2010 Estate Viognier

A beautifully focused, pointed wine, the 2010 Viognier Estate is laced with rich, varietally expressive aromas and flavors. As always, the fruit is rich, textured and lush, yet everything is also very much in balance. Aging on the lees gives the wine much of its volume, but today there is little, if any, batonnage being done on the Viognier. Layers of minerality give the wine an attractive sense of tension and proportion. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2014. This is a fabulous set of wines from John and Lorraine Alban. Quite simply, I was blown away by what I tasted. As I noted last year, the whites are increasingly made in a more energetic style, not a bad thing as the fruit is already so expressive from the start. Over the years, a similar evolution has taken place with the reds. The inky, black color of the Syrahs is now gone. Today, Alban favors lengthy barrel aging for his top reds, a technique he compares to “braising” in cooking, which requires softer and gentler fermentations at the outset. Beginning around 2006, Alban started doing fewer pump overs and in general encourages longer, slower fermentations. The wines used to go into barrel with some sugar still left to ferment, while today they go in drier than in the past. Over the years, new oak levels have also come down. Most of the current releases are 2008s, a vintage Alban describes as characterized by a spring frost, drought and cloudy days with less heat and sunlight than is typically the case. Readers may want to check out my video interview with John Alban for more on current and upcoming vintages. Tel. (805) 546-0305; www.albanvineyards.com

Also textbook and classic in style, the 2010 Alban Vineyards Viognier Alban Estate Vineyard (barrel fermented and aged) exudes Viognier charm with loads of upfront, perfumed flowers, peach, mineral, and tropical aromas that flow to a medium to full-bodied, beautifully fruited white. Californian in style, with an emphasis on fruit, purity, and aromatics, this beautifully done Viognier stays juicy, fresh, and light on the palate, with superb focus and detail that carries through the finish. Enjoy it over the coming 2-3 years.

Bright gold. Deeply pitched aromas of orange pith, poached pear, iodine and salty minerals. Palate-staining orchard and pit fruit flavors show an almost viscous texture and but are nicely enlivened by juicy acidity. Becomes spicier with air, displaying serious intensity but also surprising energy for a wine carrying 15.8% alcohol. Closes on a stony note, with strong finishing cut and sappy persistence.