As I close out the QPR posts for each of the wine categories, I forgot a few of the simple white wines – so here is a post of them. Please look at the past simple white wines post for more on QPR and the simple white wine category. Again, QPR (Quality to Price Ratio) is where kosher wine needs to go. QPR means well-priced wines. Still, people do not get QPR. To me, QPR WINNER is what I describe and explain here. The overall revised QPR methodology is described here (and linked from the WINNER post as well).

One more reminder, “Simple” white wines is a wine that will not age more than seven or so years. So, please no hate mail! There are many WINNERS here, enjoy! I also threw in a few roses with one WINNER, but it is a 2019 Rose, and 2020 roses are about to be released, so drink up those 2019 roses already. I also tasted a few reds, with the 2017 Les Lauriers de Rothschild getting a slightly higher score.

The clear WINNER of this tasting is the 2019 Chateau Lacaussade, Vieilles Vignes, Saint-Martin. That along with the 2018 Koenig Riesling, which I like more now than I did a year ago. Also, the 2017 Les Lauriers de Rothschild. The 2017 Les Lauriers de Rothschild, Montagne Saint-Emilion was a winner in my previous post, I just slightly raised the score on it.

The wine note follows below – the explanation of my “scores” can be found here and the explanation for QPR scores can be found here:

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ROSE Wines (DRINK them now – if you must)

2019 Rubis Roc Rose – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
This wine is a blend of 50% Cinsault and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a weighty and food-required style rose than a refreshing rose. The nose of this wine is fresh and alive, with meaty notes, showing red and blue fruit notes, with nice citrus, with good attack and herbs. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine is solid, a drop less acid than I would like, but still very good with hot peppers, green notes, blue fruit, raspberry, dried lime/lemon, with mineral, and nice spice. The finish is long, green, and enjoyable, with good structure and nice minerality, nice! Drink now. (tasted Oct 2020)

2019 Yaacov Oryah Pretty as the Moon Rose– Score: 89+ (QPR: POOR)
This rose is a blend of 45% Syrah, 40% Grenache, and 15% Petite Sirah. The nose on this wine is divine – a lovely nose of floral violet, loads of rosehip, followed by a bit of nice funk, dried and tart cranberry, along with loads of mineral, this smells like what I want from a Provence wine, with dried/tart red fruit, a bit of reductive oxidation, and green notes as well. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine is nice but the acidity is where the wine fails, it has acidity, but the wine’s profile, which has nice fruity and refreshing characteristics lacks the punch of bright acidity to bring it all together, still, showing mineral, and lovely red fruit, with tart strawberry, lovely green/tart apple, quince, watermelon, hints of passion fruit, and loads of mineral. The finish is long, complex enough, with slate, graphite, more flowers, and lovely freshness, WOW! Bravo! Drink now! (tasted Oct 2020)

2020 J. Folk Rose in a Can – Score: 83 (QPR: EVEN)
I think I am increasing the score here because the can and the presentation are so nice. To be honest, once you taste the wine, it stops being interesting. There is no nose of the wine – when you try it from the can, which of course I had to do. That ruins the nose for me, as to me, the nose is a preamble to the wine. So, while many will find wine in a can to be cool, which I do, the idea of “enjoying” wine from a can is 100% ILLOGICAL to me. Also, getting the QPR score here is a bit difficult as a can is not a bottle, but pricing a 12 pack and then dividing by three gets me a bottle price.
So, now on to a glass and a real idea of the wine. As you pour this wine it has slight fizz/bubbles, which annoys me in the glass and the mouth. The nose on this wine is its best part, which is crazy to hide in a can, with notes of sweet strawberry, plum, watermelon, and cherry. The mouth on this light to medium-bodied wine is where things go badly, there is no acid, none, in its stead is loads of pith and that is about it. The pith tries to act like acidity but it fails, with the pith fading quickly as fast as the bubbles fade, telling me the can is saving this wine from dying at the time of opening. There are some citrus and lemon in the background and red fruit from the nose. Drink now! (tasted Oct 2020)

Simple white wines

2019 Chateau de Santenay, Mercurey, Les Bois de Lalier – Score: 92 (QPR: POOR)
I love the evolution this wine undergoes over a few hours and yes, this wine is ready to enjoy, but it is not at its peak and it can indeed enjoy a year or two of sleep. Still, one of the TRUE joys of wine drinking is watching a wine evolve, which is why I hate decanting, aeration, or any of the many ways to speed up father Time.
This wine starts closed, but with 30 minutes, it opens to a true classic Burgundy. Still, if you had me guess I would have said a Four Gates Chard, maybe 2002, 2004, or 2017. Still, the wine is lovely and as time evolves it starts to show what makes its special – Burgundy!
The nose starts with classic notes of white Burgundy, with peach, saline, green apple, and classic oaky notes. With time, that changes to show what lies ahead, with lovely yellow pear, orange apple, nectarine, lemon blossom, rich salinity, and lovely loam and oak. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine is asking for thought, it is layered, ripe, yet balanced, showing great acidity and mouth-draping with an utter elegance that is incredible, the oak, sweet fruit, green apple, peel, with rich orange rind, tangerine notes, followed by roasted nuts, toast, brioche, and sweet oaky goodness that wraps the mouth with a richness and weight and brings to thought many of the great chards of the past. The finish is long, green, sweet, and joyous, with sweet orange, more floral notes, sweet oak, almond, nuts, citrus zest, and rich mineral, yellow plum, hay, but it is the piercing acidity, rich salinity, lovely fruit, and incredible yet well-balanced oak/Brioche, with nutty notes that make this wine quite impressive.
While this wine does fall off a bit the next day, by losing its acidity, it still keeps its unctuous and rich mouthfeel, without loads of oak. While I feel uneasy, the wine is solid, and while the acidity is not the same as when it was opened it is still a lovely wine. Drink until 2025. (tasted Nov 2020)

2019 Chateau Lacaussade, Vieilles Vignes, Saint-Martin– Score: 91+ (QPR: WINNER)
This is a wine I want more of. Still, the 2017 vintage fell off the cliff so hard and so swiftly, I am very afraid of stocking up on this wine, maybe a few. Still, a very fun wine at this point.
The nose on this wine is really fun, the funk is slow to come out, but with time it arrives, along with waxy notes, citrus, almonds, toast, some oak, and gooseberry. The mouth on this medium-plus bodied wine is really fun, showing a lovely fruit focus, with an almost waxy/oily mouthfeel, showing good weight, along with fun pith, smoke, a bit of brioche, but the fruit is central here, with lemon/lime, kumquat, melon, passionfruit, and orange zest. The finish is long, with great acidity, tart fruit, a bit more oak, but with a verve and electricity and an almost concentrated fruit approach, that is refreshing and enjoyable, this wine is fun. Bravo! Drink until – I am afraid to say, but let’s try 2023 to be safe. (tasted Dec 2020)

2018 Koenig Riesling, Alsace (M) – Score: 91  (QPR: WINNER)
This wine has evolved beautifully from a year ago, once more Rieslings need time to evolve and this one is no exception. The nose on this wine still has the riper notes of but it shows more orange blossom and honeysuckle, but now the petrol is in full bloom, along with flint,  mineral, and gooseberry. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine is nice, it shows a heavier mouthful than 2017, along with more floral notes, with a great balance of acid, petrol, showing lemon/lime curd, more tart passion fruit and gooseberry, tart pear, and mineral galore. The finish is long, tart, clean, with lovely mineral, slate, and enough funk to keep me very happy. Bravo! Drink until 2023. (tasted Nov 2020)

2018 Yatir Creek White – Score: 90 (QPR: POOR)
This wine’s QPR score is POOR because while it has a good quality score the price is so absurd that it does not work. Also, the bottle may be absurdly heavy, but at least they figured out the truth, you do not need anything more than a DIAM cork for a 50 dollar wine! LOL!
This wine is a blend of 69% Viognier and 31% Chenin Blanc. The nose on this wine is quite nice, with mineral, loads of floral notes, jasmine, followed by peach heaven, straw, and loads of stone fruit. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine is ruined, IMHO, by the oak, the oak adds the spice, but it covers over the fruit, and all you get is oak, peach, and nice acidity, with loads of spice and not much else, and that is sad. The wine is still refreshing, but at this price, it makes no sense, given the better options. The finish is long, and oaky, with loads of yellow fruit, peach, apricot, yellow apple, and floral notes, with slate, rock, and did I say oak?? Drink until 2023. (tasted Nov 2020)

2019 Gush Etzion Sauvignon Blanc – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
This wine was not as good when I had it earlier this year. The wine is showing better now. The wine starts slowly but with time it turns to a very tropical and tart approach, with nice gooseberry, guava, tart lychee, and flint. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine is very akin to the 2019 Hagafen Sauvignon Blanc, but it loses the acidity I crave quickly, with still nice balance, showing loads of tropical fruit, melon, with a slight hollow in the middle, but the finish is long and lingers well with pith, smoke, flint, more gooseberry, lemon/lime, and almond notes. Drink now. (tasted Dec 2020)

2019 Gush Etzion Chardonnay, Special Reserve – Score: 89 (QPR: POOR)
This wine is an example of a Chardonnay that used less oak than the classic ABC, it still uses oak, just not so much that it becomes a smoke/toast bomb. The wine’s usage of oak is a bit more elegant.
The nose on this wine shows nice sweet oak, yellow and green apple, melon, brioche, sweet peach, and iodide. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine has a balanced approach, with nice sweet quince, apple, pear, peach, and sweet oak, with hints of butterscotch, and a nice enough approach, the main issue is the hollow in the middle and the shortness of the finish. The finish is short, with not enough acidity and mouthfeel to bring this wine around. Drink until 2022.(tasted Dec 2020)

2019 Shiran Chardonnay, unoaked – Score: 89 (QPR: BAD)
The nose of this wine is quite interesting, it has almost complex, with highs and lows, showing peach, nectarines, lemon meringue, and green apple. The mouth is lacking the acidity it needs to bring this all together, nice enough, with nothing to grab you, rounded, with more peach, apricot, quince, apple, and spices. With time the acid comes out but it stills lacks the complexity to grab you. Drink Now. (tasted Oct 2020)

2017 Tzuba Chardonnay – Score: 87 (QPR: BAD)
The nose on this wine is oaky, I get that, that is fine, it is controlled with lovely smoke, almost with notes from my favorite Chardonnay oak barrels, with good creaminess, smoke, and tart lemon/citrus notes. The mouth on this medium to full-bodied wine is nice, rich, and layered, I wish it had a bit more acidity, showing green and yellow baked apples, the lack of acid sticks out, the toast and creme brulee are nice, with good almonds, almond paste, and bitterness, but the acid needed would have brought all of this together. The finish is oaky, tannic, and toasty, with vanilla galore, baked goods, and bitter almond paste lingering long. Drink by 2022. (tasted Nov 2020)

2019 Jezreel Gewurztraminer – Score: 87 (QPR: EVEN)
This wine like so much of the 2019 vintage in Israel lacks acid which is shocking given what Gewurztraminer should be like. The nose on this wine is far better than the mouth with pineapple, guava, lovely orange blossom, really nice jasmine, and good citrus. Sadly, the mouth lacks almost any acidity, with good-enough fruit, and some slate on the finish. Another victim of the 2019 vintage. Drink now if you must. (tasted Dec 2020)

2019 Mademoiselle Blanc – Score: 86 (QPR: BAD)
This wine is a blend of 55% Sauvignon Blanc and 45% Chardonnay. The nose is sweet and with very little going on, with spice, apple, lemon, and not much else. The mouth on this wine is uni-dimensional, cantaloupe, citrus, and no acid, boring, so sad. Drink Now. (tasted Oct 2020)

2019 Domaine du Castel, Blanc du Castel, C, Chardonnay – Score: 85 (QPR: BAD)
I normally like this wine, but this is just another victim of Israel’s HORRIBLE disaster of vintage – the 2019 vintage. This wine has the white pepper and violet that lives behind a blanket of French oak, but there is also elegance in the over perfume, sadly, the wine lacks brightness or balance. The mouth is unidimensional – plain and simple with oak, more oak, and spices, again, no acid, and the fruit is dominated by the oak. Sad, the finish is long, backed by nice tannins, Drink until 2023. (tasted Nov 2020)

2019 Domaine Netofa, White – Score: 85 (QPR: EVEN)
Sadly, this wine is another victim of the horrible 2019 vintage, that is Israel 2020. The nose on this wine is straw, quince, earth, and floral notes of violet, very muted, but nice. The real issue is in the mouth. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine is flat, hollow, and flat, it starts with a bit of quince, some acidity, and then this massive gaping hole opens up and all you have is air, followed by yellow apple, tart green apple, a drop of citrus, maybe lime, and something sweet, like honeydew, and honeysuckle, and that is it. The finish is short, with not much to add to the party. sadly, the wine does not improve much with air, and after a few hours, it is even worse. Another sad victim of Israel’ s2019 vintage. Drink now, if you must. (tasted Oct 2020)

2019 Dalton Unoaked Chardonnay – Score: 82 (QPR: EVEN)
Another 100% Unoaked Chardonnay from the Galilee. The nose on this wine is very much in-line with the Shiran, tropical, with sweet notes, guava, and herbs. The mouth on this wine is flat and boring – yet another example of 2019 from Israel, a total waste of time. Sad. (tasted Oct 2020)

2018 Or Haganuz Chardonnay, Unfiltered, Special Edition – Score: 81 (QPR: BAD)
To be honest, I was worried this would be an oak-monster, sadly, this is just a boring wine, maybe an oak-monster would have been more interesting. The nose shows some nice oak and creme brulee, but beyond the creamy and pie flavors, this wine is very much boring. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine has a nice weight to it, the mouth is viscous, but it is boring, with no acid to talk about, loads of apple, peach, and pear, with melon baked pie, but flat as a pancake. The spices are nice on the medium finish. Drink by 2022. (tasted Nov 2020)

2019 Gush Etzion Gewurztraminer – Score: 80 (QPR: BAD)
This wine starts and ends poorly, the nose, the mouth, it is a flower and medicinal shop shows no elegance of any sort, and is overall quite unenjoyable. Beyond the medicinal notes, the overwhelming orange/jasmine notes in the mouth along with the Pomelo rind are not enjoyable at all. Sad, move on! (tasted Dec 2020)

Simple Reds

2017 Les Lauriers de Rothschild, Montagne Saint-Emilion (M) – Score: 91+ (QPR: WINNER)
The wine is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. This may be the first red Lauriers wine that I like. The nose on this wine is violet, night flowers, with a rich perfume of red fruit, berries, forest floor, intense roasted herbs, foliage galore, and earth. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine has a slight hole in the middle to start and the green notes are intense, with time, that fills in, with lovely layers of fruit and tannin, showing good extraction, smoke, tobacco, toast, and loads of roasted herb, followed by cranberry, hints of pomegranate, dark cherry, more foliage, and more green notes. The finish is long, green, herbal, with smoke, toast, lovely smoking tobacco, and nice graphite, with mineral notes, and herbs. Bravo! Drink from 2022 until 2028 (Or now with 1 hour of decanting). (tasted Dec 2020)

2016 Tzafona Cabernet Sauvignon (M) – Score: 88 (QPR: POOR)
I was expecting this to be a mess, I was shocked to find it is not a mess, but not great either, and sadly, the mouth is worse than the nose. Still, this is a nice enough wine that would not be an affront to those you enjoy it with.
The nose on this wine is quite acceptable, with green notes, earth, a bit of smoke/toast, with some notes of candied plum. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine is ripe and candied/cooked with loads of oak, vanilla, smoke, cherry, cranberry, plum, and blackberry, with mild tannin, liqueur, and earth, and more oak. The finish is long, green, ripe, sweet, and oaky, with vanilla, smoke, and sweet fruit. Drink soon. (tasted Dec 2020)

2020 Sforno Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserva (M) – Score: 87 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose on this wine is ripe, yeah I get that, no date juice, more balanced than the Malbec/Syrah, I still think the Mevushal is hurting this wine, but then again, this wine is not going to blow anyone’s socks off with or without Mevushal. The nose is ripe, with floral notes of rosehip, smoke, a bit of earth, and tart fruit. The mouth on this medium0bodied wine is balanced, ripe, with blackberry, smoke, dirt, raspberry, and dark cherry, with green notes, and a bit of that cheap feeling you get in spades in the Malbec/Syrah, and less cooked notes. The finish is long, ripe, green, and nice, with enough acidity, and vanilla, with floral hints and some more fruit. Drink now. (tasted Dec 2020)

2020 Sforno Red Blend, Gran Reserva – Score: 86 (QPR: EVEN)
OK, this wine is not boiled and it has all of the same issues that the Malbec/Syrah has, essentially an underwhelming wine, with little to get your attention, and loads of ripe fruit. The nose on this wine is ripe, no date juice here, but ripe, unbalanced, with more of those tinny green notes, that does not go well with the overripe fruit. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine is ripe, clawingly so, with a nicer mouthfeel and a nicer tannin structure, but the wine is a mess, with ripe blackberry, plum, cranberry, boysenberry, and earth. The finish is long, green, ripe, floral, and smoky. Drink by 2023. (tasted Dec 2020)

2020 Sforno Malbec/Syrah, Reserva (M) – Score: 85 (QPR: EVEN)
This wine is a blend of 50% Syrah and 50% Malbec. This wine uses a classic Argentinian approach of getting ripe fruit and hoping it will work. Sadly, it does not, either the Mevushal is hurting it or the absurdly ripe fruit does, but there is no balance here. The nose is ripe blackberry, plum liqueur, blue fruit, and dirt. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine is ripe, plush, and overall boring, it has that cooked and cheap feeling, with green notes behind all that fruit, showing no finesse. The finish is fine, nothing there, just more ripe fruit, soft tannin, and earth. Drink now. (tasted Dec 2020)

2016 Capcanes Carignan, La flor del flor de Primavera Samso – Score: 84 (QPR: BAD)
I opened the wine and I was like, wow, this wine has evolved, nice, that lasted 7 minutes! Within minutes the true nature of this wine came out and yeah, no thanks!
The nose on this wine is beyond ripe, it is unbalanced, date-like, and not enjoyable. The nose on this wine is dates, prunes, sweet oak, roasted animal, sweet spices, cherry liqueur, and earth/loam. The mouth on this full-bodied wine is pure date juice and pure pain, the sweetness overpowers the entire mouth, with overripe blueberry, dark cherry, prune, date, and dark plum, with oak, smoke, toast, and earth. The tannin is the nice part but otherwise, a total mess. The finish is long, black, red, and ripe, with some acidity, more tannin, rich milk chocolate, coffee, sweet spices, and far too much sweet/ripe notes to make sense of it. Sad. Another lost vintage from Capcanes. Drink by 2027, if you like this kind of wine. (tasted Dec 2020)