2015 Roussanne Estate

Just bottled two weeks ago, the 2015 Roussanne Estate certainly wasn’t worse for the wear. Stone fruits, orange blossom, honeysuckle and toasted nut characteristics all emerge from this pure, layered, rich Roussanne that has richness and depth, as well as great acidity. John made this cuvee first in 1991 and at the time it was one of just two Roussanne labeled wines in the world. If I had to come up with a list of the greatest wine estates in the world, Alban Vineyards would certainly be in there. Readers need to understand that this estate is an anomaly, lying at the very end of the Edna Valley, and the only estate in 50+ miles making wines of this quality. Vintages here marginally track the larger Central Coast theme, yet not always. These are singular wines. John commented that he thinks 2015 is a step down over 2012, 2013 and 2014, but that it’s better than 2011. I only tasted his whites, but like everyone else in 2015, his yields were decimated, so there’s very little of these to go around. I report on the red from barrel next year. His 2014s are all terrific as well, with full-bodied, ripe, classic Alban Style. Where this estate doesn’t track with the rest of the Central Coast is with his 2013s and 2012s; in general, the 2012s are the sexier, more open-knit, and the 2013s more concentrated and structure. In John’s case, the vintages are reversed, with the 2012s showing more structure and the 2013s just packed with sweet fruit. As I’ve written in the past, for the life of me, I can’t understand why no one else in the Edna Valley tries to make wine anywhere close to this level of quality.