For the first time in a long time, my post on Netofa winery is not months after I visited! I went with Avi Davidowitz of Kosher Wine Unfiltered, and as always Pierre Miodownick, head winemaker of Domaine Netofa Winery was beyond gracious with his time and his wines.

I have already posted my feelings about the 2017 whites and the 2016 reds in my previous post on the Domaine Netofa Winery in December 2018. I have also already posted some of the 2018 whites and rose wines as part of a large blind tasting after the winery visit. Domaine Netofa is a winery I have posted about often, and it may well be a winery I post the most of on my blog, besides Tzora Vineyards. That kind of tells you what I think about those two wineries. Pierre Miodownick is the head winemaker at Netofa, and he has been there since the winery’s inaugural 2009 vintage.

Thankfully, the winery is still one of the last bastions of normalcy, when it comes to white and red wines in Israel, along with a few others. I have found Netofa’s white and rose wines from the 2018 vintage to be quite lovely and unique. The red wines are solid with only the red Tel Qasser from 2016 being a wine I still cannot bring myself to love.

Sadly, the availability of these wines continues to be an issue here in the USA. I really wish Netofa could find an importer already and get us some fun Israeli red and white wines to enjoy here in the USA. Until then, you need to go to Israel to buy and enjoy them.

Yes, I know the rumors, I know. However, until their wines are in the USA and in my house I will reserve my optimism. That is in no way a judgment on Netofa, but more of a hope and a way to not jinx the return of one of the best kosher wineries in Israel from returning to our shores.

Wines to come:

1. There will be a 10-year Tawny port released soon from the 2010 vintage.
2. There will be a 2018 wine based upon Mourvedre, with a bit of Syrah. Look for it in a year or so.

My many thanks to Mr. Miodownick and the winery for letting me come by and enjoy the wines with him! The wine notes follow below – the explanation of my “scores” can be found here:

2018 Domaine Netofa, White – 90 to 91
I have had this wine 4 times now. Some shows like pineapple juice and others show beautiful like this one here. What can I do, I think this wine has a deep-rooted tropical backbone, but the mineral up front is so good that it hides the backbone.
The nose on this wine shows a lovely nose of straight up hay, mineral, and fruit, with apple and quince galore, and lovely fruit and blossom. The mouth on this wine is crazy good, with a clear ripe backbone, yet steely tart and bright with crazy saline and herb, with mineral galore, with crazy apple, and rich quince, with an incredible tension between the ripeness and the tart/dry fruit and minerality. The finish is long and green, with slate, more hay, and lovely freshness and minerality! Bravo! Drink by 2021.

2017 Netofa Latour, White – Score: 91 to 92
Crazy Oak nose with yellow pear and apple, quince and rich saline with hay and dry herb. The mouth on this medium bodied wine is crazy good, layered, extracted and richly round, but tart, and saline bomb, with lovely tension and rich herb, and lovely sweet spices and sweet Oak. The finish off long, green, with vanilla, herb, and mint, and lemongrass, with tart lemon curd and spices.

2016 Domain Netofa Tel Qasser, White – Score: 92 to 93
This wine is 100% Roussanne that was fermented in steel and then aged 10 months in French oak. The wine has changed since we tasted it from the barrel. The nose on this wine is lovely with impressive funk,
Lovely funky nose with smoke, walnuts, pine nuts, with mad straw, dry mineral, and lovely with dried pear, and dried yellow apple. The mouth is lovely, rich and layered and crazy fun with layers of yellow plum, lovely white peach, rich acidity, with dried and roasted herbs, showing lemongrass, with dried and Smokey notes, earth, and lovely spice, with dry preserved lemon, orange zest, and lovely sweet baking spices. Drink by 2022.

2017 Domaine Netofa Tel Qasser, White – Score: 91 to 92
Lovely wine, sadly I knew what it is, lovely Roussanne, showing earth, mineral, rich brightness, with loads of heather, lovely floral notes, with straw, yellow plum, and apple. The mouth on this full-bodied wine is layered, rich, and nicely extracted, showing rich oily structure, with layers of green apple, quince, lovely richness, with mineral, grass, straw, and lovely acidity showing long with flowers, and rich lemongrass. Lovely!! Drink until 2022. (Sadly this is only available in Israel).

2018 Domaine Netofa Rose, GSM – Score: 90
Lovely nose of strawberry, raspberry, and rich citrus. The mouth on this wine is nice with good acidity, though I would love to have more, with lovely fresh fruit, tart with hints of bitter notes, loads of mineral, saline, and great bite on the finish, with slate, rock and more raspberry and strawberry with grapefruit and citrus. Drink now.

2018 Domaine Netofa Rose, Latour Rosado – Score: 91
The nose on this wine is tart and really fun with juicy and tart raspberry with citrus galore, showing bright gooseberry and slate. The mouth on this wine is elegant, balanced and lovely, with great saline and lovely limoncello, ripe and juicy strawberry, with dried quince, lovely lime, and citrus that lingers long with slate, rock, orange blossom. Lovely!

2017 Domaine Netofa, Red – Score: 91
This has changed a lot. The last time we tested this it was far fruity, now it is unique and old-school in style. The nose on this wine is nice and smoky, with great control and roasted animal. The fruit is blue and black and lovely. The mouth is layered and with nice blueberry, blackcurrant, great acid, and great control showing earth, raspberry, root beer, that give way to spice, vanilla, and spice. The finish is ribbons of mineral and graphite and coffee, Solid!! Drink by 2021.

2016 Domaine Netofa Latour, Red – Score: 92
This wine is a blend of 65% Syrah and 35% Mourvedre. The nose on this wine is lovely, ripe and balanced, with sweet Oak, blueberry, boysenberry, with bright fruit, and loads of dirt. This wine is really still very young, showing great potential, with incredible tannin, great acid, rich layers of blue and black fruit with great aging potential, loads of chocolate and rich spice, dark fruit, and herb, all wrapped in a plush yet elegant mouthfeel. The finish is less green than past vintages, showing a more ripe fruit profile, but still clearly balanced, with foliage, tobacco, mint, and sweet spices and herbs. Bravo!! Drink from 2020 till 2024.

2017 Domaine Netofa Latour, Red – Score: 91
The 17 is less austere than the 16, it is more accessible now and will still hold. The nose on this wine is really nice with rich black currant, blackberry, and blue notes that give way to smoke, Oak, toasty notes, and lovely tar. The mouth on this medium bodied wine is super tart and really bright, with great acid, blackberry, blueberry, black currant, with garrigue, sweet but well-balanced note, with mouth coating elegance and layers of concentrated fruit and earth, with chocolate and sweet spices. The finish is long, bright, tobacco, mineral, pencil shavings, with tar, and root beer. Lovely! Drink now until 2022.

2017 Domaine Netofa  Tel Qasser, Red – Score: 89
This wine is ripe, sweet, with sweet notes of blueberry, earth, strawberry, with ripe plum, and earth. The mouth on this medium bodied wine is ripe, round, and needs time to open, with time, it shows sweet, with ripe boysenberry, root beer, and earth. Nice.

2016 Domaine Netofa Dor – Score: 92
This wine is the second of the Dor wines, and it is 100% Tempranillo. Wow what a nose, this wine is a real joy. The nose starts with a lovely and impressive redolence, showing rich smoke, roasted animal, with tar and asphalt, that gives way to dark fruit and red cherry. The mouth is really layered and rich with great acidity and focus, showing beautiful and crazy balance and elegance, with mouth coating tannin and dark chocolate and rich spices, while coming at you in layers of balanced fruit, acid, and a fruit focus that really grabs your attention. The finish is rich and layered and lovely, with green notes and garrigue, along with massive mounds of graphite and mineral galore. Bravo. Drink from 2020 until 2025.

2010 Domaine Netofa Tinto – Score: NA
This wine is a blend of 60% Touriga Nacional and 40% Tempranillo. Sadly, while the wine was interesting, it was oxidizing, still had the signature ribbons of bitter notes.

2012 Domaine Netofa LBV, Late Bottled Vintage (LBV), Port – Score: 93+
This classical sweet wine Portuguese style wine uses the classic grapes, but instead of them being sourced in Portugal, they came from the foot of the Tabor Mountains; 80% Touriga Nacional and 20% Tempranillo. The wine was aged for 48 months in oak and it shows in the wine.
WOW! To me, this is slightly better than the 2010 Domaine Netofa LBV. The nose on this wine is crazy good, beautiful, with much more complexity and rich concentration, showing incredible redolence, with more controlled and elegant ripe fruit, fig, date, and caramelized fruit, with crazy spices, nuts galore, with chocolate, walnut, and sweet spices on the front. The mouth on this wine is rich and unctuous, full-bodied wine is a beast, with layers upon layers of rich acid, rich chocolate, showing lightly oxidized notes of sweet fruit, intense nuttiness, rich and lovely dark chocolate, with lovely candied plum, ripe blackberry, with less dark fruit than the 2010 vintage, showing elegance and sheer force, all coming together in an intense and extracted experience. The finish is long and richly extracted with chocolate, dark fruit, almonds, walnut, and marzipan! BRAVO!!! Drink from 2020 until 2030.