2018 Pandora

The 2018 Pandora Grenache has a medium ruby-purple color and alluring aromas of blueberry and red and black cherry jam with tones of powdered sugar, aniseed, orange peel and salami, offering up more aromatic nuances as it airs in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a balance of intense red fruit and savory tobacco tones, its layered flavors calling you in for another sip. Structured with fine, powdery tannins and refreshing bursts of acidity, the long finish is still youthfully coiled. Its density and latency suggest it will evolve in bottle over the next few years and offer savory complexity after a decade or more in the cellar.

The 2018 Pandora is all Grenache and comes from a higher elevation site of pure chalky soils. It's a much more powerful expression of Grenache and has a stacked bouquet of red and dark fruits, chalky minerality, camphor, black licorice, and subtle incense notes. Reminding me of a Châteauneuf du Pape from the likes of Paul Daumen's Vieille Julienne, this full-bodied, deep, concentrated 2018 is perfectly balanced, has ultra-fine tannins, and a great, great finish. It's another magical wine from this incredible winemaker. Hide bottles for 3-4 years and enjoy over the following 15+. It’s clear that Alban has another truly special vintage on their hands with these 2018s, and these might be the finest wines I’ve tasted from this estate. Reminding me slightly of the 2016s, these aren’t massive, over-the-top wines, and they excel every bit as much for their purity, balance, and elegance as they do for their richness and texture. The 2019s also showed well, and those will be reviewed from bottle next year. As I hope these reviews show, I don’t think anyone is doing Rhône varieties better.

Deep ruby. Expressive cherry, raspberry and incense aromas are complemented by suave floral and exotic spice nuances. Sappy, seamless and penetrating on the palate, offering appealingly sweet, mineral-drenched red fruit liqueur, spicecake and candied lavender flavors that deepen as the wine opens up. Shows resonating red fruit and floral character on the wonderfully persistent, finely detailed finish, which is framed by polished, deftly interwoven tannins.