2016 Alban Vineyards Syrah Seymour's Vineyard

Community Tasting Notes (5) Avg Score: 95.5 points

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  2/21/2024 - RCS73 wrote: 91 Points

  I hate to be an outlier here ...or perhaps my bottle is in a "dumb phase" but I found this bottle to be one dimensional, even after decant and 4-5 hours to finish off
  
  Solid syrah but not the exceptional tasting profile I was expecting given its' pedigree, prior experience with this cuvee, and others' tasting notes.
  
  The Reva. Lorraine, and even Patrina are showing better for this vintage as of now

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  12/5/2022 - seijaro Likes this wine: 96 Points

  A great Syrah that is just loaded with flavor. What a pleasure to drink with pulled pork. Bravo!

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  5/16/2022 - pakabear Likes this wine:

  Similar thoughts to my last bottle, magical stuff

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  4/14/2022 - RhoneWho wrote: 99 Points

  After finding 2016 Reva fantastic to drink, I can't resist to taste both 2016 Lorraine and Seymour today! I have been "cautioned" that this is the most muscular and long-life syrah out there.
  
  Darn! The moment the wine is pouring out I can smell the best Hermitage syrah notes bursting out from the wine glass -- couldn't be more different from the feminine Lorraine. Don't be fooled by the first sip from the immediate pour ... seems to rustic like those young best Hermitage ... suggest I should have waited for a few more year but don't judge the book by its cover!
  
  After following the wine over a few hours, I will sum it up that this is one of the most powerful wine I ever have. I can now relate this wine to and understand the expression of punches with a velvet glove! The unique aspect is that it's very enjoyable and approachable given its loaded potential. 99% of other wines would have fallen apart or your gum all numbed or your tongue got filed by a sandpaper. Not Seymour!
  
  I thought Lorraine is 2x more concentrated than Reva; Seymour is even more concentrated than Lorraine; and it stimulates your senses as it glides down the palate seamlessly with ultra fine tannin. I can't wait to revisit this wine in 5+ years to see how it evolves ... a general guideline for Seymour is about 8-10 years to hit its peak.
  
  I gather that Seymour vineyard is planted at higher elevation (maybe cooler) and flint instead of chalky soil. This terroir may have given Seymour its masculine signature and brighter tone with minerality (quality fruit acidity). The rare beef tartare (Parker would call it blood) with herbs is the classic Hermitage notes couple with California red fruit tone infused with the unique Burgundian oak barrel that normally associated with white wines. I would recommend to drink Seymour with food pairing, such as wagyu beef or acidic Italian food.
  
  Rating 98-100; 98+ ... not doubt it will become a perfect wine with a few more years of cellar aging.

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  4/22/2021 - pakabear Likes this wine: 96 Points

  I was curious so I had to try one, initially this was average to good, but with 2-3 hours of being open in bottle it started to open up and become much more intense, cherry, strawberry cream, rhubarb, cinnamon, clove, licorice, roasted meats, velvety profile and great balance. I don’t see the 100 pt. score here, but maybe with time it will get there. I was surprised at the difference it took on after some air, it did not taste closed initially, just below expectations.

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