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Ella Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Roasted Chicken, Brown Rice, and Lindemans Raspberry Lambic
Well this past weekend was a wonderful learning experience for me. We had a quiet dinner of roasted chicken, accompanied by a nice brown rice pilaf and a fresh green salad. I thought a nice wine to match that would be a bright wine, and went fishing around the wine cellar for a Sauvignon Blanc. I pulled out a 2007 Ella Valley Sauvignon Blanc, and what a surprise I had. To start the cork was sopping wet and almost to its end, though no leaks. I warn ALL readers to check this vintage, as the cork was not damaged or poor quality, it just looks like that cork was soaked. Of course cork is differs from bottle to bottle, but just take a look at your Ella Valley SB and check. I have never had a problem from any of their other wines, so this could have been nothing more than bad luck, but it is always safe to check.
Upon opening the bottle, I was greeted by a horrific smell, and almost barnyard or pee smell. Yes, Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand, was made famous by British wine critic Oz Clarke, when he stated that The Sauvignon Blanc tasted like: “cat’s pee on a gooseberry bush”. Still, I do not associate that flavor with Sauvignon Blanc wines from Israel, but once I poured the wine the reason for the “odor” was clear. When I poured the wine, I greeted with bubbles in the wine and a clear flavor and nose of yeast. I am almost sure that the wine (at least for my bottle) went through ML (MaloLactic Fermentation) in my bottle, and so bubbles formed from the ML fermentation. I can only guess that my batch was not successfully filtered to rid the wine of any left over malic acid. The process of ML in a bottle, can create odors and bubbles, as the malic acid is “chowed down on” by Malolactic bacteria that are ubiquitous in the environment (you’re probably breathing some in right now). Once all of these wondrous additions blew off the wine became more than acceptable, but the overall presentation was lacking – to say the least. Again, check your bottles and enjoy!
For a special treat above and beyond some wine, I opened a bottle of Lindemans Raspberry Lambic. It can be purchased at most local area alcohol shops. My friend explained to me that Lambic beers are meant to be sour, and when I tasted this particular beverage, I understood that to mean – tart, but not sour. In many ways, the beer tasted like a tart and refreshing raspberry version of a Sauvignon Blanc. Of course, after more thought I realized that it was a totally fallacy. What I was tasting was the extreme brightness, but the beer was so sweet and almost cloyingly tart, that nobody would compare the beer to any wine. Moreover, folks at the table, thought the beer was spoiled or had gone to vinegar, but once I explained it was just sour beer, they liked it. I guess I found it refreshing after a while, but it is more enjoyable (at least to start) accompanied by some chocolate dessert.
The wine notes follow below:
2007 Ella Valley Sauvignon Blanc – Score: B – B+
The nose on this light straw colored wine was very weird initially. First came a nasty and funky pee smell that was a byproduct of the wine’s ML transformation in the bottle. Once that blew off the wine turned somewhat hot – wild! Luckily they both blew off within an hour of opening the bottle. Soon enough the nose turned to lychee, fresh cut grass, lemon, and grapefruit. The mouth on this light to medium bodied wine was refreshing but not rich, complex, or concentrated, and initially had bubbles in the glass. The mouth starts with lemon, lychee, and a fair amount of vegetal flavors. The mid palate is packed with bright acidity that flows into a nice finish of tart lemon and thick grass. The wine was not overwhelming and was a bit more green that I was expecting, but nice none the less, albeit the presentation.
Hagafen Sauvignon Blanc
Well this past week was a quiet one around the house. We decided that a nice light and fresh meal was in order after all those heavy meals these past few weeks. We decided on sushi. We have spoken about sushi a few times on this blog. Sushi is one of those meals that is always fun yet hard to match with wine. We love tuna – so we had inverted cucumbers and avocado Ahi tuna rolls. There is nothing like fresh sushi. It has the crisp flavors of the cold fish, cucumbers, and avocado. We almost always make inverted rolls. Personally, I like to have the rice flavor on my tongue first and it looks so much prettier than normal rolls. They are a bit more work – but well worth it.
When you say crisp and clean, Sauvignon Blanc comes to mind (along with some Viognier). Sauvignon Blanc has recently become a new target for Parkerization. Parkerization is a bit extreme a term, but it does have a bit of truth to it. More and more wines are fat, chewy, oaky, and overly fruity. The true flavors of green and terroir are ignored and the single focused palate of Robert Parker, his likes and dislikes are thrown onto the poor winemakers. If he flags a wine high (based upon his palate profile) then it sells, a low score means it may well go into the ethanol heap. A bit extreme of course, but still very true.
So recently, I have been seeing fat and oaky Sauvignon Blancs – that have not impressed me as much as the clean lined Sauvignon Blancs. Sauvignon Blanc is all about clean lines, crisp acidity, elemental fruit (not the cloying kind), and green flavors. The famous cat pee of Australian Sauvignon Blancs are a demonstration of the country’s terroir and is one that is accepted within the overall community because of its truth to the wine.
So when picking the next Sauvignon Blanc for my Sushi – I reached for the Hagafen Sauvignon Blanc 2006. It is the favorite kosher Sauvignon Blanc on my table and amongst our friends. The Goose Bay Sauvignon Blanc is nice, and the Yatir Sauvignon Blanc may well be the best one out there, but the Hagafen has the crazy grapefruit flavors that blow me away.
This bottle was a bit weird to be honest. When I opened it – it had some bubbles, which was weird. Also, the nose was dominated by yeast – until the bubbles subsided (some twenty or so minutes later). Yeast of course is the main proponent and ingredient for fermentation. My guess is that the wine in my bottle had not completed fermentation and was doing so in the bottle. This is not the first time, that wine I buy completes fermentation in the bottle, but I am surprised that a wine that is almost assuredly cold filtered would have allowed yeast to get through into the bottle. Still, white wine has been known to ferment the last of its sugar – without external persuasion. A higher score would have been in order had the bottle been still.
Hagafen Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2006 – Score A-
The nose on this straw colored wine was initially filled with yeast and yeast alone. After the bubbles in the glass subsided and the intense yeast profile subsided, the nose was delightful and as expected, filled with citrus, peach, grapefruit, and a hint of wood. The mouth on this wine started with yeast (even after the bubbles left the building) and a bit of fruit. The middle was packed with grapefruit, melon, and peach. The finish was long and satisfying and was packed with acidity that almost puckers your mouth along with just a hint of wood. A very nice attempt.
This past week’s wine
After having meat often on Passover, it was time to shift into a lighter mode for this Shabbos. We went with sushi which was a ball to make and consume (of course). There is a ton of discussions out in the rags about what wine best compliments or pairs with sushi. Many punt and say Sake ( a rice wine) which pairs nicely – if you like it. Others say beer goes quite nicely, and I agree. But being Shabbos and all I usually go with wine. In the past we have tried clean lined whites and Pinot. Pinot of course is a nice choice because of its clean line (unless over oaked) and because it has enough herbal qualities to match up with the rice vinegar and the sushi’s meaty flavors. Other good options are a nicely chilled Gewürztraminer whose fruit and slight sweetness matches the sushi rice vinegar acidity. Finally, there is the crazy clean lines of a Sauvignon Blanc that match well against the sushi’s clean lines. The acidities do clash, but that tends to be acceptable. Not having a Gewürztraminer on hand – we went with the Sauvignon Blanc. I tell this to better appreciate why I did not love the Yarden Sauvignon Blanc. I thought it was too fat and overoaked. The crisp lines had been crushed under the weight of the French oak. From what was left – it was clear that the crisp lines were there, but the choice was to go for the fat flavors, over the clean fruit in steel. Again, my opinion, and your palate may feel differently.
Yarden Sauvignon Blanc 2006: B+
The nose on this straw colored wine goes from heady to almost non existent pretty quickly – which is a shame. The nose out of the bottle has notes of pear, apples, citrus, and lychee. The mouth on this medium bodied wine is too plump for my taste buds. I like my Sauvignon Blanc to be clean lined and such. That said. The fruit still shows, and is tempered by toasty wood and green flavors – which tend to muddle the wine. The finish is medium long and there is still enough acidity in the wine to help it cut through fish and soft cheese.
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.
