Monthly Archives: October 2009
A Few Nice Israeli Wines that compliment wonderful Shemini Atzeret Meals
A week ago saw us enjoying meals with friends and on our own. The Jewish Holiday called Shemini Atzeret is the last part of Sukkot and the one that sometimes gets out of hand, when some mistaken souls confuse Shemini Atzeret with Purim (and think getting drunk is part of the deal). However, since we did not put up a sukkah and most folks believe that one should eat in the sukkah (without a blessing) on Shemini Atzeret, we ate out for the first two meals. On Saturday day we went to a friend’s home and were served a wonderful bounty of flavors and textures and some really fun wines. We brought a bottle of 2003 Galil Winery Yiron, while another guest brought a bottle of 2007 Lambouri Ya’in Kafrisin. later in the meal the host opened a bottle of 2006 Shiloh Cabernet Sauvignon.
Later that evening we laid low after a long Simchat Torah celebration, with a wonderful meal of meatballs, rice, and fresh green salad. The recipe for the meatballs were the same we have had before, but this time we substituted a pound of ground turkey for one of the two pounds of ground meat. The mixture was way off, as the ground turkey meat is soft and sticky, instead of firm like ground meat. To make the mixture work we added in ground almonds bit by bit until it was he correct consistency. The tomato sauce was the same and the meatballs came out soft yet firm to the fork.
The wine notes follow below:
2003 Galil Yiron – Score: B+
The nose on this garnet colored wine was hopping and screaming out of the bottle with chocolate, figs, ripe and plump blackberry, plum, and mounds of oak. The mouth on this full bodied, extra ripe, and mouth coating wine is filled with ripe plum and blackberry, rich chocolate, and sweet oak. The mid palate is balanced with acidity and soft tannins. The finish is super long with more rich fruit, chocolate, figs, and a hint of tobacco. Quite a nice wine, but would have been better a few months earlier. Clearly over the hill and on its way down – DRINK UP!!! This is a change from the previous wine note we had on this wine. This wine has become fatter and plumper and not as tight and concentrated.
2006 Tishbi Estate Pinot Noir – Score: B+
The nose on this ruby colored wine is hopping with strawberry, cherry, raspberry, and a bit of oak. The mouth on this medium bodied wine is almost mouth coating, but needs a few hours of air to show its best. The mouth is soft and lush with nice cherry and raspberry notes. The mid palate is balanced with nice acidity, soft tannins, and a hint of coffee. The finish is long with more bright fruit, light oak, and vanilla. Quite a nice balanced Pinot. On an aside, Daniel Rogov did not give this a great score, but I wonder if it was a bad bottle, or if the wine has moved past that deficiency. As usual Daniel tastes the wine a few times, so I can only guess that either the wines here in the US have gone through to another stage in their life, or we had a “good” bottle. He noted that there was too much volatile acidity, but I did not see anything like that in the bottle I tasted.
Yarden, Galil, and Delagrave Bordeaux Wines in the Sukkah
This past weekend saw us spending time in a Sukkah with our family in Florida. Yep, pretty hot temperature, but the Sukkah is shaded and we hooked up a pair of fans (attached to a timer), so that the fans are blowing when we are in the Sukkah. The fans are on opposite sides of the Sukkah, giving us a nice cross breeze. Further, the Sukkah walls are made of crisscrossing wood slats that have hollow parts. So the combination of cross breeze fans, open walls, and mesh roof, made the Sukkah a nice place to hunker down.
We did not cook or prepare any of the food for this family occasion, though I did help with the decorating and electrical aspects of the Sukkah. Beyond that I bought the wines. I went for a simple combination of whites and reds and I was quite happy with the outcome. Still, the clear star of the holiday was the food that was magnificently prepared by my sister in-law and a few other family members. They are always so kind and courteous, fantastic hosts, with a lovely family, and a kind soul. So, before the holiday (which started on Friday Night), we made our way to Crown Wine & Spirits. There used to be a wonderfully stocked kosher wine store, called – Corks Kosher Wine Emporium, but they are gone now — just another casualty of the economic times in which we live. The selection of kosher wines was far smaller than it had been before, because of the business that was taken away by Corks. So in the end, the economy handed a double whammy to the Boca Raton kosher wine scene, by putting Corks out of business and limiting the selection at the only other purveyor left. There is a small selection of lower quality wines at the Kosher Market Place, whose owner owned Corks, but not the stuff I was looking for. The selection may be also small at Crown, but they have a nice selection still of solid wines from Israel, France, and the USA. A nice mixture of Yarden, Galil, Herzog Reserve, Herzog (plain but good for the basic meal), Herzog Selection from France, Hagafen wines, and a smattering of Alfasi wines as well. Again, a nice mixture of quality wines at all price ranges, and the prices were very reasonable. I walked out with six quality wines for less than hundred dollars, which is OK. The prices were comparable with KosherWine.com, which I use as a barometer for pricing wines at local purveyors.
The meals were out of this world. The first evening we were served Matzah Ball soup, perfect roast, salad, moist turkey, Capon, and gobs of salads and sides, pairing lovely with some of the 2007 Yarden Odem Vineyard Chardonnay, 2005 Yarden Pinot Noir, and a blue bottle of Bartenura Moscato. The next day we were served gefilite fish, heavenly cholent, Turkey and gobs more of side dishes, paired nicely with a bit of leftover Yarden Pinot Noir, Yarden Odem Chardonnay, and some 2007 Galil Cabernet Sauvignon. For Saturday night we had Matzah ball soup, an unbelievable assortment of chicken dishes, and turkey, along with many lovely sides, pairing nicely with the Galil Cabernet Sauvignon. For the second day we were served gefilte fish, veal, turkey, gobs more of sides, and a killer Sushi salad (which mimics all the components of sushi in a nice salad). To pair with all of those flavors we had a 2004 Delagrave White Bordeaux and an overkill of a 2003 Yarden Merlot.
I would like to extend my many thanks to tour lovely hosts and the rest of the family which made our stay so comfortable. Best wishes and a happy and healthy year to all. The wine notes are listed below in the order they were consumed:
2005 Yarden Pinot Noir – Score: A-
This is a wine that Daniel Rogov rates as one of Yarden’s best Pinot Noirs ever, and I was not disappointing as much as I had higher hopes for it. The wine reminds me more of the N.V. Four Gates Pinot Noir, with a touch more tannins and attitude. The nose on this dark ruby colored wine is popping with black cherry, raspberry, black plum, rich oak, and vanilla. The mouth on this medium to full bodied wine (once it opens) is layered and rich with not yet integrating tannins, black plum, black cherry, and oak. The mid palate is crisp and acidic with nice tannins and oak. The finish is long with red fruit, vanilla, oak, and spice.
2007 Yarden Odem Vineyard Chardonnay – Score: A-
The nose on this dark straw with green hues wine is popping with kiwi, papaya, lemon, peach, rich oak, and violets. The mouth on this rich and full bodied wine is almost mouth coating with fruit that follows the nose. The mid palate is tight yet balanced with bright acidity, and salt water – which threw me off! The finish is long and lovely with rich oak, tropical fruit, acidity, and a bit more salt water.
2007 Galil Cabernet Sauvignon – Score: B+
The nose on this garnet colored wine has blackberry, raspberry, plum, and roasted herbs. The mouth on this medium bodied wine is concentrated with blackberry, raspberry, and plum flavors. The mid palate is acidic with nice integrated tannins. The finish is medium long with more concentrated fruit and herbs.
2004 Herzog Selection Chateau Delagrave White (blend of Sauvignon Blanc and and Semillon) – Score: B-B+
The nose on this light straw colored wine is filled with lemon, green apples, light herbal notes, and floral notes. The mouth on this light to medium bodied wine follows the nose with green apple, tropical fruit, and lemon. The mid palate is crisp with nice tart fruit. The finish is medium long with tart flavors that linger long after the wine is gone, along with green tea, and floral notes.
2003 Yarden Merlot – Score: A-
The nose on this dark garnet to black colored wine is popping and rich with blackberry, cherry, cranberry, green herbal notes, figs, and lovely sweet oak. The mouth on this full bodied wine is rich, layered, and complex with blackberry, cranberry, and tannins that are still lightly aggressive. The mouth is complex with layers of fruit, sweet oak, and figs. The mid palate is acidic and balanced with integrated tannins. The finish is long with rich ripe black fruit, nice tannins, sweet oak, figs, and vanilla. The wine is rich and lovely and quite a treat and can easily pair with red meats, but is overkill for the basic food groups.
1998 Langer Reserve Szamorodni Takaji and 2005 Galil Mountain Merlot
This past week saw us enjoying a quiet shabbos between the two of us. After the past week, we thought it was a great time to have some Italian food again. With all the Italian Recipes available, we looked for one that would hit the spot. After a bit of thought, we decided to again, go with Pasta Puttanesca. We have done this before, and we really love the altered recipe we have come up with. By adding in the fake ground meat (soy), it thickens the sauce and it also adds meat to body of the recipe, real fun. The sauce is best paired with pasta that holds the liquid, like rigatoni or penne – like we did. Once that was handled, I looked to the cellar for the win to pair with, and I chose the 2005 Galil Merlot. For two reasons, one because it is at its peak (or a bit past it), and two because it has enough acidity and body to keep up with the sauce. The wine started off really funky!! It started to smell brown, and a bit old and dingy, and did not get out of its funk until a day later, when it cleaned itself up and became quite enjoyable. I also got a chance to taste another bottle; the 1998 Langer Reserve Szamorodni Takaji. The wine is really quite pleasant and honeyed along with a nice subtle almonds undertone. It paired nicely with cheese and other smelly/stinky flavors.
The wine notes follow below:
1998 Langer Reserve Szamorodni Takaji – Score: B+
The nose on this bright gold colored wine has strong honey, sweet honeydew, and almond notes, along with a hint of lemon. The mouth on this full bodied wine is glycerol and oily in nature, ripe and rich, is filled with ripe honeydew, rich honey, and almond flavors. The mid palate is bright and balanced. The finish is long and honey sweet with more nice acidity and a hint of lemon tea as well.
2005 Galil Mountain Merlot – Score: B++
The nose on this dark garnet colored wine with brown/dingy edges starts off with a cedar box like aroma along with aged roasted herbs, dirty and dingy cranberry, plum, an herbaceous attack, and a dollop of briery/earth. After this wine opens up, the musty and dingy notes go away, and you get cleaned up cranberry, cherry, and plum aromas, along with a hint of coffee. The mouth on this medium to full bodied wine initially has fading tannins, and give way to fruit which is also fading. The mouth feel is almost mouth coating. The mid palate is OK but without enough acidity to brace it. The finish is nice with tannins, fruit, along with an herbaceous attack, a large dollop of spice, and a hint of mint. However, after the wine airs out, the mouth fills out quite nicely, almost velvety. The mouth coats with ripe red fruit and a nice soft mouth. The mid palate is medium long but OK because the fruit is less aggressive and the wine becomes more about the mouthfeel and nice residual tannins, than does the complexity. The finish is long with tannins, red fruit, coffee, and herbs.
