New Jersey Wine Trail - Alba Vineyard
Finesville, New Jersey
Tasted Saturday, July 20, 2013 by brigcampbell with 855 views
Introduction
Our quest continues to find the best wineries in the state of New Jersey. Yeah, that probably doesn't make a lot of sense to most people but if you look long and hard enough you'll find a few worth seeking out. After researching a few of the wineries it seems Alba Vineyard was always at the top of the list so we rallied the troops which included Dan, Mike, Tathiana, Lutman, Cathy, and Chris for the road trip.
We decided to rendezvous on the parkway and piled into two cars after taking off from the Jersey shore for the 1 hour drive in 95 degree temperatures and 90 percent humidity. It's was stifling to say the least so the air conditioner was running non stop.
There were two things everybody agreed on. First, the drive through the countryside of Western New Jersey is extremely beautiful; rolling hills through the farmland of corn fields bordered by narrow bridges and shallow rivers. Also, I really enjoyed all the beautifully maintained old farm houses constructed from stone gathered from the fields. 
As we rolled into the parking lot of the winery which was a former dairy farm, it looks like it could be any place in wine country in California. The tasting room itself is the bottom level of a 200 year old barn surrounded by the foundation of hand laid stone. The winery started up in 1980 after the dairy operation closed in '78. As far as tasting rooms go, its a decent size and there's a back room which is significantly larger to hold tasting events. The seven of us showed up unannounced to an empty room and promptly got down to business.
The vineyard which grows the estate fruit is located right behind the winery up the hill and overlooking the small valley. Seems like only a third of the property is actually planted to vine so the opportunity to expand production based on estate fruit is fairly significant. Alba does produce wines with grapes from out of the country such as Argentina for the Malbec and bottles it under the Chelsea designation. 
Flight 1 - Whites (4 Notes)
Flight 2 - Reds (6 Notes)
Flight 3 - Miscellaneous (2 Notes)
Closing
I'm a strong believer that the person working in the tasting room is equally as important as the wine in the overall experience. We've all tasted great wines served by a jerk, it's just not fun, I don't care how fantastic the wines show. Below is Sarah and she was fantastic. She knows the Alba wines, winery history, and a very solid understanding of wine in general. You'll hear some crazy things said by the people working in a tasting room and normally I just grin and bare it, but in this case, as Sarah was speaking while pouring the flights I found myself nodding my head in agreement to the color commentary she interjected. Definitely value added to the experience. 
The only real knock is we paid $10 per person for a total of $70 and bought a case and a half of wine. No credit for the tasting fee and an 8 percent discount for case purchases (odd that they picked 8%, not 10%) but we had to pool the wines into a single purchase for the discount. Really? Just give everybody the discount and make it easy for all involved.
Bottom Line: Alba Vineyard is making very good wines at reasonable prices and the tasting room is a must visit for the cork dorks on the east coast.
NV Alba Vineyard Mainsail White 88 Points
USA, New Jersey
Like a lot of the whites from Alba, they are very light in color. That probably has to do with the fact that I'm unfamiliar with most of the white varieties. This is blended from three varieties, Vidal Blanc, Cayuga White, and Riesling. Aroma reminds me of a Sauvignon Blanc with a touch of petrol which must be the Riesling peeking out. Flavors are ripe green apple, and tart pear. Medium acidity and this shows on the finish with a tangy note. Extremely nice wine and super QPR at $10.
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2011 Alba Vineyard Dry Riesling 86 Points
USA, New Jersey
Very light color. Nice perfume nose with jasmine flower. Palate is light pear and smooth mouthfeel. Residual sugar is less than 1% and the finish is clipped.
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2012 Alba Vineyard Gewürztraminer 91 Points
USA, New Jersey
Excellent wine and its won a few awards, rightfully so IMHO. Lightest color of the whites, barely anything in the lighting of the tasting room. The nose on this wine is off the charts, juniper berry, sage, and pear which engulfs your head. Palate is a blend of sweet tree fruit with a silky mouthfeel and medium finish. Dynamite juice.
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2012 Alba Vineyard Riesling Alba Estate Vineyard 89 Points
USA, New Jersey
Faint yellow color. Aromas of very sweet pear and some hay. Flavor profile is driven by tree fruit and the 4% residual sugar. Interestingly the mouthfeel isn't heavy, there's a softness to it.
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