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John Alban is one of the pioneers of Rhone varietal wines in California.  His eponymous winery  is still one of the best.  This is a big wine but for those who like this style, it is excellent.  Purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, some black pepper, slight roasted meats and gravelly dirt.  On the palate, the texture is lush and almost seamless.  This is slightly sweet, most likely from ripe fruit.  Black raspberries and some black cherries.  Plenty of depth with a long finish.  A tasty wine for sure.  It drinks great on its own (and was perfect with a nice Cuban cigar).  It wi

72% Zinfandel with 20% Syrah and 8% Mourvedre.  This is a brawny wine that is delicious.  Purple in color.  The nose has black cherries, black pepper, slight bramble and baking spice.  On the palate, this has a wonderful texture.  Juicy black cherries over a bit of char with slight woody notes.  There is a nice depth to this wine.  It should continue to develop complexity over the next few years.  It should last another decade.  Whether it improves or not depends on how mature you like your Zins.  This is great on its own and should work great with grilled meats or spicy hot foods.  

This is a blend of Rousanne (98%) and Viognier (2%) and one of my favorite white wines.  Of course, white Rhone varietals can be wonderful, frustrating, fascinating, great or dead at any point once they pass five years of age.  So it was with some trepidation that I tasted this wine when a friend brought it over.  No worries, this wine was singing and drinking great.  Golden in color.  The nose is showing some maturity.  Aromas of pears, slight dried flowers and wax.  On the palate, a slightly oily texture.  Pears and canned pears with a bit of earthiness.  Deep.  Not a lot of acidity.  Lon

One might think an Albarino that is five years old would be way past it.  Maybe more so if it were from California.  In this case, anyway, that would not be true.  This was drinking quite well.  As I don't know the winery, it is not possible to say how this drunk younger or if it is better or worse now.  It is, however, still quite enjoyable.  Yellow golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is all about minerals with a bit of alfalfa.  With air, a bit of citrus (lime?).  On the palate, this has a nice cut.  The lime comes out more.  Refreshing.  Good finish.  It is light bodied.  Indeed

This is a blend of 54% Syrah, 21% Mourvèdre, 16% Grenache and 9% Petite Sirah.  It is a big wine that really needed some time to settle down.  Even 6 years from vintage isn't really enough.  That said, with a couple hours of air, this was drinking beautifully.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black raspberries, plums, black cherries, and spice.  Perhaps a bit of black pepper.  On the palate, this is thick and big.  A bit chunky on opening but it smoothed out with air.  Lots of black raspberry fruit with some black cherries.  An underlying charred earthiness.  Good finish.  T

Usually, I like to let Saxum's age more, but this one is 45% Zinfandel, so we popped the cork.  Good move.  Also it has 36% Mourvedre, 12% Tempranillo and 7% Petite Sirah.  Weighs in at just under 16% ABV.  Inky purple in color.  The nose is big with black cherries, plums, black raspberries, some earthiness and spice.  On the palate, there is no heat.  Juicy black cherries, and black raspberries.  Some underlying char.  Long finish.  This is delicious but will be a tough food match.  Maybe some BBQ with spicy sauce?  It will be interesting to see how this ages.  I suspect the Zin fades and

This, while still young, has entered an adolescence that is very enjoyable.  Light gold/green in color.  The nose has the typical Rhys Lemon Cream and vanilla.  On the palate, this is starting to delineate layers and show nice complexity.  The lemon cream and vanilla carry thru along with underlying minerality.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This took a few hours on opening to really open up so it is probably worth decanting at this point.  It should easily go another decade probably until 2034.  Great on it own.  It will work with richer dishes with fish, veggies and some fowl.  

This is more of a "claret" styled Zinfandel than a big brawny styled Zin.  Purple in color with some ruby swirls.  The nose has dust, black cherries and slight tobacco.  On the palate, this has some depth.  Juicy black cherry fruit intertwined with a bit of damp earth.  Nice finish.  This would be great with Indian food.  Drink over the next five years, but it might surprise and last (a lot) longer.  

This is quite different than the 2014.  Of course, wine is subjective.  This is much more similar in style to the Kendall Jackson Chardonnay or the Rombauer Chardonnay; both of which are big sellers.  Light golden in color.  The nose has some lemon, some butter and some oak/vanilla.  On the palate, this is slightly sweet with some lemon notes that balance it.  This will be better as a cocktail wine than with food.  It should last for five more years but then may start to lose some of its freshness.  

Tasted side by side with the 2016, this one was much more to my liking.  Pale golden with some green swirls.  The nose has slight lemons, nice minerality, slight chalk and little oak.  On the palate, this is refreshing and clean.  Dry.  Mostly about the minerality but some lemon.  Good finish.  I believe this retails for around $20 which is a nice value.  Ready to drink now, it should be good for five years.  It will drink well on its own but better with sea food or salads.