I’m a little behind on my boxed wine reviews, I know.  They are currently notes written on scraps of paper and the backs of napkins.  I assure you there will be more!  And remember those of you who are anti-boxed wine, at least try it!  And to quote my previous boxed wine post:

“Hold on haters. Before you get all judgey about boxed wines sip on this: At least 50% of wine produced and/or sold in Australia comes in a box. I mean what is there to hate? Cheaper to box vs. bottle. Better for the environment. Cheaper to ship/transport. More comes in a box. It doesn’t break if you drop it. Better wines are getting boxed now! Did I mention cheap? 5L in a box…that’s 5 bottles of wine for $12.99 – $14.99. Just saying…”

Notes from Almaden:

Just like with people, the story of every vineyard is unique. From selecting the perfect location to cultivating heritage vines, each story is punctuated with the distinct markers of taste offered by the glass, bottle or case. At Almaden, we take pride in the singular heritage of our vines, as well as the cultivation and techniques we’ve used to create our memorable wines over the last 158 years.

Almaden’s rich history spans nearly 16 decades. In 1852, founder Etienne Theé planted California’s first vineyards with vines from his home in France, naming it Almaden Vineyards after a local mine in the Los Gatos area. We are proud to say that California’s winemaking began here, and since then, we’ve become one of the leading winemakers in the country.

Over the first century of our history, we perfected our winemaking style, surviving through the Prohibition years of the 1920s to create the first blush wine in 1958. Called White Grenache Rosé, this blush quickly became the first popular pink wine in the United States. That same year, Almaden successfully continued its endeavors to develop the largest varietal wine vineyard in the world in Paicines, California.

After merging with Madrone Vineyards in 1951, Theé’s son-in-law, Charles Lefranc, took control of the winery. Lefranc was a winemaker inspired by the traditional methods of the Old World, drawing lessons and inspiration from European winemakers. Only the finest cuttings from Europe were planted under his watch, resulting in a fine product that attracted many to the superb taste of Almaden wines.

Determined to keep the vineyards in the family, Lefranc bestowed the secrets of winemaking upon his children, eventually handing the winery over to his son-in-law, Paul Masson. After a time, Masson left Almaden and founded his own winery, which is still in existence today.

The company was then put into the hands of Louis Benoist of San Francisco. With the help of nationally recognized winemaker Frank Schoonmaker, Benoist began wide distribution of Almaden wines, quickly making them some of the most popular in the nation.

In order to further develop the potential of California’s wine region, Schoonmaker and winemaker Oliver Goulet developed a line of wines made from grapes grown in the San Joaquin Valley. Once again, Almaden set a trend, as these wines, called Almaden Mountain Wines, were packaged in signature teardrop-shaped bottles. They too gained popularity across North America.

In 2008, we replaced our large carbon-inefficient 3 and 4 liter glass bottles with our innovative vacuum sealed Bag-In-Box Wine system to ensure that our wine will stay fresh for at least six weeks after opening. In addition to offering fresh wine from the first to the last glass, this system is also better for the environment. Bag-In-Box packaging requires far less energy to produce, ship and display than the heavy glass bottles that they replace. This reduces our carbon footprint by 55%. And by not using glass bottles, we are able to offer outstanding wine at substantial savings.

Today, Almaden is part of The Wine Group and continues to produce quality wines in the traditional manner, bringing the historically rich taste of the Old World right to your table, one glass at a time.

My Notes:

I brought this box with me to a party this past weekend.  Another perk of boxed wine is that you can bring plenty of wine to the party for the price of a cheap bottle and it comes with its own carrying handle!

It was a little hard to tell the color when first pouring since we were keeping in classy and using red cups, but the light golden color I was able to get a glimpse of made me very pleased with my choice for the evening.

I will say that the red plastic cup as a wine drinking vessel actually helps to isolate the aromas and allows for an untainted sniffing experience.  I mean seriously, you can get half your damn face in there.  Don’t be shy about it, get in there!  There weren’t any overpowering scents to note, but there were some hints of pear in there.  That first gulp, because let’s face it, there’s no dainty sipping from a plastic cup, was a pleasant blend of pear and a hint of apple.  This wine was a more medium-bodied chardonnay.  Not too light, but not overpowering either.  I did like the semi-dryness of this as well as the crisp finish.

This paired quite nicely with chips and salsa, and wheat thins and hummus.  This would also work with pasta dishes using a white wine sauce, garlic chicken, or some seared sea scallops.

On a scale of “this tastes like piss” to “oops, I just drank the whole box” I would give this a “This is like the PBR of wine.  Always the same everywhere and always a crowd pleaser.” Would I buy it again? I could see this popping up in my boxed wine stash again.

Final Grade: B+