Monthly Archives: January 2008
International Food & Wine Festival – Feb 18th Herzog Cellars
http://www.herzogwinecellars.com/html/eventscalendar.html
First off – NO I do not work for Herzog winery. Second I am quite sick and tired of east coast bias, around our lovely country. So I am REALLY happy when Herzog takes the west coast serious. This is the west coast version of Royal Wine’s Kosher Food and Wine Experience.
It takes place two days before the east coast event. Enough time for the winemakers that have been cajoled to go west, to get over to the east coast.
I hope it is well attended – so that the west coast sees more events like this.
My 2 cents of course – with a WEST coast bias of course =)
David
This past Friday Night’s wine…
This Friday night we had the chevra over and some of these wines were mine and others also brought wine. The food was lighter then normally – so the theme was Merlot, but still a bit too much for the dinner of Tunisian Couscous. The saving grace of Boulettes in heavy tomato sauce made the wine quite nice in the end. One wine was not quite the hit so it has been left out.
Four Gates Merlot 1997 – WOW! This wine is a knockout. The color of this unfiltered wine is a deep dark red. The nose is filled with blackberries, oak, and a bit of tobacco. The full bodied wine has a wonderful mouthfeel and starts with hints of berries and then ends in a long flourish of chocolate and oak. The slight amount of tannin that is still present is well integrated and gives it quite a kick still. This one is still quite a keeper.
Yatir 2002 Cabernet-Merlot-Shiraz - Well this was really just Merlot night but I took this out as it had a bit of Merlot ;-) . A nice crowd please. Mostly people liked the color – deep and brooding. The body is chocolate, dark fruit, cassis, and a nice round velvety mouthfeel that is balanced with just the right amount of tannin – to give it a bit of a bite.
Ella Valley Merlot 2002 Vineyard’s Choice – This one was not so well accepted. It was one of the last bottles – but still we are talking about a table of serious folks. I finished it the next day. I was surprised at the lack of appeal. The body is strong and has the right balance of tannin, acid and fruit to keep me very captivated. And beyond all that the wine is complex and has a long finish with hints of tobacco which is quite nice in a Merlot.
Chateau Piada Sauternes 2000 – For desert we opened this bottle. I had opened one a few years ago and it was dismissed as a wine with cooked fruit fruit flavors that was over the top. This time the bottle was quite different! The nose was strong with lychees and grapefruit. The body is quite full in the mouth, and the sugar fills it out quite nicely along with citrus and lychees in the mouth and the finish – quite nice.
Alexander Winery
The winery is tucked away at the edge of the road leading out of Moshav Beit Yitzchak – which is located in the Sharon. The winery was founded by Yoram Shalom in 1996 when his father (who had injured his hipbone) asked someone in the family to carry on the tradition he had been keeping alive his whole life. So in 1995 Yoram started to produce small quantities of wine, which his father quite liked. That gave Yoram the push to keep producing wine. Yoram was quite an accomplished producer and technician of television programs within Israel. However, in 1998, based upon the encouraging responses to his wine production – he decided to quit his day job and jumped into the wine business full time. When we called Yoram to talk about our meeting – he was excited to hear that I was also of Tunisian decent. Tunisia artwork graces all of his wines along with the label names that are all of family members. Alexander the great – is named after his father (who unfortunately passed away in 1997). The other lines are named after his sister, brother and mother.
After many years of highly successful releases for his wine, Yoram decided that the 2006 year would be kosher. Most of the reds from that year, are either still in barrels or are just being bottled. Yoram hopes to release them soon. The whites have already been released and a tasting note for the Sauvignon Blanc Lisa 2006, follows below.
Upon meeting Yoram you quickly see the passion that exudes out of him along with the self confidence to leave a cushy and successful career and jump into the world of wine. Upon starting the winery Yoram started learning about wine making full time and started with the vineyard managers. As the edict goes – good wine starts in the vineyard, and Yoram knows that better than most. Yoram is blessed with having some wonderful vineyards to build his winery upon. The vineyards are in Dalton Plateau at Kerem Ben Zimra and Kefar Shamay. Both are situated in the Upper Galilee and highly vaunted in their grape quality. Besides the location, the vineyards are tended to with great care and quality control is of the utmost importance. The vineyards are managed to ensure low yield production – which thereby produces grapes of higher quality and concentration. The vineyards are of great importance to Yoram. Whenever, we spoke of the wine he would always harken it back in ways to the grapes and their styling.
After we finished our tasting I had a chance to talk with Yoram and Ilana – his wife who is a graphic designer by trade, and the designer of all of Alexander Valley’s labels. The issues of wine export came up a common theme among Israeli wineries – looking to expand their reach into the global market. He told us about many a story, where people upon tasting his wines, had offered him a nice business deal – of which kindly declined. Though he never spoke about it, I believe that to Yoram it is more than just about the money, it is about family and his love for the winery. I think he would happily take on a opportunity, where the exporter was looking out for the winery as much as they look out for their wallet, a tough thing to find in this global marketplace.
The winery’s wine production is about 45 thousand bottles. The wines are being released in five different labels.
Sandro which is a blend of Cabernet (70%), Merlot (25%), and Sauvignon Blanc. The wine is fermented at low temperature and aged in a mix of French and American oak for 14 months.
Alexander which is the varietal line of the winery. The varieties are;
- Cabernet Sauvignon (aged in American and French oak for 18 months).
- Merlot (aged 18 months in French Oak)
- Syrah (aged in French oak for 18 months)
- Gaston – a blend of Merlot (76%), Syrah (12%), and Grenache (12%) which is aged in a mixture of French and American oak for 12 months.
Alexander the Great the flagship wine that is made out of Cabernet Sauvignon along with a touch of Merlot (5%). The wine is aged in French and American oak for 30 months. The barrels are switched at 15 months with new barrels to maximize oak contact with the wine.
Lisa – the white wine line of the winery.
- Chardonnay – which is fermented and then aged in Burgundy barrels for 18 months.
- Sauvignon Blanc which is cold fermented and co contact with wood.
Bruno - a port like wine which is fortified and released every 2 years. It is made of a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah grapes and aged in oak for 36 months.
We want to thank Yoram, Ilana and everyone from the winery who were kind enough to host us for the tasting and after as well – until the cab showed up to take us home. Following are the tasting notes which we sampled at the winery and afterwards as well.
Alexander the Great 2006 (Barrel Sample) - Score: A-
This dark to almost purple colored wine had just finished malolactic fermentation and will be placed in new oak barrels for another 15 months. The nose on the wine is filled with dark berries, chocolate, and oak. The velvety mouth of this full bodied wine is laden with dark fruits, cassis, and blackberries. The finish is long and velvety as well with cassis, chocolate, and oak. This wine is still quite young and has yet to come into its own.
Alexander the Great 2007 (Barrel Sample) - Score: A-
This black colored wine has a story that is sad a wonderful at the same time. The grapes could not be harvested at their optimal time because of Yom Tov and Shabbos. When the grapes could finally be harvested – they were at some 30 brixs. The initial problem was finding yeast that could eat away at that much sugar – after finally finding some – Yoram had to ferment the grape juice in small batches. After essentially creating his own super yeast – he mixed them all together one more time and fermented them successfully. The wine could possibly be the first kosher Amarone – like wine. The nose is filled with an intensely concentrated aroma dates, figs, and honey. The mouth of this full bodied wine is filled with cassis, chocolate and figs. The finish is long and tannic. This young wine has a long way to go and it will be fascinating to watch its development.
Lisa Sauvignon Blanc 2006 – Score: B+
The nose on this light straw colored wine quite expansive. Aromas of pepper and honeysuckle and grapefruit are ever present. The mouth of this medium bodied wine is initially acidic in nature. But then it opens to a complex and crisp mouth that has strong notes of citrus and honeysuckle and finishes in a long stroll with a spicy and peppery flourish.
Recanati Winery
Recanati Winery
The Recanati Winery is tucked away in the Industrial zone of Emek Hefer – a lovely town some 5 kilometers south of Hadera. The winery was built in 2000 by a group of oenophiles that were looking to build a world class winery to produce kosher wine that would truly compete on the world market. To this purpose they invested in a winery whose equipment is state of the art and a have access to a set of vineyards that are situated in the most envious of locations around Israel. The vineyards are spread throughout Israel’s wine regions – Upper Galilee, Judean Hills, Samson, and Shomron, and are closely monitored to extract the features that each region has to offer.
We appeared on a brisk Monday afternoon and were met by the current winemaker – Lewis Pasco. Lewis is a well known wine maker in Israel. He studied in UC David and from there went on to work in many prominent wineries – including Tishbi Winery and others. He joined the winery at its inception and has been there – ever since. However, he recently gave notice to the winery that he will be moving on – to pursue other opportunities with Israel or maybe abroad.
Meeting Lewis helped us to see the real success behind the Recanati brand and wines. For sure there is selling in a winery, along with marketing and such. However, Lewis says that Recanati is more about the wine and less about the bluster that wineries tend to display. The visitor room is a great example of that; it is a very nice spot within the winery, with awards and wines lining the walls. But it is not screaming look at me and the winery itself is inside the industrial zone – with a quiet external face – all very reminiscent of the winery’s approach to wine making – which is let the wine talk for itself.
Lewis was a highly accomplished chef before he turned his sights unto wine making – and his wines are a image of his tastes. They are not the California power houses, with exception to maybe the Special Reserve and Shiraz. That is not to say the wines are lacking – wine is not all about noise and attention grabbing oak. It is about balance – and all of Lewis’s wines are complex with balance and just enough show to tell you they are there – without stealing the show of what is going on in your palate. Even in the vineyards Lewis is of the opinion that the vines need not be managed to give out more fruit or that jammy flavor that seems to be popping up more and more in wine. Lewis’s vineyards are an envy of many a wine maker, and Lewis makes sure that just like his wine – the vineyards are not managed, but instead – kept to bring out the vines true and real potential.
We conversed about many a thing – mostly the wine but other topics as well, and one of the thoughts that keep popping up when I talk with owners or wine makers in Israel is marketing. Recanati does little marketing – letting the wine and their loyal fans take up the word for the winery. But with the current expansion of wineries within Israel and the global kosher wine market growing at a nice clip – how does one make sure that the consumer knows what varietals each winery has to sell them? Marketing outside of Israel was a constant topic of discussion and one that I think Israel must solve on a whole – not on a one off manner that most wineries are attempting to do.
Our time spent with Lewis was a real education – and we want to thank Lewis, Noam the CEO of Recanati – who stopped by during our visit, and the the entire winery for hosting us and showing us such a wonderful time. Following are the tasting notes which we sampled at the winery.
Recanati 2005 Shiraz - Score: B+
This wine that was aged in a mixture of American and French Oak for 8 months has a red to black color. The nose has oak and dark fruits that peek out from under the assault of the jammy aroma. The medium bodied wine starts floral and then at the mid palate changes to plum and and black berries. The structure is balanced with soft and integrated tannins.
Recanati 2004 Cabernet Franc Reserve – Score: A-
The grapes for this wine come from the Manara Vineyard in the Upper Galilee (750m). This wine that was aged in a mixture of French and Hungarian oak for 15 months has a medium to garnet color. The nose of this wine hits you with grass and floral aromas, with hints of oak. This medium to full bodied wine starts with green flavors that carry over from the nose and follow with floral notes wrapped in a blanket of berries and oak. Soft tannins and just the right amount of acid balance this wine out quite nicely.
Recanati 2004 Merlot Reserve – Score: B+
The grapes come from the Upper Galilee and were aged in French oak for 15 – 18 months. The color of this wine is dark red. The nose starts off with green and floral aromas but continues with cherry and berries. The medium to full bodied wine palate continues where the nose left off. The berries and cherry notes caress your mouth and finish with a long flourish of green notes and sweet wood flavors.
Recanati 2005 Petit Syrah and Zinfandel (PSZ) Reserve – Score: A-
The grapes of this dark to black colored wine come from grapes grown in the Jezreel Valley and the Upper Galilee. The color comes from the Petit Syrah’s black colored grapes. The nose is filled with green earthy aromas and hints of berry, cherry and oak. This full bodied wine has strong structure that needs time to mellow out. The body shows jammy flavors, tar and a fair amount of oak. The finish is long and satisfying wrapped in tannins and black fruit.
Recanati 2006 Chardonnay Reserve - Score: A-
The grapes for this electric straw colored wine come from the Manara and Ben Zimra vineyards. The nose is strong with lychees and honey suckle. The mouth is round with citrus flavors and lychees. The finish is medium to long with just enough acid and oak to balance out the wine quite nicely.
Recanati 2007 Rose – Score: B++
This pink colored wine has all you want in a rose. Lychees, and cotton candy steal the nose. The mouth of this light to medium bodied wine is very active and crisp. Green and herbal notes come through the curtain fresh berries and finish with a satisfying flourish of berries and lychees.
Recanati 2004 Special Reserve – Score: A-
This wine needs time to open up my friends! Lewis opened this bottle and all we could smell was green. But as it opened up the merlot (8%) and cabernet (92%) came through. The nose started to open with notes of black fruit, blackberries, and oak. The mouth of this full bodied wine is heavy with tannin still and will lie well in the cellar for some time to come. The tannin gives way to cassis, blackberries and more oak. The finish is long with hints of chocolate and dark fruit.
Recanati 2005 Shiraz Reserve – Score: A-
This purple colored wine has a nose filled with green vegetation and dark fruits. This medium to full bodied wine opens with dark fruit, cassis, and cherries. It follows with biting tannins and has a long finish of tar and oak.
Recanati 2006 Cabernet Franc Reserve (Barrel Tasting) – Score: A-
This red to dark wine has strong green to floral notes followed by cherry and oak. The mouth of this medium bodied wine is fruit forward, with grassy green flavors, and a long finish of oak and red berries. A real winner and one that truly shows the styling of Recanati wines – more fruit less bluster.
Tzuba Winery in Judean Hills
Barrels in Tzuba Winery
As we drive the 395 to get to Kibbutz Tzuba the winery’s vines grace our approach – they stretch from the bottom of the hill side along the valley below and all the way to the entrance of the Kibbutz. The Kibbutz is a tech Kibbutz, building bullet-proof glass and other protective shielding, a thriving business in these trying times.
As we drive up to the winery which is right on the left after you enter the Kibbutz gate – Paul Dubb is there to great us. Paul is the wine maker for the Tzuba Winery and has been growing grapes for the Castel Winery, since 1996. In 2000 Moti Zamir and Paul founded the winery and started planted vines for their label – while still tending to the vines for Castel. The 2005 vintage was the winery’s first vintage where they produced some 30,000 bottles. IN the following years they have ramped up to some 47,000 bottles. They hope to be ramping production up to 150,000 bottles in the next few years. They currently are releasing wines from the following varietal: Chardonnay, Viognier, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Shiraz, and Petit Verdot.
Paul has been around grapes since a youngster – where he grew grapes with his parents and grew a love for grapes and wine. Paul’s work is evident in the Castel wines – but is also visible in his own wines. The wines are fruit forward but in a balanced manner. This he says comes from the way he tends to his vines. He makes sure that the vines have sun, while keeping them shaded, to minimize over exposure of sun, which tends to show overripe flavors and too much acid in the wine. The wines are all aged in Hungarian oak and according to Paul – do not tend towards Bordeaux flavors. The winery is built to bring value wines in the Boutique winery market – something that Paul stressed is one of the selling points about Tzuba. Finally, the winery is owned in partnership with Kibbutz Tzuba – a partnership that should help the winery to compete in the ever competitive Kosher Israeli wine market.
My thanks to Paul, Moti and the Tzuba Winery for hosting us and showing us around their winery. Following are the tasting notes which we sampled at the winery.
Tel Tzuba 2006 Chardonnay – Score: A (50% 12 months in oak, 50% Stainless Steel)
Fermented at 55 degrees Fahrenheit – Sur Lie, this wine has a lovely and shimmering straw color. The nose is filled with Lychees, grass, and citrus. This medium bodied wine has a long and exciting finish and is not over oaked. The nose follows in the mouth – with Lychees and citrus flavors covering the mouth and enough acidity to balance the wine out.
Hama’ayan 2005 Sangiovese - Score: B
This ruby red wine has a nose of red fruit. The medium bodied wine has all the signature flavors of a Sangiovese – cherry, plum and added flavors of oak with soft and integrated tannins.
Tel Tzuba 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon – Score: A-
The deep Bordeaux colored wine has a nose of red fruit and oak. The medium bodied wine is smooth with light tannins, red fruit, and a long finish that tends to linger in your mouth.
Tel Tzuba 2005 Merlot – Score: B+
This dark ruby colored wine has a nose of plum and cherry. The medium bodied wine has firm tannins, almost jammy red fruit, a balanced palate and a finish that is medium in length that is accentuated with oak flavors.
Tel Tzuba 2005 Shiraz – Score: A-
This purple colored wine has a nose of fig, pepper, and earth. This medium bodied wine has jammy flavors, soft tannins, and a long finish that is supported by pepper and oak notes.
Mametzudah 2005 Merlot Reserve – Score: A-
This deep Bordeaux colored wine opens slowly. Over time the wine shows hints of red fruit and oak. The full bodied wine has strong tannins that show off its acidic core and cherry flavors. The finish is long and satisfying. This wine is still quite young and needs time to show its true self off.
Katlav Winery in Judean Hills
Katlav Winery and Yittach
Tucked away into the winding roads that meander through the misty Judean Hills – we find our selves driving through a small Moshav (town) called Nes Harim, in search of the Katlav Winery. Like so many of the small boutique wineries that are popping up all over these hills – this winery is equally challenging to find. However, what separates this winery from many of the other up and coming wineries is the owner and wine maker. We call Yittach Yossi on the cell and he answers us almost immediately and we explain to him – the best we can of course – where we are, and he goes on to explain that we had actually just driven by his house! We find a driveway and turn around. After tracking down the house – which in hindsight (as this story unfolds) should have been VERY easy to notice – being dwarfed by a hulking Olive Tree. He comes and greets us covered in paint and trailed by two adorable dogs – he asks us to drive the road behind his house and meet him at the winery. As we drive the small dirt road behind his house – the winery comes into view – but so does the beautiful overlook he has on the valley below. Nes Harim is no different than any of these Moshav(s) that line the Judean Hills – they are all compact in size and are built on hill sides that surrender to beautiful vistas and those pesky switch back roads – that we finished traversing a few moments ago.
To say Yittach is passionate about wine would be an understatement. He truly loves his craft. He started out as a highly successful architect and builder – building building all around Israel. It was chance meeting with an ailing Persian worker’s mother that changed his world and turned him into the wine maker he is today. One of his Persian workers had turned ill and he went to see him in the hospital. It was there that he met the worker’s mother and she told him I need two things from you – marry off my son and grapes! Yittach asked why do you need grapes? She went on to explain that she had been making wine for years, before immigrating to Israel – because of the lack of kosher wine in Iran, and she missed her home made wine. Yittach got right to work – he made the man his wife’s brother-in-law – by marrying him to his sister-in-law. Then he got to sourcing grapes, which 12 years ago was not as easy as it is today – unless you were looking for eating grapes. After a bit of work he found the grapes and went on to learn the Persian process of wine making. He took those techniques and improved on them (many times to detriment of the wine and Yittach) until 2000 when he released his first production of 1500 bottles. Today his bottle production fluctuates based upon the grape quality and vine production – but averages 10 thousand bottles. His vines are mostly dry farmed – which tend to produce fewer fruit from the vines, but ones with more tartness and more intense fruit flavors. They are planted in the hills that surround Moshav Nes Harim and on the very same terraces that the settlers planted vines (until they went into disrepair). The close proximity allows for better control of the vines, picking time, and sugar content – all the benefits of a Estate Bottled Winery.
Label Wadi Katlav 2005
We were led into his winery (which he built by hand) and we sat down at the table and talked for quite a long time. Yittach is equally comfortable talking about wine as he is on a sundry of topics ranging from politics to spirituality. We tasted two bottles of wine (notes below). His warmth and comfort with his own skin seemed to draw us in to topics that we would not usually get into during a wine tasting. It was a real joy and one that showed us the other sides of the wine business here in Israel. Yittach then went on to show us the barrel rooms and his bottle cellar. The bottles are graced with a picture of the huge and ancient olive tree that graces Yittach’s front yard – the one we passed when driving by his house.
We would like to thank Yittach for his hospitality, passion and time when visiting his winery. Following are the tasting notes which we sampled at the winery.
2005 Wadi Katlav – Score: B+
This red to black colored wine seems to shimmer in the glass. The nose has strong aromas of blackberry, dark plums and some hints of green vegetation. The wine is accessible yet complex and smooth with carry over from the nose of blackberry, currants, and vegetation. The finish is long and satisfying with a mouth coating that lingers on the palate.
2005 Katlav Syrah – Score: A
This purple to black colored wine needs a fair amount of time to open. At the start the nose has anis, dates and hints of pepper. The wine opens in the mouth to reveal leather, tar and and almost inky flavor that lasts long on the mouth and ends with very nice spicy notes.
Ella Valley in Judean Hills
Ella Valley Winery in the Judean Hills
Ella Valley is a winery we heard of a few years ago when we saw their wine in a restaurant in Berkeley, CA. It was an amazing wine, so we called the distributor and convinced our local store to stock their wines. Since then the store has gone through the wine a few times and has a few of the new releases.
The winery is located in an industrial park of Kibbutz Nativ HaLamed-Heh. The winery was established in 1998 – when they planted their world renowned vineyard that lies a few feet from the beautiful winery building. It took a few years before the first vintage was harvested and bottled – 2002. The winery now produces 200 thousand bottles a year. When they started the process of preparing the land for planting their vineyard they found an ancient winepress – it is this very same symbol that graces almost every bottle of Ella Valley wine.
We met Udi – the winery manager at the visitor center. It was hard to hear him at times over the squall of the parrots that grace the front of the building. It turns out that the GM, Danny Valero, has a strong love for parrots and they have a commanded presence along the path that leads to the visitors center. Udi went on to explain that the winery has an exacting scientific approach to wine making – down to the numbering of each bottle that they produce. Being that the winery is so close to the perfectly tended and managed vines – they are estate bottled (a not so common feat in Israel), and they can control the fermentation process to their exacting standards. The vineyard is in a long and beautiful valley, which shelters the grapes from winter frost and the extreme heat during the long summer months.
We would like to thank Udi and the people at Ella Valley winery for allowing us to taste a wide range of wines – so that we could share the experience with our readers.
2005 Cabernet Franc – Score: B+
This is the follow-on to the smash hit of 2004 – but not quite up to its older brother’s standard. The has a nose of green grass and flowers – classic franc aromas. The balanced medium bodied wine has light tannins that give way to red fruit and more green grass. The finish is long and lingers on the palate long after the wine is gone.
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah – Score: B+
The wine has a lively Bordeaux color that shimmers in the light. The nose is filled with earth and hints of green beans. The medium bodied wine is accessible with light tannins and a medium sized finish. The body has a sense of earth, a bit of tar, and complexity that helps to prop this wine up and give it more of a presence than it might have otherwise had.
2004 Merlot – Score: A-
This wine has a nice light Burgundy color. The nose is herbal and has hints of pepper and cherry. This medium bodied wine has a complexity to it that hints at what is brooding underneath the oak coat. It is a balanced wine with integrated tannins and a good amount of acid that allows the wine to stand tall in a crowd and culminates with a satisfying finish.
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard Choice – Score: A
The color of the wine is an electric black – if that were possible. The nose is strong and attacking. First comes licorice, followed by oak, and then cassis and more black fruit. This exciting full bodied wine is complex and brooding. The balanced attack starts with cassis and dark plums and then is followed by a long and very satisfying finish.
2003 Muscat (reinforced) – Score: A
The straw color of this wine shimmers with excitement, and begs you to come closer and inspect. It is at that moment that the nose of the wine jumps up out of the glass and hits you with honey and lychees. This medium-full bodied wine is reinforced with alcohol that greet you with more honey and lychees, and finishes with a long flourish of acid and peaches.
Yatir Winery in the Negev
Yatir Winery
The Yatir Winery is literally an oasis in the middle of a desert. The winery, started in 2001 is south of Jerusalem, but to get there you either go east or west and then south and then west or east. We drove there by going west and driving south on the 90 south from Jerusalem. The road is flat and long. We pass Ein Geidi and Masada, and then comes the glorious dead sea. As we pass the countless hotels that wind around the sea and edge close to the road, we come to the 31 that takes us east past Arad and to the Yatir winery. The 31 climbs high and you can sea the dead sea as a large jewel in the middle of a barren land. Then the road dramatically plunges down into the valley below and levels out. The desert that surrounds the winery makes the beautiful Ramat Arad vineyard (at 500m) that is adjacent to the winery stand out that much more.
The winery was started in 2000 as a joint venture between the grape growers of the region and Carmel Winery. The grapes that make up the wines we tasted are grown in the Yatir Forest, situated 10 minutes from the winery, in the Southern Judean Hills (at 900m). The Ramat Arad vineyard, wraps the winery, which is situated at the base of the famous Tel Arad archeological site, is owned by Carmel and tended to by the Yatir Winery. The Ramat Arad grapes are used by Carmel for their line single vineyard wines (Cabernet, Syrah, and Sauvignon Blanc).
When we came we were met by Eti Edri – and we were told the story of the winery and its wine maker Eran Goldwasser. Having spoken with many winemakers and others in the wine business in Israel – they all think that Eran is one of the best young winemakers in Israel.
The first vintage was 2001 and the wine has been improving year after year. The winery has been receiving a ton of accolades recently including the big news of Robert Parker giving a 93 to the flagship wine Yatir Forest. The wine we tasted (notes below) – the 2003 Yatir Cabernet/Merlot/Shiraz blend, was given a 90.
We asked Eti some questions about the wine production. Fermentation is done at a cool 60 degrees (Fahrenheit) for reds and a cold 53 degrees (Fahrenheit) for whites. The cool temperature for red wines – help extract flavor, color, and tannins from the must that the red wines ferment in. The cold temperature for the whites help extract fruit and less body that would get in the way of a clean and crisp white wine. They rack the reds 3 to 4 times a year.
Having read all about the winery before visiting it we tried to better understand what was they key feature that has led to its success. We asked Eti what was special about the winery. To our surprise the first thing she said was humility. That is not an answer we get often to that question – actually it may well be the first time anyone ever gave us that response. Eti went on to explain that Eran is passionate about the whole wine process from the vineyards to the bottling and storage. But throughout it all, he and all that work at Yatir are humble. Eran is a person Eti describes, that concentrates on small details, which she believes results in fewer issues. 90% of his work is not in the winery – but with building and keeping a close relationship with the farmers and winery workers.
We wanted to thank Eti and the folks at the Yatir Winery for the wonderful time we had at the winery.
2003 Yatir Cabernet (56%)/Merlot(33%)/Shiraz(11%) blend (12 months in oak) – Score: A
The nose starts with a mix of tobacco and floral notes and follows, with time, with a merlot nose, fig in the middle and ends with dark fruit. The color of the wine is a dark and brooding red with a touch of black. This full bodied wine starts big and is followed by integrated tannins with notes of licorice and sour cherries at the end. As it opens more – chocolate flavors come to the mouth and mix nicely with a very long and satisfying finish, laden with tobacco and cassis.
2004 Yatir Cabernet(40%)/Merlot(40%)/Shiraz(20%) blend (12 months in oak) – Score: A-
The color of the wine is a vibrant Bordeaux color. The nose of the wine is filled with red fruit and spice. This complex and full bodied wine is tight yet approachable. The red fruit shows itself nicely on mouth – cherry and berries along with a hint of vegetation. It has lightly integrated tannins and a very long finish. The wine seems to linger on the palate long after it has been consumed.
Wine Musings and more…
This space is about my musings and tasting notes on the world of kosher wine. I have been drinking wine for some 10 years now and have been privileged to taste some of the best kosher wines from around the world. We thought it was time to start sharing our wine experiences with others. We hope that you will find some of these notes and musings useful and maybe even entertaining.
