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This Past Friday Night Wine…
No guests this week – taking a breather, so I only opened a single bottle.
Rothberg Cellars Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 - Score: A-
The nose on this Garnet – purple colored wine is filled with nice fruit, blackberry, cassis, and coffee. The mouth of this medium-full bodied wine is filled with fruit carry over. When I first opened the bottle, the mouth had blackberry, cassis, and a nice finish of coffee and oak. At the mid point of the meal, the wine went French and became insanely mineral and earthy. It overshadowed the fruit and the oak. When it settled more, the wine lost the lovely coffee – but the fruit returned, the mouth was smooth, and the finish was filled with nice spicy oak. A funny wine – but one that I enjoyed a lot over the two meals.
This past Friday Night’s wines….
This week we had some people over so the selection was larger. In the order they were drank….
Chateau Yon-Figeac 1995 – Score: B-
The nose was nice and opened over time, but this was way over its life. The color was still Bordeaux red, and the mouth was a bit tannic still, but the wine was oxidized and worse – it had an almost cooked flavor to it. Shame really, as a few years earlier and it may have been fun.
Recanati Cabernet Franc Reserve 2004 – Score: A-
Not a fan favorite – which I believe has far more to do with the fact that we had people over who are particular about their Franc 
. This is not a classical Franc. Not much has changed from the previous note I made on this wine. Open early and it will be enjoyed. But just remember this is not a Cab Franc – this is a Cabernet is a Franc’s clothing.
Carmel Cabernet Franc Appellation 2002 - Score: A-
Again – not a fan Favorite. If this was renamed Cabernet it would have been a smash hit. Huge wine (like the Recanati). Bold and spicy with a very long and generous finish. The mouth on this medium – full bodied wine is chuck full of red fruits and a large dollop of tannins. Open early and drink soon.
Herzog Syrah Special Reserve 2001 - Score: B+
This one was a bit more what people expected – but an interesting split down the middle some liked some did not. Mainly I think because of the wines aggressive nature. It has a beautiful purple color. The nose is filled with dark fruit and a ton of black pepper. The mouth first hits you with tannin, pencil shavings, and mineral flavors that are not so appealing. They give way to nice fruit, a touch of tar, and a long and peppery finish. Drink up.
Herzog Syrah Special Reserve 2002 - Score: A-
This one was a bit more what people expected – and liked by everyone at the table. Again a deep purple color, and a nose of pepper, dark fruits, and tobacco. The mouth is much smooth, balanced and really a nice fullness that gives this full bodied wine a good showing. The mouth gives way to a fair amount of dark fruit, and then again to a long and peppery finish. Showing well, but drink up.
Hagafen Syrah 2000 - Score: B+
Another winner of the evening. This wine is still going strong. Again the color was a nice purple. The nose was not peppery like the Herzog wines. This one was more red with a tinge of green. The mouth on this medium – full bodied wine was smooth with a fair amount of red fruit and almost no tannins to perceive. The oak is still present and almost sweet. The fruits give way to a long and fruity finish. Not my cup of Syrah – but others may disagree.
Yarden Syrah 2002 – A-
In my humble eyes – the winner of the night by FAR! This wine is still brooding and will be a huge winner for years to come. In retrospect – 2002 was a bad year for Israeli wines, but a good year for the bottles we opened this evening. The wine’s color is a deep red to purple. The nose is still teeming with red fruit, oak, and tobacco. The mouth on this full bodied wine is still a bit tannic, though integrating nicely. The mouth gives way to a nice amount of fruit, but the star is the chocolate and tobacco that come along for a nice and long finish. This wine should hold out a bit more.
Mony Wine
We recently tasted some Mony wines that we liked so we thought we would share them with you.
Mony Chardonnay 2005 - Score: A-
This golden straw colored wine has a nose of apples, lychee, and oak. The mouth of this medium bodied wine is balanced with just enough oak and abundant fruit. The apple, lychee, and citrus jump out at you. The finish is long and laden with spicy oak which makes for quite a nice white wine experience.
Mony Shiraz Reserve 2005 - Score: A-
This ruby colored wine’s nose is earthy, musty, and oaky. The mouth on this medium bodied wine has strong notes of integrated tannins, dirt, leather, and pomegranates. The finish is long and generous with spicy wood and more leather.
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.
