This post comes to me with great trepidation. Not on my behalf but rather I question if I have what to say of the horrors that have befallen a nation that lies so far from many of us. I was called out, by friends, for not posting here after the devastating attacks that were wrought upon the Jewish people in Israel. My reply, then, and maybe still now, is how does wine weigh in on this issue?

So many of my posts here on this blog are counter to the approach new-world wineries have taken to meet the growing needs of the kosher wine-drinking public. The decision was a financial one that was focused far more on what a winery could sell than what it wanted to sell. My words are out there and I do not hide from them. They are my opinions and I stand by them. Still, many take my sharp criticism towards the direction Israeli wineries took to move in an even more new-world direction starting in 2009 as a reflection of my feelings towards the country! That could not be farther from the truth. Israel is the land of our forefathers, it is the land where I first learned to fall in love with wine and it is the land where I traveled to more often than any other location until 2018 or so. In the end, my dearest friends, family, and Rabbis are all in a land that is under attack and I feel deep pain for what my brothers and sisters (literally and metaphorically) have had to endure. The physical and psychological trauma is beyond words. I had the honor to finish the Torah this year at my shul and in respect to that I did a Siyum on Masechet Horayot, a Gemara I finished in the week, along with my Daf and the start of Shtayim Mikrah with Ramban.

My point is that I broke down a few times doing the Siyum, imploring those to do more. More can be like my friends who have flown to Israel to carry food, clothes, and supplies to many on the front or worse. More can be protecting those who cannot protect themselves with funds and so much more. Every one of us cannot be silent we must do more we must stand and state that the atrocities that were wrought upon our nation are not OK. The people are suffering, it is not good enough to ask how people are, it is not enough to wonder if your friends and family are well, it is time for more! Talk to your community leaders and your friends, there are hundreds of opportunities to help those less fortunate than you. Now is not the time to stand on the side it is time to enter into the fray and do more. More is what is being asked of us until those opportunities, calluses, and pain are removed.

So, with all that what does a wine writer have to say to the madness that we watch from afar? Stated simply wine is a business, the very same business that made conscious decisions to meet the needs of the many. That need did not just stop when war was thrust upon a nation. One may think talking about wine is crass and beneath us at a time like this. To that, the simple fact is wineries are real, they need your help, and they need the help of every Jew. We all need to do more. If you enjoy wine, buy Israeli wine. I have a few options here down below. If you dislike wine buy chocolate, buy food, buy Israeli. This is not a question of IF or OR this is an AND. You need to buy AND you need to do more. You need to support Israel as we all must do, and we must buy Israel, and we must pray, and we must learn, and we must do more. This is not the time to shirk your responsibility with IF or OR it is more and it is AND!

I was asked for a list of wines I would buy and do buy and here they are, I have also sprinkled in a few wines that may accommodate other people’s palate. In the end, it is upon all of us to do more, stand by our brothers and sisters, and remember that the lack of action, whether within or external, is tantamount to supporting those who have terrorized our nation. Stand strong, stand well with Israel, and you will be supported as well.

What follows is a smattering of current wines I buy/bought and wines I have tasted recently that you may all enjoy and buy. Some are older than I thought but they are the vintages I bought or enjoyed.

2020 Vitkin Grenache Blanc, Samson – Score: 92.5 (QPR: GREAT)
This wine is a blend of 90% Grenache Blanc and 10% Macabeo. The nose of this wine is lovely, ripe, tart, and elegant, with intense floral notes, violet, yellow flower, orange blossom, orange, minerality, and peach, just lovely! The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is lovely, ripe, balanced, tart, and elegant, with hints of oak, and a lovely almost oily mouthfeel, backed by intense acidity, showing lovely peach, apricot, melon, green tea, and smoke. The finish is long, tart, ripe, and balanced, with great smoke, hay, straw, fruity, and bracingly acidic. Bravo!! Drink until 2025. (tasted August 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13%)

NV Matar Blanc de Noir Brut, Galilee – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
I wanted to ding this wine for the bottle shape, NO this is not cool! It is IMPOSSIBLE to store, and painful to ship, it may look nice, but it is a disaster, and I am sorry, it is a horrible idea. Now, let us get to rating the liquid in this horrible bottle! This wine is slow to open with lovely notes of green apple, Asian pear, peach, pomelo, lovely minerality, yeasty notes, and sweet Meyer lemon. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is a pure pleasure, it is acidic to the core, it is yeasty, it is nutty, it is clean, with lovely small mousse bubbles refreshing your palate like light butterflies dancing on your tongue, along with slate, slight tannin, beautiful minerality, green apple, Asian pear, peach, tart orange, and sweet quince. Lovely! The finish is forever, with enough weight, just tantalizing, with mineral, slate, saline, and lovely mousse and tannin and acidity that lingers forever with the pomelo and tart orange! Bravo! This harkens back to the early days of Matar, really a joy! Drink until 2027. (tasted September 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12%)

2021 Netofa Matzpen, Galilee – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
This wine is a blend of 33% Grenache, 34% Syrah, & 33% Mourvedre. The nose is ripe, a bit too much for me, candied cherry, candied plum, rosehip, white flowers, smoke, green notes, roasted herbs, and sweet smoking tobacco. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is nice, with great acidity, and balance, still candied, but that will calm, with cranberry, pomegranate, dark cherry, life-saver candies, raspberry, layers of sweet oak, and nice tannin. The finish is long, tannic, layered, and refreshing, tart enough to make it all work, let’s watch this evolve a bit over the next few days. Drink from 2026 until 2030. (tasted October 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14%)

2019 Netofa Latour, Red, Galilee – Score: 91+ (QPR: WINNER)
Oh WOW! This reminds me of the good old days of the early years of Latour, very nice! This wine is a blend of 70% Syrah and 30% Mourvedre. The nose of this wine is floral, ripe, fruity, bright, smoky, earthy, and dirty, with roasted meat, this is what a Rhone should smell like, wow! The mouth of this full-bodied wine is a crazy WINNER, ripe, balanced, tart, fruity, and dirty, with lovely strawberry, tart, and juicy raspberry, boysenberry, smoke, earth, loam, hints of watermelon, root beer, and lovely garrigue. The finish is long, fruity, tart, smoky, and just fun, with great fruit focus, a dynamite mouthfeel, a very accessible wine out of the bottle, but will last some time as well, lovely!!! Sadly, by the night after opening the wine dulled out, and while it is not bad, and still a WINNER, it is not at the same level as I had upon opening. Right now, I do not truly understand how the wine goes from being a juicy and vibrant wine to being a dull one but such is life. Drink by 2026. (tasted June 2022) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13.5%)

2021 Ghito Uphaz, Galilee – Score: 91+ (QPR: GOOD)
This wine is a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. The nose of this why is a bit shy to start, it opens to straw, hay, white pepper, apple blossom, slate, peach, green apple, and smoke.
The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is rich, and intensely acidic, with a good fruit focus, lovely fruit, and minerality work together with an almost creamy yet refreshing texture, apple, smoke, straw, hay, yellow plum, kiwi, and gooseberry. Lovely!
The finish is long, tart, bracing, and refined, with more slate, acidity, rich saline, and white pepper lingering long. Nice! Drink until 2024. (tasted April 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13%)

2019 Netofa Tel Qasser, White, Galilee – Score: 91 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is lovely, and reminds me of the great 2017 vintage, with straw, hay, dense underbrush, heather, lime, sweet cinnamon, sweet tea, yellow plum, pomelo, honeysuckle, and sweet spices. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is lovely, with an oily and plush mouthfeel, more hay, straw, lovely yellow pear, yellow plum, Asian pear, apple, quince, sweet baking spices, cloves, nutmeg, sweet oak, and roasted mint. The finish is long, spicy, and lovely with more sweet spices, roasted herbs, lovely hay, straw, floral notes, and lavender. Bravo! Drink until 2024 (tasted May 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12.5%)

2019 Domaine du Castel Raziel, Judean Hills – Score: 91 (QPR: GOOD)
This wine is a blend of 70% Syrah and 30% Carignan. The nose of this wine starts nicely, with controlled fruit, mushroom, earth, loam, tar, roasted meat, and licorice. With time, the Israeli fruit emerges while keeping some controlled fruit, oak, milk chocolate, and blue/black fruit. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is brooding from the start, with deep rivets of charcoal, loam, blackberry, somewhat overripe boysenberry, lovely acidity, mouth-drying tannin, classic Israeli blackcurrant, candied strawberry, nice loam, and good sweet spices. The finish is long and controlled, and the acidity helps to “control” the fruit, with more milk chocolate, tobacco, charcoal, leather, vanilla, cloves, and sweet baking spices. Drink by 2028. (tasted January 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.%)

2020 Mia Luce Blanc, Galilee – Score: 91 (QPR: EVEN)
The 2020 vintage in Israel was tough, this wine has fresh fruit, the issue is there is very little of it, which is shocking for me to say about an Israeli wine! The nose of this wine is fresh and bright with tart green apples, flint, hay, funk, tart pink quince, and peach. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine has a lovely weight, even a bit elegant, with refreshing and fresh fruit, and lovely acidity, I wish there was more fruit, with peach, yellow apple, quince, nice funk, and lovely flint. The finish is long, refreshing, and almost oily, with nice acidity, and some elegance. Drink by 2024. (tasted March 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12%)

2021 Yaacov Oryah Chardonnay, Singe Vineyard, Yaacov’s Playground, Judean Hills – Score: 91 (QPR: EVEN)
This wine is a bit closed to start it needs a few hours to fully open up. The nose of this wine is fresh and refreshing with good apple, pear, grapefruit, citrus blossom, a hint of wood, and tart pink quince. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine has lovely acidity, with a lovely mouthfeel, good citrus, quince, lemon/lime, and a nice mouthfeel, crème Fraiche, sweet oak, and nicely refreshing! The finish is long, tart, and refreshing with loads of citrus, oak, and sweet spices lingering long. Drink until 2026. (tasted March 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12%)

2021 Ghito Soreqa, Judean Hills – Score: 90+ (QPR: EVEN)
This wine is a blend of French Colombard, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay. The nose of this wine is ripe, almost round, with not as fresh notes as other Ghito whites, showing notes of baked apple, straw, rosehip, pineapple, and green notes. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is intensely acidic, with rich saline, but this one feels a bit of balance, as if the acidity is not real, with baked apple, pear, Asian pear, orange zest, pineapple, and Orangina. The finish is long, tart, and somewhat refreshing, but still out of whack, with slate and more lingering orange notes lingering long. Drink now. (tasted April 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12%)

2021 Domaine du Castel C Blanc du Castel, Judean Hills – Score: 90 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine starts like an oak bomb but with time that calms to show notes of rich vanilla, sweet oak, toast, yeasty notes, butterscotch, hickory notes, and more smoke. The mouth of this medium-plus bodied wine is nice, with good acidity, but for me, it has too much oak, with good bones of peach, apricot, yellow apple, melon, with more sweet oak, vanilla, butterscotch, and sweet tannin. The finish is ripe, not quite candied, but the oak feels like that, with some minerality, and more oak. Drink until 2030. (tasted September 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13%)

2020 Netofa Tel Qasser Moursyr, Galilee – Score: 90 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose on this wine is nicer than the 2018 vintage with nice blue and red fruit, still a bit riper than I want, with nice floral notes, violet, jasmine, good minerality, smoke, and green notes. The mouth on this medium-plus-bodied wine is riper than I want, with nice acidity, ripe boysenberry, mouth-draping tannin, sweet raspberry, dark plum, cherry, tar, smoke, sweet Lapsang tea, and root beer. The finish is long, too ripe still, tart, and fruity, with sweet notes of jasmine, tea, more blue fruit, charcoal, and smoke. Drink by 2026. (tasted May 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14%)

2018 Teperberg Cabernet Sauvignon, Essence, Galilee – Score: 90 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is balanced enough, with plum, cassis, licorice, sweet oak, smoke, some dirt, and some scary brooding fruit in the background. The mouth of this full-bodied wine shows enough balance, the fruit is brooding, and the acidity is on point, with smoke, loam, blackberry, dark plum, and candied cassis, yet there is brooding fruit that wants to come out, aggressive tannin, along with candied raspberry, and dark tea. The finish is long, dark, brooding, and candied, yet on the edge with smoke, milk chocolate, sweet oak, sweet tobacco, and more ripe fruit on the finish. Drink by 2028. (tasted June 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2019 Teperberg Cabernet Franc, Legacy, Judean Hills – Score: 90 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is candied and also green, Jalapeno green, with clear notes of jalapeno, asparagus, bell pepper, smoke, earth, loam, and plum. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is balanced, with good acidity, more jalapeno, nice mouth-draping tannin, black plum, candied raspberry, sweet oak, loam, sweet spices, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, and black pepper. The finish is long, spicy, herbal, and smoky, with sweet tobacco, dark chocolate, green notes, roasted herb, cardamom, basil, oregano, and sweet tea/ripe fruit on the long finish. Drink by 2027. (tasted June 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2019 Vitkin Carignan, Old Vines, Sharon – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is quite nice, showing balance, juicy and ripe strawberries, dark currants, dark cherry, hints of brooding fruit, smoked meat, anise, and loam. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is ripe and I would like more acidity, with nice red fruit, strawberry, raspberry, currant, nice mouthfeel, soft tannin, nice smoke, and earth. The finish is long, tart, juicy, and fruity, with smoked meat and sweet oak. Drink by 2026. (tasted June 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13%)

N.V. Raziel Rose Brut, Zero Dosage, Judean Hills – Score: 90 (QPR: BAD)
This wine is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir & 40% Chardonnay. The nose of this wine is ripe, and yeasty, with orange, strawberry, smoke, dark cherry, nuts, apple, and floral notes. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is at its peak, with orange notes, slight oxidation, average acidity, nice red fruit, strawberry, raspberry, dark cherry, medium-sized mousse, and yeasty notes. The finish is long, and nice enough, with smoke and yeast. Drink NOW! (tasted June 2023) (in Teanek, NJ) (ABV = 12.5%)

2019 Binyamina The Cave, Galilee (M) – Score: 88 (QPR: EVEN)
This wine is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, & 5% Petit Verdot. The nose of this wine is ripe and candied, but professional, with dark fruit, smoke, tar, candied figs, anise, and herbs. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, and lacks the acidity I need, with blackberry, cassis, candied plum, fig, smoke, roasted herbs, and mouth-draping tannin. The finish is short, dirty, herbal, candied, and smokey with milk chocolate and candied tobacco. Drink by 2030. (tasted June 2023) (in Teanek, NJ) (ABV = 14.5%)

2018 Tabor Cabernet Sauvignon, Adama, Galilee – Score: 88 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is nice enough, a bit too green, with nice tar, loads of herbal green notes, mint, oregano, and red fruit. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is ripe, green, and herbal, with good acidity, the fruit is too ripe, with candied plum, cabernet sauvignon, raspberry, tar, and searing tannin. The finish is long, and ripe, yet green, herbal, and smoky, with roasted herbs, and candied fruit. Drink by 2026. (tasted June 2023) (in Teanek, NJ) (ABV = 14%)

2018 Teperberg Providence, Galilee & Judean Hills – Score: 87 (QPR: POOR)
This wine is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot & 10% Syrah. The nose of this wine is ripe, you can pick it up right from the start, with overripe plum, candied blackcurrant, blue fruit, smoke, anise, earth, tobacco, sweet spices, and black pepper. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is painful, and overripe, with barely enough acidity, not balanced, with prune, candied plum, candied blackcurrant, rich, dense, layered, and deeply concentrated, with a dense and plush mouthfeel that has a nice structure but the fruit ruins it, anise, herbal, green notes, and loam. With time, the green notes calm, but overall, the wine does not greatly improve, it becomes, very one-dimensional. The finish is long, dense, herbal, and overripe, with sweet tobacco, milk chocolate, candied fruit, herbal, and smoky. Drink by 2027. (tasted June 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14%)

2021 Netofa Tel Qasser Moursyr, Galilee – Score: 87 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose on this wine is not what I hoped for, with candied fruit, floral notes, rosehip, plum, and sweet spices. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is red and blue, without enough acidity, candied plum, boysenberry, raspberry, sweet herbs, and more floral notes. The finish is long, ripe, candied, floral, and flat, sad. Drink by 2025. (tasted June 2023) (in Teanek, NJ) (ABV = 13.5%)

2021 Gush Etzion Chardonnay, Blessed Valley, Judean Hills – Score: 86 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine shows apples, toast, yellow flowers, and some smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine tastes off, the apple, citrus, and dried pear, are bruised while the acidity feels off the charts and not congruent with the fruit. There is a bit of oak and smoke, but a very simple Chardonnay overall. The finish is long, off-kilter, and tart drink by 2024. (tasted May 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13%)

2020 Domaine du Castel Petit Castel, Judean Hills – Score: 86 (QPR: POOR)
This wine is a blend of 45% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Petit Verdot. The nose of this wine is ripe, with sweet tobacco, roasted herbs, blue fruit, and smoke galore. The mouth on this medium-plus bodied wine is ripe, round, and sweet, with sweet tobacco, mint, sweet menthol, herbs, basil, and ripe fruit, with enough acidity, but the ripe candied fruit is overpowering, with oregano, and loads of candied fruit, and date juice on the long finish. Drink by 2027. (tasted June 2023) (in Teanek, NJ) (ABV = 14%)