Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2013 Syrah Reva sports an inky color as well as notes of crème de cassis, charred earth, licorice, wood smoke and just hints of the classic iodine and seaweed character that really defines this cuvee. Supple, seamless, silky and opulent, with sweet, sweet tannin and a silky finish. It shows more and more spice with time in the glass, is incredibly polished, layered and balanced. Drink it anytime over the coming 15-20 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Very deep purple-black colored, the 2013 Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard reveals a drop-dead beautiful nose of violets, potpourri and black forest cake over a core of preserved plums, mulberries and creme de cassis plus a waft of star anise. Full-bodied, rich and flamboyant in the mouth, the seductively ripe, generous fruit is well-framed by satin-textured tannins and just enough freshness, finishing very long and perfumed.
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Wine Spectator
Refined yet dynamic, with a structured and balanced core of acidity and tannins framed by formidable black raspberry, smoky meat, licorice and orange zest flavors that build momentum toward polished tannins. Drink now through 2026.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
California’s coolest wine growing area, Edna Valley excels in the production of high quality Central Coast wines like Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Rhône Blends and aromatic white wines. It has a cool Mediterranean climate and an incredibly long growing season, giving late-ripening varieties plenty of opportunity to develop great phenolic complexity.
Its northwest to southeast orientation creates a direct path for cool Pacific air and fog to penetrate the valley from the Los Osos and Morro Bay area inwards. Low hillsides of both calcareous and volcanic soils are home to much of the vineyard acreage of the Edna Valley.