Wine from the Barrel: Alba Vineyards

January 29, 2025

Wine from the Barrel: Alba Vineyards

Happy Wine Wednesday! This past weekend I had the pleasure of visiting one of my all time favorite vineyards in New Jersey: Alba Vineyards. I was lucky enough to spend the afternoon with Nick Sharko learning about the plans Alba has for 2025, tasting wine out of the barrel from 2024 and 2023, and even got to enjoy some wines out of the library with the oldest being from 2015. For this post, I will be focusing on the wines out of the barrel and in the next post I will discuss the Library wines.

A little about Alba Vineyards:

Alba Vineyards is set in the heart of the Musconetcong River Valley and is part of the Warren Hills Viticulture Region.

Alba is a family affair and a labor of love by the Sharko family. The mark of brothers Nick and Tom can be seen in every aspect of Alba, from the beautiful sculptures situated around the 80 acre property to the wealth of knowledge that can be gained by taking 5 minutes to talk to either one of them.

Alba has been making a transition to singular vineyard wine that will be more focused on pure fruit expression and terrior-driven characteristics that will yield age-worthy bottles of wine.

Alba is the most densely planted vineyard in New Jersey and part of a few high density vineyards on the entire East Coast. By 2026, Alba will push the bar even higher with over 3,000 vines per acre similar to what is typically seen in France.

For nearly a decade, Alba has exclusively used and distributed François Frères barrels, making them the cooperage's largest client on the East Coast. Nick has been lucky enough to travel to France, see the forests where the oak trees are grown, the split mills where it is processed, watch how the wood is air dried, and how all of the barrels are hand steamed and toasted.

Alba's wines tend to be Mineral and Acid driven thanks to the unique terrior (environmental factors affecting the taste of wine) of the Musconetcong River Valley, offering their wines a crisp and structured profile.

Okay, now let’s dive into the wine we had the pleasure of tasting out of the barrel.

The 2024 growing season was hot and dry which made it a good growing season for Alba. Alba did not chase ripeness, due to this, they picked their grapes earlier than usual; about 2-3 weeks earlier than in past seasons. As a result the fruit is more concentrated and focused. In contrast 2023 was a terrible growing season, so Alba picked a little later, allowing the fruit to ripen in the rain, which increased the workload as more time had to be dedicated to sorting out the fruit that was no good. Alba's goal each year is to produce pure and balanced wines that develop gracefully in the cellar.

One important thing to note when tasting wine out of the barrel is that they are essentially in their infancy. They will be more minerally, acidic and thinner on the pallet. They will develop body and color as they continue to age in the barrel.

A little about how Alba makes their Chardonnay:

Picked at night so the fruit comes into the winery cool.
Whole cluster pressed
Small amount of sulfur at the press pan to suppress bad bacteria from developing
Allowed to oxidize in the press pan to help prevent future oxidation in the bottle (Burgundy Winemaking technique)
Settles for about 24 hours and then is racked into barrel
Alba utilizes the indigenous yeast from the vineyard so there a several different strains at work.

This produces a richer mouthfeel and more complex flavors.

We tasted 3 different Chardonnay's from the barrel. You may ask how were they different from one another? A few factors were at play here; the grain and size of the barrels as well as the blocks on the vineyard the fruit came from.

'24 Vintage Chardonnay TG, MT, 3Y:

From the upper vineyard in the middle hillside of the estate called block 3 Chardonnay (Probably the best vineyard block)
Mix of Dijon Clones 95 and 96
Vines: S04 Rootstock
TG: Tight Grain
MT: Medium Toast
3Y: The wood has been air dried for 3 Years.
The fruit that produced this chardonnay is coming from 16 year old vines.
This wine is undergoing malolactic fermentation.

White peach, honeysuckle and banana.
Mild Acidity
Mild Oak
Mouthfeel resembled 1% milk

'24 Vintage Chardonnay VSG, MT, 3Y:

From the block 3
Mix of Dijon Clones 95 and 96
Vines: S04 Rootstock
VSG: Very Special Grain (Tight Grain, but more porous to allow a bit more oak interaction on the wine)
MT: Medium Toast
3Y: The wood has been air dried for 3 Years.
Richer mouthfeel than the '24 Vintage Chardonnay TG, MT, 3Y
More fruit forward than the '24 Vintage Chardonnay TG, MT, 3Y
More oak influence than the '24 Vintage Chardonnay TG, MT, 3Y (This is most likely a result of the VSG vs TG.)
Longer finish
Well balanced

Peachy and tropical fruity
Baking Spicy, especially vanilla

'23 Vintage Chardonnay VSG, MT:

From Block 3
Mix of Dijon Clones 95 and 96
Vines: S04 Rootstock
VSG: Very Special Grain (Tight Grain, but more porous to allow a bit more oak interaction on the wine)
MT: Medium Toast
Fresh and crisp
More acidic
Creamier mouthfeel resembling 2% milk to whole milk
More oak influence

This was present not only in the flavor but also the mouthfeel, similar to a tannic mouthfeel. (This is most likely a result of the VSG)

Longer finish that lingered a bit

Stonefruity
Very tropical with pineapple especially present.

'24 Pinot Noir MTG, LX:

Block 3 next to the Chardonnay
Mix of 667, 777, 115, Pommard and Wadenswil Clones
Vines: S04 Rootstock
MTG: Medium Tight Grain
LX: Light Long Toast
From the middle block of the vineyard
Dried fruit, raisiny
Very light in color at this time
Nice presence of silky tannins
Good acidity

Cherry and cloves
Dried flowers

'24 Pinot Noir VSG, MT:

Block 3 next to the Chardonnay
Mix of 667, 777, 115, Pommard and Wadenswil Clones
Vines: S04 Rootstock
VSG: Very Special Grain
MT: Medium Toast
More fruit forward
Silker but also more tannic than the MTG, LX Pinot Noir
Really nice acidity
Darker in color than the MTG, LX Pinot Noir, almost resembling diluted blood

'24 Cabernet Franc NG, MX, 3Y

NG: Nobel Grain
MX: Medium Long Toast
3Y: The wood has been air dried for 3 Years.
Mix of 623, 327, 214 clones
Vines: S04 Rootstock
Lightly tannic for a Cabernet Franc (Remember these wines are in their infancy!)

Herbaceous and slightly spicy

'24 Cabernet Franc VSG, MT, 3Y

VSG: Very Special Grain
MT: Medium Toast
3Y: The wood has been air dried for 3 Years.
Different yeast and barrel size than the NG, MX, 3Y Cabernet Franc
More acidity
Less oak influence
Rounder on the pallet
Very silky tannins
Spicier than the NG, MX, 3Y Cabernet Franc
Thick quick to form legs

Perfumed dried flower and black pepper

First step in the 5 S' of Wine Tasting: SIGHT
(This was the '24 MTG, LX Pinot Noir)

Second step in the 5 S' of Wine Tasting: SWIRL
(This was the '24 VSG, MX, 3Y Pinot Noir)

Third step in the 5 S' of Wine Tasting: SMELL
(This was the '24 NG, MX, 3Y Cabernet Franc)

Fourth step in the 5 S' of Wine Tasting: SIP
(This was the '24 VSG, MT, 3Y Cabernet Franc)

Fifth step in the 5 S' of Wine Tasting: SAVOR
(This is the step that separates the pros from the casual wine drinkers; You are not just drinking wine, you are experiencing it.)

I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to Nick and Tom Sharko for always opening their winery to me. I feel so lucky to be able to experience their generosity, hospitality, and incredible passion for winemaking and viticulture. Spending the afternoon at Alba Vineyards is always an unforgettable experience, not just because of the exceptional wines and stunning views but also because of the warmth and knowledge they share.

Nick and Tom, your dedication to creating world-class wines while honoring the unique terroir of the Musconetcong River Valley is inspiring. From tasting straight from the barrel to learning about your vision for the future of Alba, I left with an even greater appreciation for the artistry and craftsmanship that goes into every bottle.

Thank you both for your time, insight, and for always making me feel so welcome. I truly appreciate every ounce of knowledge you have shared with me. I have learned so much in a short time with your support. I can’t wait to return and see the exciting things to come for Alba in 2025 and beyond!

Until next time—cheers!