The 2005 ALICANTE BOUSCHET was aged for 8 months in a combination of French and American oak. This fairly dense, rather ripe and intense wine has firm tannins on the finish. It is well marked by oak, though, which supplies a considerable amount of the initial flavor. The fruit is intensely flavorful, too, though, and the aromatics very powerful. Alicante can seem intensely flavorful in its youth, of course. That combination means that this wine is not for the shy, especially now. Granting that it is a little flamboyant early on, with air it develops a certain gravitas that takes it out of the norm, as its structure is quite good. I suspect it will become more and more interesting and “serious” with some time in the cellar. More or less approachable now, it will likely be better in a couple of years, when the tannins and fruit come into better balance and the fruit begins to show some maturity and, hopefully, complexity. It will be interesting to watch this in the cellar. It promises to be a pretty good value. Drink 2011-2020. Importers: Vino Cava, LLC, Wayne, PA; tel: (610) 688-8415; Aidil Wines & Liquors, a division of Olde World Imports, Inc., Rahway, NJ; tel. (973) 642-0044