The palate is pretty closed up, too, but letting it breathe like the nose will yield cassis, currant, oak, big tannins, bright acidity and a finish that lasts longer than a coronation ceremony.

Better still is that Alexander promises an amazing future. While great now, this one shows the potential of growing into a benevolent, giving and graceful king over the next couple years.

With nothing but praise and respect intended, I’d like to newly dub this wine Alexander the Chimp. This is a WoW Chimp Wine for sure, and I’m sure it’ll soon be Alexander the Gone. Grab a couple bottles while you can.

Cheers,
TSW

* - Chimp Wine is a WoW designation signifying a no-brainer, must-buy wine (as in, "You'd have to be a chimp not to buy this wine.").

If cab is king in California, consider this wine Alexander the Great (he was a king, right?). You can also consider it Alexander the Balanced, Alexander the Ageable and Alexander the Killer, Wicked-Sick Value.

Good ol’ Al. In an age when awesome cabernet sauvignon is going for a king’s ransom, Alex here is charging prices closer to what we serfs can afford.

The nose of this garnet beauty takes a while to open up (all leaders need to mature a bit), but after about 20 minutes it really starts to show its power, with lots of earth, currant, chocolate liqueur and cedar.