Community Tasting Notes 62

• Kevnzworld wrote: 94 points

  September 21, 2020 - 1 hour decant.
  A big wine , almost 17% alcohol.
  A blend of dark berries and stewed tropical fruits. Mango.
  A little over ripe new world for my taste, but.
  It has good balance for a fruit bomb.
  As it opened up more in hour two there’s more secondary flavors.
  It drank well with our dinner, especially the tiramisu at the end. My wife liked it more than I

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• Jonathan T Likes this wine: 95 points

  December 19, 2019 - Still fabulous. The second best Grenache made in North America (after Sine Qua Non). Alban's always get better with age, and I'm glad I waited to open this bottle.

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• seijaro Likes this wine: 97 points

  December 15, 2018 - It took a full 3 hours to open and show its stuff. I was 92-3 at two hours, it had a punky nose and not much character... then blossomed in a rush to the wine I put on my Top 10 list back in 2008. What a treat! This is a Grenache for the books, I'm surprised it is so good at age 14. How long does Grenache age anyway?

  2 people found this helpful Comment

• tplskylrk wrote:

  March 5, 2018 - This never really opened up and gained weight. Not typical Alban and certainly nothing close to the scores and love being laid out here. Bit of a hot alcoholic mess tonight.

  1 person found this helpful Comments (2)

• scott davis wrote: 95 points

  June 27, 2017 - I thought I had this wine just a few years ago. I remember the great dinner, the company, and how we were all impressed with how well the wine showed. I didn’t have much experience with Grenache from the U.S. as a single varietal (still don’t, really), but can vividly remember the generous dark fruit layers, cigar box, spice, tar, earth, and more than anything, the amazing texture of the wine.
  
  When I ran across another bottle of this from a very reputable retailer, I bought it immediately. That was eight months ago. Tonight, I decided to open it, and have been following without decant.
  
  The wine has all the characteristics that I remember; beautiful dark fruit, grounding spice and earth, wonderful depth, and that great texture. It’s every bit as good, and maybe then some.
  
  I logged into CellarTracker to record my impressions. I was surprised to learn that the last time I had this wine, at that dinner with great friends, was nearly ten years ago.
  
  Time flies.

  1 person found this helpful Comment

Pro Reviews 1

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2005
• Type Red
• Producer Alban Vineyards
• Varietal Grenache
• Designation n/a
• Vineyard Alban Estate Vineyard
• Country USA
• Region California
• SubRegion Central Coast
• Appellation Edna Valley

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 5 (1%)
• In Cellars 160 (35%)
• Consumed 289 (64%)

Food Pairing

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