2016 Alban Roussanne Estate

Leading off with the 2016 Roussanne Estate, it’s easily one of the standout expressions of Roussanne in California and offers a rich, medium to full-bodied, lush profile to go with beautiful notes of buttered citrus, banana, honeysuckle, and toasted spice. While it’s a big wine, it stays fresh and elegant. Drink it any time over the coming 4-5 years. This was another brilliant tasting with California Rhône pioneer John Alban. The current releases here are the 2014s, which are from a vintage that reminds me of the 2006s with their incredible richness and depth. These are thrilling wines that are going to age just about forever. The 2015s were mostly tasted out of barrel and at this stage are tight, firm, and focused, with plenty of obvious structure. These are going to continue putting on weight with time in barrel, and it’s certainly another terrific vintage from this reference point estate. These are awesome, world-class wines in every way.