The Drew Review- 2005 Alexander and Fitch Cabernet Sauvignon

A fantastic review prepared by Budget Vino star contributor Drew Wolfe. Enjoy. Note that Drew insisted I include a picture of him, so if you're wondering who the guy is below, well, it's Drew.
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2005 Alexander and Fitch Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley, CA

I first bought this wine on a whim several months back at Trader Joes, and though I normally don’t rely on TJ’s to provide the greatest finds in winedom, this is a rare exception. For $6 (up from $5 when I first bought it), you can enjoy a bottle of appellation-designate wine from Sonoma’s Alexander Valley, or just go all out and buy a case. For casual red wine drinkers, or for an everyday bottle of wine, A&F can’t be beat in terms of value. It’s an easy-going red, with a decent balance of flavors, decent structure, and an altogether tasty accompaniment to many dishes. Given my knowledge of the Alexander Valley, I really think that we won’t see this quality of wine at such a basement price for a long time coming. The reason for the incredible value is that 2005 was a year with a massive crop, and growers simply couldn’t find buyers for all their grapes. The result? Younger wineries like A&F, lacking their own vineyards, got premium winegrapes at a fraction of their normal cost. I’m sure that there’s a small percentage of grapes from Lodi or the Central Valley blended in here, but for $6, who’s counting? There is one downfall, however. I recently tried the 2006 that hit the shelves not too long ago, and its bland, flabby, and certainly too young. Maybe in a few months I’ll try it again with a better experience, but I’m not keeping my fingers crossed.

One other thing- Let this wine breathe a good 10 minutes after opening for best results.

Recommendation: If it’s the 2005, definitely buy it. If it’s the 2006, don’t buy it (at least not until I give it another try in a few months.)

Comments

[Pruedence Florinda]

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[FrugalFemme]

I love TJ's wines! I always stock up when at the NYC store.

[Drew]

Sure, what do you need me to do?

[Jay]

Have you resampled the 2006? Any additional thoughts?

[JimKay]

Ah..."Younger wineries like A&F" ?? This is a Fred Franzia production, you know, Bronco Wine Co. Check out the UPC on the bottle. Sorry to bare the bad news. The wine may be fine, but don't imply that it came from some upstart producer. It's the product of industrial wine production, not that there's anything wrong with that.

[Susan]

I so liked the 2005 A&F cab back then that I bought 6 cases of it. We consumed three+ in the first year, but I just unearthed a couple cases & we tried it last night. It is still quite a nice wine. We thought it was more rounded and had a better nose than before, but it's been a couple years since the previous bottle. At any rate, it's nice still to be enjoying the benefits of the 2005 bumper crop.