Summer is here and man is it hot! When I think summer wines I think rose and tart/bright white wines. We have been tasting some of these wines and they have been fantastic, for the most part. There have been some very nice reds as well, including the 2005 Hagafen Zinfandel. Sadly, 2006 was the last vintage for Hagafen and Zinfandel, because they needed to cut down on the number of labels they produce, and Zinfandel got the boot – very sad indeed.

The best rose by far was the Netofa, along with the Recanati and the Castel was OK. The 2011 Covenant Sauvignon Blanc was mind-blowing and still kicking in all the right ways. It stood up well to the 2013 Yarden Sauvignon Blanc, which is also great! The 2012 Dalton Viognier is nice, but it never had the star qualities of the 2009. I hear the 2013 is as good or better than the 2009, so I am hoping to taste it soon! The 2013 Shirah Vintage Whites is not as good as the 2012, but it is nice enough and needs TONS of time to open and really come together, so open this one and let it air!

The 2010 Ella valley Cabernet Franc is finally in the country and it is equally as good as it was in Israel! The 2009 Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon, Special Edition, Clone # Six, is really nice but much sweeter than the 2008 which was/is a rock star! Both of these reds would go really well with BBQ chicken or hanger steaks, or a burger with roasted onions – yum!

Well there you go, I hope you get to enjoy some or all of these and post back what you thought! The notes follow below:

2013 Domaine Netofa Rose – Score: A- and more (CRAZY QPR)
This wine is blend of 50% Syrah and 50% Mourvedre. The nose on this beautiful cherry colored wine, is ripe with peach aromas, intense floral notes, hints of kiwi, quince, rich herb, and spice. The mouth on this medium bodied wine has lovely strawberry, tart cherry, with nice fruit structure, along with insane acid, nice melon, and tart fruit that keeps on coming. The finish is long and spicy with rose petals, green and red apple sauce, and spiced apples.

2013 Domaine du Castel Rose – Score: B to B+
This wine is a blend of 60% Merlot, 22% Malbec, and 18% Cabernet Franc, it was amde using the saignee process. The pink colored wine shows a lovely nose of strawberry, tart pink grapefruit, and mineral. The mouth on this light bodied wine is truly un-captivating in every way. The mouth starts with cherry, citrus pith, and nice acidity, but lacks any complexity, and is so light bodied it can barely hold its own against gouda cheese. The finish is short and is plain with the only real interesting part being the lovely pith that explodes at the very end of the finish and the tart fruit.

The wine itself is not flawed in anyway, but with so little complexity and joy, there are far better and far cheaper options out there for you all.

2011 Covenant Sauvignon Blanc – Score: A- (and more) QPR
The nose on this wine is has lost its cut grass and replaced it with a hint of hay, but lovely petrol, kiwi, and litchi, with still remaining rich and smokey char and hints of yeast. The mouth on this medium bodied wine is still filled with crazy bracing acid, nice lime, lemon friache, guava, along with an almost oily texture and green notes. The finish turns short for a bit, but as it opens it elongates with more great acid, rich tart citrus fruit, slate, along with nice citrus pith and tart fruit on the finish. I would recommend drink soon!

2013 Recanati Rose – Score: B++ to A- (QPR)
This rose is a blend of 70% Barbera and 30% Merlot and what a lovely rose it is. The wine is refreshing with good fruit, great acid, and good minerality to make it a wine that works with many meals.

The nose starts off with watermelon notes, which are all over this wine, along with hints of purple bubblegum, along with ripe red fruit and mineral. The mouth on this medium bodied wine is tart and acidic with great cherry, raspberry, quince, grapefruit, passion fruit, and spice. The finish is long with good spice, cloves, candied kiwi, and cherry lifesavers, along with a touch of bitter notes, all wrapped in slate and rock finish – very nice!

2012 Dalton Viognier Reserve – Score: B++ to A-
So, the last bottle of this wine was a disappointment – it was a pure oak bomb and not much else. Even after decanting and letting it lie for a long time, the wine could not get out of the oak shadow that hung over it.

Thankfully, the wine has evolved a bit and now the wine shows more potential than a year ago. The nose on this light gold to orange-colored wine shows lovely scent of honeysuckle, white flowers, sweet honey, summer fruit, orange blossom, along with fresh-baked peach cobbler. The mouth on this medium bodied wine starts off with a nice and almost oily texture that flows into peach, apricot, nectarine, and orange fruit that is hard to miss. The finish is long and super spicy, almost zesty, with nutmeg, cinnamon, sweet spices, pepper and orange/citrus zest that dominates the long finish.

2013 Shirah Vintage Whites – Score: A-
This wine is a blend of two of my favorite white grapes – 70% Viognier and 30% Grenache Blanc. The 2012 vintage was a blend of another two favorite whites – Viognier and Roussanne. I liked the 2012 more for now, but I will let this wine evolve and open.

The nose on this wine is pure heaven with rich honey, white flowers, honeydew melon, distinct notes of petrol, straw, earth, and mineral. The mouth on this medium bodied wine craves fridge time, as it holds up better when ice-cold, it shows more lovely fruit with guava, pineapple, peach, and apple all showcased in a green and fruity box with sweet notes and some level of oily texture. With time, the green notes leave and give way to rich nectarine, orange rind, orange marmalade with tart acid and great tropical fruit. The finish is long, bitter, and spicy with great acidity (once the wine airs out and opens), along with lovely honeyed notes flowing into citrus pith, slate, bakers spice, almond notes and nutmeg.

2010 Ella Valley Cabernet Franc – Score: A- (and more) (QPR)
This is the first red released that has Lin’s fingerprint on it. Doron Rav Hon vinified the wine, before he left, before he left, but was aged and bottled by Lin. The wine is a blend of 96% Cabernet Franc and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose on this wine shows lovely dark cherry, nice varietal true floral notes, with nice vegetal bell pepper, and leafy tobacco. The mouth on this lovely full bodied wine shows draping tannin, nice deep extraction, with nice chocolate, garrique, along with layers of concentrated blackberry, plum, along with blackcurrant, and spicy oak. The finish is long and leafy, with great tannin that rise, along with dark cherry, leather, chocolate, with more vegetal notes, lingering long.

2009 Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon, Special Edition, Clone # Six, Warnecke Vineyard Chalk Hill – Score: A-
This was a wine that for the longest time I felt was hot and sweet, but it has turned now and showed a calmer side.

The nose on this wine shows deep mineral, dark fruit, herb, green notes, and spice. The mouth on this medium to full bodied wine shines in the fact that the fruit is so focused and bright, with great acidity, lovely concentration, nice mouth coating tannin, sweet cedar, blackberry, plum, raspberry, along with green foliage, and spice. The finish is lovely with fresh anise, bracing mineral, vanilla, chocolate, and hints of tobacco, with graphite and sweet notes lingering long, lovely.

2005 Hagafen Zinfandel – Score: A-
The nose on this lightly browning wine is filled with rich fruit, ripe strawberry, along with sweet cedar, brown sugar, and great spice. The mouth on this medium bodied wine is ripe and concentrated with layers of ripe blackberry, black plum, red fruit, ripe jammy boysenberry, all wrapped in a cocoon of sweet cedar and mouth coating tannins. The finish is long and rich with great acid, control, and a bounty of fruit, all leading to a chocolate, vanilla, and spice crescendo, with cinnamon, cracked pepper, and nutmeg. DRINK NOW and do not hold on to these a second longer. When opening it, give it 30 minutes and then finish there and then!

This wine sure is fun, the brown sugar, cedar, chocolate, and dark ripe black fruit all mingle with crazy vanilla and brown sugar on a long and sweet finish – BRAVO!!!