2/2020 - hoservin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for one hour. Nose of blackberry, huckleberry, smoked meat, cocoa and spice. Black and blue fruit, smoked meat, spice and ripe tannins on the palate. Very long, layered finish. Full bodied. Served with Texas style smoked brisket.
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4/5/2020 - jmcnewjersey Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine is still a baby & I'd love to re-visit in 5-10 years. Very dark black-purple color. On the nose & palate, big blackberry notes with smoke. This wine does not show the bacon fat notes I love from Alban Reva Syrahs. Slightly better on Night 2, so I bumped up my original 93 score to a 94. Based on this experience, I'd cellar until 2022 or longer, unless you really love the up-front primary fruit characteristics.
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12/28/2019 - G_H wrote: 94 Points
Intense, creamy and opulent with a velvety finish. Cherry jam, vanilla, minerals, cherry yogurt, slightly dusty on the nose.
Long life ahead...
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11/24/2019 - tantotinto wrote: 94 Points
Tasted immediately after a decant. A big wine but smooth. A touch of olive and brine but dark fruit, spice and pepper are the prime drivers here. Sumptuous, juicy and delicious.
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11/7/2019 - cadamson Likes this wine:
Very similar to my March 1, 2017 note. Still super youthful, has not moved. Explosive, brash yet jubilant. Thick but not candied or anything other than what it is supposed to be. Just splendid with ribs, and post dinner sipping on a cool evening on the porch. On its own, I like more grace and nimbleness, but situationally such as this night, it was exactly what was needed.
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11/6/2019 - seijaro Likes this wine: 96 Points
Fully mature, smooth and tasty. Landed right between 2010 Lynch Bages at 95 and 2015 Bevan Wildfoote at 97. A bit surprising that a Syrah could go toe-to-toe with two big Cabs, but it sure did. Four drinkers, consistent scores all around.
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9/10/2019 - mikemboutiquewines wrote: 97 Points
Yaba, daba do! This is so good. Consistent with my last score.
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8/29/2019 - mikemboutiquewines wrote: 97 Points
So gooooood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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7/3/2019 - tplskylrk wrote:
Not as dark as I recall the 06". This had a real bad chemical taste on opening, 2 hours later still struggling to get that super wet stone, dry oak taste off, and finding the fruit. Maybe day II. But this is not really pleasurable.
Day II. This wine needs 3 hours decanted. Weight now. Flavors back to terroir Syrah. Nose on this never expressive. Palate is full now, finish in the front, dry, Stoney, some interesting charred fruit on finish.
Try as I might this wine just disappoints compared to price, history, expectations.
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6/23/2019 - TK Mastres wrote: 93 Points
Solid nose , and very , very good overall. Perhaps not as superlative as previous vintages but a very worthwhile bottle of wine for sure.
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4/27/2019 - hoservin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Aerated with Vinturi and decanted for one hour. Nose of blackberry, black plum, smoked meat, spice and underbrush. Black and blue fruit, smoked meat, spice and ripe tannins on the palate. Very long finish with excellent depth. Full bodied and well layered. Served with grilled rack of lamb.
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3/2/2019 - garambler Likes this wine: 95 Points
Friends opened this at our 3/2/19 card night. It had a rich, deep and complex nose of blackberry, blueberry, plum, black olives, smoked meat, herb and spice aromas. The palate was rich, dense, layered and dry with flavors that followed the nose
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12/9/2018 - JoeDe wrote:
Shared w SLO guys in San Fran at Alexander’s
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11/6/2018 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
Decanted and served. Textbook in many cases, big muscular and ripe, good richness but in now way sickly sweet with good spice and lots of depth. Light touches of smoke as it developed. Special and in its own way very good. Not for the feint of heart. 93
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10/22/2018 - Cailles wrote: 94 Points
Informal business lunch, no detailed notes. See my previous CT comment from June. This a sweet, sexy, silky Cali Syrah that needs to further settle and become the irresistible, intense, complex wine I had with rest of the bottle the day after my first bottle. Drank alongside the Guigal Ex Voto 2005 (more old world aristocratic) and the Torbreck RunRig 2010 (a monster of intensity and complexity) which were both a touch better on that day, more ready and more complex. My previous bottle got 98 points for the best moments of day two, this time and with less time to breath and develop it was still good but not as good as the previous bottle.
Decanting: Got 2 hours of air, 8h+ hours would have been better (see June comment).
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9/9/2018 - bablues wrote: 95 Points
Amazing. Smoke, pepper, bacon fat, dark fruit. All the things you want in a classic Syrah. Will only get better with time.
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8/26/2018 - MTwine66 wrote: 96 Points
Very enjoyable. Little bit of raisin on the nose, good fruit on the palate, little Peper and nIce structure. Could age a few more years but really good now.
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8/7/2018 - Rosengoo wrote: 90 Points
This bottle was accessed with the Coravin at home. The wine was mid deep garnet red in colour and had a nose of ripe dark cherries along with a noticeable amount of bacon and some leather. Originally when I tasted this, it was right out of the cellar so the wine was slightly cool. That being said, there were strong flavours of slightly sour ripe cherries mixed with some peppery spices that I found to be slightly hot for my liking. The tannins were still quite strong while the acidity was at a nice level. Over time and warming in the glass, the wine did come more together but this wasn't one of Alban's stronger bottles. Still quite good.
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7/5/2018 - tplskylrk wrote:
Wow. Yum right out the gate P&P. So captivating. I went for a glass of wine and now i am consumed by its presence.
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6/30/2018 - Dalex Likes this wine: 95 Points
Cork popped and resealed. Consumed 6 hours later.
This was amazing. Another bottle purchased, which is all you need to know to state I liked it.
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6/27/2018 - Cailles wrote: 97 Points
Short trip to Paso Robles (Booker/Turley): Needed 10 minutes in the glass to reveal its charms but the real deal was on day two: Dark forest berries, deep forest floor, violets and chocolate nose with lots of minerality, salty scents, fennel seeds, tobacco, black truffle and especially bittersweet chocolate and precise and clear blackberry aromas on the palate. So dark, deep, smooth, silky with an incredible amount of concentration, sweet tannins, good freshness and impeccable balance. Sensational. 98+ points for the best and most harmonious moments on day two (on day one it would have been a 93-94 experience at best). Overall, 97 seems fair. If you drink it today give it at least a 7h decant.
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5/26/2018 - Buckwheet wrote: 93 Points
Needs a few hours to really show its stuff. Will definitely improve with more cellar time. However, it is already a big, juicy wine that will not disappoint those who like big California reds. Paired perfectly with TX BBQ ribs and sausage.
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5/24/2018 - jkvedar wrote: 93 Points
Smoke, black raspberry on the nose. Rich black fruits on the palate. Long,pleasant finish!
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3/17/2018 - jeffmudd wrote: 95 Points
Simply a phenomenal wine.
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2/10/2018 - jeffmudd wrote: 95 Points
Only getting better
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1/6/2018 - csimm wrote: 95 Points
Following suit with Revas of the past, I was happy to find this was kicking out some nice dark blackberry, deep and ripe black raspberry, wild blueberry, charred oak, fresh layed asphalt, earth, clove, and nutmeg flavors. A hint of beef broth on the back end, adding interest. Wonderfully balanced and concentrated, if not in need of just a little more time in bottle to develop a smoother delivery of flavor. 94-95+ points for now, with some upside in a year or so.
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12/23/2017 - seijaro Likes this wine: 95 Points
Scores around the table were 94, 95/96, 96, 96 -- a big mouthful of CA Syrah and all that implies. Certainly ready to drink, tannins have receded. Yes, will get smoother, but pretty nice right now.
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12/15/2017 - DrZett wrote: 88 Points
Very young - don't open it before 2022. Lots of dark fruits, roasted pepper and vanilla. Unbalanced acidity, vanilla flavor is to strong and artificial. Interesting and well made but not worth the money in my opinion.
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10/6/2017 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Dark fruit, which is much like a blackberry. Cocoa powder, tar, and some aspects of more old world syrah, with some game. There is enough acidity here but the wine just comes off a bit rich for my syrah tastes. It's also got a decent amount of coil, too. Overall, this is not my style, as the oak and the ripeness is just too tall for fragile tastes.
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10/6/2017 - brigcampbell wrote:
Okay... There's nothing reserve or passive about this wine. I'm enjoying it but it's full thrust into orbit. Extremely dark opaque color, purple hue. Nose of blue fruit. Palate has great complexity between the fruit and spice. Blackberry and boysenberry with an aggressive tobacco note, cinnamon, iodine and hot tar/charcoal. Many of the claasic characteristics of Northern Rhone but clearly new world intensity. Fun.
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9/22/2017 - Rosengoo wrote: 94 Points
This bottle was drank at a local steakhouse after an hour of decanting. It was clear and deep red in colour with a nose of ripe cherries, caramel and some earth spices. All these smells were also tasted and the complete balance of the wine was wonderful. Not overly spicy and although the tannins and acidity were quite strong, they did not overpower the flavours in this bottle. The wine had a long finish and showed very well.
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8/27/2017 - jkvedar wrote: 91 Points
After a 2.5 hour decant. Lots of vanilla on the nose. Dark fruits and a touch of smoke. Racy palate of dark fruit; well-balanced.
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6/2/2017 - Mootsie Likes this wine: 98 Points
Air, air, air. Give them air. Complexity in spades emerges with air. Cinnamon, cola, black fruits, tar and anise. Dense, tannic, but with a richness thread running through it. Highly enjoyable.
Day 2 is prime time. Deep licorice/anise and pepper. Chewy, decadent with a lingering finish. Best Reva since '09.
95 ish day 1 with air. 98 day 2.
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4/16/2017 - jeffmudd wrote: 94 Points
Simply wow!! I've had a glass or re of Alban, but my first bottle. Really good place now but can only imagine another 12-18 months that it will really fill out.
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3/19/2017 - Babik Likes this wine:
Decanted and left in open decanter 8 hours until rebottled for dinner out. Exquisite. Powerful yet feminine nose of kirsch and sweet smoke. Broad deep palate with fine but very present tannins that build through a long finish. 96 if rating. No need to wait on this if decanting long. Love it.
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3/10/2017 - styrofoamboots Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 2+ hours. Incredibly jammy nose full of fruit flavors. Was showing really well already but could use 5+ more years in bottle for sure.
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3/1/2017 - cadamson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Not sure why, and only been a month since the last one, but this thing was rocking compared to the previous one. Beautiful on the palate, big, bold but not brash -- lots of dark fruit with a dusty feel, smoked meats and bacon fat.
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2/13/2017 - jkvedar Likes this wine: 93 Points
I see others admonishing to wait. Not sure why. I tasted this bottle 2 months ago and it felt disjointed. Now it is in focus. Smoke, vanilla, pepper and dark fruit on the nose. Well integrated on the palate. Perfectly balanced. Intense dark fruit. Long, pleasant finish. No rush to break this out, but it is showing well right now!
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2/12/2017 - cadamson Likes this wine: 92 Points
Have always liked Reva's young, so what the heck, open a 2012! Quite big nose, especially compared to the 12 SQN Stein. Pitch dark, dark fruit and liqueur notes, with a fair amount of olive in the nose. Much more dormant on the palate that what I have seen with other vintages popped early. Still, lots of dark fruit, spice and smoked meat. Should be great in some years.
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12/24/2016 - jhieb Likes this wine: 94 Points
Hold until 2020. This was fun to try, but I'm confident that this will be much better in another 3-5 years. Very dark and concentrated. Vibrant blueberry and dark fruit.
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