Alban Vineyards was founded by John Alban in the late 1980s in the Edna Valley, where he established the first American estate devoted entirely to Rhône varieties. His early work planting Syrah, Viognier, Roussanne, and Grenache helped ignite the Rhône Rangers movement and dramatically expanded these grapes across California. By 1989 he had secured a 250-acre property with about 60 acres under vine, producing small-lot bottlings such as Reva, Lorraine, and Seymour’s Syrahs along with Rhône-style whites. Alban’s propagation of Viognier was so influential that he was credited with nearly doubling global acreage at a time when the variety was close to disappearing. Production remains limited, focused on estate fruit and meticulous farming.