Offering plenty of Zinny character, its dry and brisk in mouth-cleansing acidity, with soft tannins and rich flavors of dusty baking spices, blackberry pure, cherry compote, cola, shaved dark chocolate, red licorice and a savory coating of toasted cedar wood. The addition of a small percentage of Petite Sirah (9%) and Syrah (4%) contributes complexity. A great accompaniment to barbecue, game, roasted chicken, stews and lasagna
2009 Dominus boasts an exceptional perfume of hoisin sauce, licorice, underbrush, forest floor, plums, black currants and jammy cherries intertwined with hints of cedar, baking spices and oak. Full-bodied and voluptuously textured.
"They appear to be immune to some of winedom’s less than intelligent trends and fads that we see from time to time, and the result is a spectacular 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon 40th Anniversary offering. Its dense purple/black color is followed by copious quantities of crème de cassis and blackberry fruit, silky tannins, a voluptuous texture and stunning purity as well as length. This full-bodied effort is a fabulous example of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon as well as a tribute to this amazing family. Amazing!" -Robert Parker 96/100
"Moving to the two flagship releases, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, and the rest Malbec) is another inky hued release from this team and offers a thrilling nose of blueberries, black cherries, iron, cedar pencil, and bouquet garni. These carry to a full-bodied wine with beautiful mid-palate density, a soft, expansive texture, building tannins, and a gorgeous finish. Ranking with the top handful of wines in the vintage, it's going to evolve gracefully for 20-25 years or more." -Jeb Dunnock 98/100
The wine has aromas of boysenberry, cherry, strawberry jam, rose petal, blueberry, chocolate, mocha, vanilla, and brown sugar. In the palate are flavors of raspberry, dried cranberry, black cherry, vanilla bean, and roasted coffee. The tannins are rounded and supple. The wine is very balanced in its approach. The wine is full bodied and has a velvety mouthfeel. Sourcing from these two stellar vineyards on the valley floor allows us to craft a wine with a rich deep palate and great red and black fruit aromas and flavors.
Beautiful aromas of cherry, black currant, cedar cigar box, iris, and coffee. Boysenberry pie, fig, and toffee awaken the palate. Supple tannins give buoyancy, leading to a lingering finish of plum, cherry and toasted almond.
The intensity of fruit in the nose is so impressive with blackberries, blackcurrants and lavender. Extremely aromatic. Full-bodied, tight and focused with polished and chewy tannins. Blackberries, currants, walnuts and hazelnuts on the palate. Solid core of fruit and ripe tannins. Classically structured. 97% cabernet sauvignon with petit Verdot.
Earthy forest floor notes of loam and wild mushrooms join forces with blackberry jam and bittersweet dark chocolate to create a picnic of aromas. Lemony acidity gives the wine's mouthfeel a bit of snap to accompany sinewy tannins and flavors of dark raspberries and dark Indonesian black coffee.
The Patrina, their "entry level" red, is a blend of vineyard sites raised with the same detail and attentiveness as the sites that make vineyard-designate wines, and then fermented open top with indigenous yeast, gentle pump overs and a few punch downs once soft, it is bottled unfined and unfiltered after ‘just’ 22 months in barrel to preserve its youthful exuberance. This has all the density and concentration folks have come to expect from Alban's reds with black and blue fruits, mineral notes, and flowers.