WTN: Two Alban '98's...(short/boring)

Tried these two gems over the last two nights:
1. AlbanVnyds Syrah Seymour'sVnyd/EdnaVlly (14.2%) ArroyoGrande 1998: Very dark color w/ no bricking; quite smokey/charred/Fr.oak/toasty intense blackberry/boysenberry/ripe Syrah quite Rhonish/espresso/roasted/peppery slight cedary/tobaccoy lovely complex nose; quite tart very strong smokey/charred/Fr.oak intense blackberry/boysenberry/ripe Syrah rather smokey/espresso/Rhonish/roasted/smokey slight tobaccoy/cedary/oldRed flavor w/ light smooth/gentle tannins; very long/lingering very strong toasted/charred/burnt/Fr.oak very strong blackberry/boysenberry/Syrah/peppery some Rhonish/espresso/peppery/roasted/smokey finish w/ light smooth/ripe tannins; a ton of charred oak but plenty of fruit to support it; still loads of primnary ripe fruit but finally showing a bit of complexity and nuance; loads of smokey character some like old Qupes, but much more intense fruit; one of the best semi-mature Albans I've had; the next day after a night on the counter, this wine was pretty much dried out & hard/tannic on the palate, but still plenty of primary fruit in the nose. $70.00
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2. AlbanVnyds Pandora SeymoursVnyd/EdnaVlly RW (Grenache/Syrah; 14.3%) 1998: Very dark/near black color w/ little bricking; very strong smokey/toasty/charred/Fr.oak very intense spicy/blackberry/boysenberry/strawberry/Grenache slight licorice/pungent/black cherry cola light mineral/graphite/earthy rather complex beautiful nose w/ tons of primary/ripe fruit; tart/bit tangy very strong charred/toasty/smokey/oak intense blackberry/strawberry/boysenberry/ripe Grenache some nuanced graphite/ozone/pungent/mineral slight Rhonish/smokey/roasted huge fruit quite complex flavor w/ some smooth/ripe/slight tangy tannins; very long/lingering very strong toasted/charred/burnt/smokey/Fr.oak very intense blackberry/strawberry/boysenberry/black cherry cola/licorice/ripe Grenache some Rhonish/smokey/coffee slight graphite/mineral very complex finish w/ some lush/ripe/bit tangy tannins; maybe the best near-mature Albans I've had; a bit further along and more nuanced/complex than the Syrah; still loads of primary fruit that supports the ton of oak; a terrific Grenache that keeps you going back for another glass (alas); this iis how PhillippeCambie would make Grenache if he knew how. $75.00
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Both of these came from my "orphan" stash, stored in my garage under totally uncontrolled temps, 90's in the Summer, freezing in the Winter. Both stored standing upright. They should have been totally dead & gone. They were not.
Both of these had huge oak but huge fruit as well that could carry it. I was rather struck by the low alcohols on both these wines, anemic by JohnAlban's usual standards. I believe these were John's first wines from Seymour. Though they had loads of primary fruit; they were finally starting to show some mature complexity that is rare in an Alban red. I have no idea how much longer they will soldier on. Just not in the garage anymore. On to the the 2001's this weekend.
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2. I feel badly for those folks who are storing these Albans under ideal/pristine conditions. They're never gonna be drinkable and show the wonderful nuances of these two.
Tom (still no regrets)

Perhaps I missed it in one of your previous posts..but, how big was/is that orphan stash of yours, Tom? Every time I turn around, new goodies emerge.. Also, when did you first get around to "re-visiting" the orphans? Was there a story behind these wines getting orphaned?

Just curious..Can't say I have followed you from the beginning but I have read a number of your notes, re current tastings as well as the orphan notes.

thanks, Jon

Perhaps I missed it in one of your previous posts..but, how big was/is that orphan stash of yours, Tom? Every time I turn around, new goodies emerge.. Also, when did you first get around to "re-visiting" the orphans? Was there a story behind these wines getting orphaned?
Just curious..Can't say I have followed you from the beginning but I have read a number of your notes, re current tastings as well as the orphan notes.
thanks, Jon

Jon,
This orphan stash was around 20-25 cs. Way back when, I had stacked excess cases (your wine cellar is always too small) in the aisle of the cellar. One time I had to get a bunch of wines from way in the back. So I hauled these 20+ cases out of the
aisle and stacked them against the wall of my garage (where my cellar is). Didn't put them immediately back that night.
The next day, I bought two sheets of birch plywood for a project and leaned them against the wine. Turns out I didn't start the
furniture project and forgot about the wine back there. Finally, about a yr ago, I decided to get rid of that plywood. Imagine my
surprise to find this stash of wine against the wall. Been there almost 20 yrs.
Bear in mind I'm not always the most organized of people. Plus, at that time in my life, I was the single/full-time parent of two kids
in grade school. So things were often a bit chaotic in that household.
The conditions in my garage were totally uncontrolled. Temps in the 90's in the 2 months of Summer, temps down around
freezing in the Winter. Most of the btls standing upright. For around 20 yrs, no less.
So I've been slowing working my way thru this stash. Been an eye-opener. Mostly, the corks are in fine shape & not dried out. A few have fallen in w/ the Ah-So when I tried to open them. The Zins & the Pinots are mostly shot. The Cabs a pretty mixed bag. The Rhones & Syrahs seem to be holding up. The Chards are mostly dead. The whites (Germany & Alsace) handled it very well.
Go figure.
Only have about another 5 cs to go. Did a case of Zins last night. Four of them were shot. Two were survivors. TN's to follow.
Now you know the rest of this sad story, Jon.
Tom

WOW!..Thank you, Tom for taking the time to reply so promptly and with such a thoughtful and detailed story..I will stay tuned to see what develops as the remaining orphans emerge..I have lost a bottle or 3 in my cellar and cd easily see myself misplacing more...Right now I am hoping that a friend of mine didn't misplace a case that we are planning to invade Monday night...He says it is not in his cellar and "might" be in the hall...hmmm