In May 2024, WOW, I have to get used to the new 2025 thing; I wrote a post about wines I had tasted in the past month or two. However, after tasting through so many excellent California wines from 2021, I decided it required a retrospective.

Some of these wines will be new to the blog, some will be reposts, and some will be reposts with a change in the scoring (I will denote those clearly).

The 2020 vintage was blighted by many fires, smoke taint, and a poor overall showing. The 2021 vintage was far more controlled, with almost no heat spikes. Though there was little rain before it, the vintage came out smelling like a rose. In the 2022 vintage, we saw far too many heat spikes. Add in many days of over 100-degree weather, and it is shocking that anything good came out. Still, I found some winners. The 2023 vintage is looking like the best of BOTH worlds: rich, layered, with incredible balance. The California whites from 2023 outshined all of Europe and Israel, and we wait now for the release of the higher-end red wines to make a conclusive decision.

As you read through this post about the Kosher wineries that reside in California, understand that California is not Napa Valley. It is a vast state with many wine regions. California is massive. It has four main wine-growing regions and 147 viticultural areas (AVA). If California were a country, it would be the fourth largest in regard to wine production.

At the start, in 1985, when Robert Parker and Michel Rolland took over the world and drove wine production toward a more fruit-driven approach, Napa Valley was the poster child for what a “proper” wine should be. The fruit was very prominent, the tannins were round, not astringent, and the alcohol levels were high. If you watch and listen closely to the videos of Peter Koff, MW, and Dr. Pat Farrell, MW, you will learn so much! Listening to them, they describe the wine critics at the tasting/judgment of Paris who were looking for the ripest fruit.

Looking at current wines, I feel such a tasting would have very different outcomes. First of all, Bordeaux’s ABV is climbing, and there is no end in sight. This is not a choice by the wineries; instead, it is a choice of nature. Secondly, Napa Valley, which was the California area of choice, is even riper than in those days, and I think they would stick out badly. Many Napa Valley wineries are trying to bring their approach back to the middle, but they run up against the same issues Bordeaux is facing, and really the entire world.

When you look at the notes below, you will find three camps. One is the tried-and-true camp of Alexander Valley, AKA Sonoma. It has continuously shown control and power, though at times lacking acidity and finesse.

Next, you will find Napa Valley split between two camps: the bid, bold, in-your-face Robert Parker dream, fruit-forward, powerful, fleshy, and alcoholic to the max. The other side of this camp is the more controlled, sinewy, and acidic, though showing Napa’s power, with a steady hand and clear horizon towards Old-world style wines.

Finally, you find the wild-wild-west at its greatest in areas like Santa Barbara, Paso Robles, and the other regions to the south. Here is where folks like Shirah Wines live. Wines that are more Rhone-style, off-the-beaten-path varietals, exciting, and not yet fully commercialized ideas that bring a smile to most who try them.

As you read through the notes, you will find that I look for balance. I like power; I do not crave it. I desire a wine with rich acidity, balance, clean lines, power or not, but a wine that makes you want to take another sip, because it is refreshing. Balance is the definition of a glass of wine that clears your palate not by giving you a headache but rather by having acidity and pop that can have power but more assuredly has an acidity that works in conjunction with the fruit.

To that point, you will find wines below that get high scores because they are balanced. Examples of wines I bought, which is the highest proof of a wine I like, are the 2021 and 2022 Marciano Estate, 2021 Covenant Cabernet Sauvignon, 2021 Covenant Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 70, 2022 Covenant Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2021 Herzog Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2021 Napa Valley Cabernet, Reserve is a clear WINNER and one you should all seek out.

The 2023 Pinot Noirs from Herzog and Covenant prove that this vintage has potential, but again, we will not know where it lines up until after the full lineup of red wines is released across California.

Finally, the higher-end white Sauvignon Blanc wines from Marciano, Covenant, and Hagafen are worth finding – they are lovely! I wrote a separate post, mid-2024, about the top white wines from 2021 through 2023, which are well worth buying!

Pricing

I am fine with writing about kosher wines, but we cannot talk about Kosher Napa Wines without addressing the large elephant in the room, which is the elevated prices. I stress Napa Valley because there are no Kosher California Wines above 130 dollars outside of the Herzog Sonoma Clone Six and the new Herzog Double Creek. Please do not talk to me about Four Gates Wine. Respectfully, it is a drop in the bucket and does not move any needles, industry-wise, other than for its quality.

The number of bottles produced at the price range that raises eyebrows is starting to make people like me wonder. How many people are buying wines priced at 200 or more dollars? Many of the wines listed below are 300 or more dollars. How do you build a brand and a list of people for wines at that price?

Yes, there are more expensive wines out there, but that is one or two, and they are from storied old-world marks and vineyards, meaning they have a track record. Of course, runs at cult-like Napa Wineries have been going on underground for a very long time. Now, we are seeing Kosher Napa Wines selling in the 200-plus to 360-dollar range on store shelves, and it is all new for the kosher-wine-buying public.

There is a clear cost to everything that happens in making a wine kosher, and those people deserve to be paid. A few hands in there also need to be paid for fronting the money, marketing, and so on. However, the per-bottle “kosher tax” does not need to be commensurate with the cost of the non-kosher base price. Again, there is a cost for working in Napa and making Kosher wine there, but as proven by Hagafen and Herzog, wine can be produced without those high Kosher wine taxes.

Ultimately, I am at the mercy of those who feed me. As always, I openly state that I go and taste wines; when I do, I do not pay to taste those wines. At the same time, I post what I taste and never change a score because of the situation in which I may be placed. There is a clear reason for why I have stopped going to specific wineries and regions to taste – because the outcome was getting too awkward, and the posts were becoming a chore. I am always very thankful for the chance to taste wine, and I am always honest about what I taste, and for the most part, I stay out of wine business commentary. However, when everyone asks me the same question, I suppose I cannot just ignore the elephant.

Criteria and Process for this post

I thought long and hard about how I would manage this post. At first, I thought I would do a total dump of all the wines across wineries from both the 2021 and 2022 vintages. However, that would end up as a massive mess; there are far too many wines. So, I decided to list all the wines from all the California wineries I tasted, scoring a 91 or higher from the 2021 and 2022 vintages. There are still a lot of wines, but that is the only way to get a list in one post, and that is not insane.

I will leave the red wines from the 2023 vintage alone for now. There are too few wines from that vintage at this time. Still, I will post some 2023 white wines as they are showing well, and they were tasted at the same time! Also, Four Gates has yet to release their top 2021 or 2022 wines, so we may need yet another retrospective after that. LOL, I think not. There is one exception, Kasher Wines, which I first tasted in November, has a 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon.

You will not find Four Gates Winery here because they have yet to release the 2021 vintages, and they are so small that it is impossible to really compare them with these other players. You can look here if you want to find my posts on Four Gates Winery. Other wineries make Kosher Wines in California but I did not find their 2021 vintages that interesting to me to make it into this post.

Closing Thoughts

This post is massive and took a crazy amount of time, thought, effort, and tasting! People ask me about wines and respectfully never really think about the amount of effort it takes to put it down on paper. Of course, none of this could have happened without the kindness and generosity of the wineries in sharing their time and wines, which took them far more effort to make. Many thanks to Elk (Elchonon Hellinger from Elkwine) for helping set up a lot of this. David Edelman for sharing his time and wines as well. Many thanks to all the wineries, Marciano Estates, Ka.sher Winery, Hajdu Wines, Shirah Wines, Herzog Wine Cellars, Covenant Wines, Hagafen Cellars, Tench Vineyards, and Addax Wines.

Ka.sher Winery

Elk was in town once again in November 2024, and I drove through the pouring rain to meet him in Saint Helena, CA. There, we met Stu Lerner, Russell Bevan, and David Edelman. Stu wanted to make some Kosher wines, so he tapped Russel Bevan, then the head winemaker at Tench Winery (more on that soon). They made their first wine in 2020, a Cabernet Sauvignon from Tench Vineyards, where Mr. Bevan was the Winemaker at that time. In 2021, they made the Cabernet Sauvignon from Sage Vineyards. The Chardonnay is from a vineyard in Sonoma County.

These wines are classic Napa Valley Cabernets. The profile is textured, bombastic, voluptuous, and loud. The outcome is a professional Napa Valley wine that many people will find appealing. I am interested in more of a balanced and controlled kind of wine, but this wine has no flaws. It is well made and built for a particular clientele.

I found the Chardonnays to be very enjoyable. They are also plush and loud but with a bit more control and finesse. In the end, anyone lucky enough to drink them would enjoy everything Ka.sher makes.

2021 Kasher Chardonnay, Sonoma County, CA – Score: 91.5 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is hot, with ripe apple, Granny Smith, sweet oak, sweet pear, and orange with hints of lemon/lime. It is mostly clean but ripe and professional.
The mouth of this full-bodied wine is nice. It is balanced yet ripe, with an orange and lime core, pear and apple, rich saline and great acidity, and a plush and rich mouthfeel.
The finish is long, ripe, and a bit round, but the acidity is nice, with great mouthfeel, rich orange, vanilla, hickory, brioche, and sweet spices. Drink until 2030. (tasted November 2024) (in Napa Valley, CA) (ABV = 14.9%)

2022 Kasher Chardonnay, Sonoma County, CA – Score: 91 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is different from the 21, with more oak, more green notes, sweet pear, sweet yellow plum, yellow apple, and nice sweet spices.
The mouth of this full-bodied wine is plush, ripe, candied a bit, and still nice, with ripe yellow plum and sweet oak. The acidity could be better. It’s a bit round but still nice, almost balanced, with saline, great smoke, ripe Meyer lemon, sweet yellow apple, and plushness. Nice.
The finish is long and ripe; I wish there were more acidity and pop, but it is still very nice with more vanilla, sweet success, cloves, and cinnamon. Drink until 2028. (tasted November 2024) (in Napa Valley, CA) (ABV = 14.9%)

2020 Kasher Cabernet Sauvignon, Tench Vineyards, Napa Valley, CA – Score: 90 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is nice, ripe but balanced, with blue and black fruit, sweet spices, cinnamon, cloves, boysenberry, elderberry, nice loam and tar, and floral notes. This wine is ripe but balanced, with oak and big toast notes.
The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, candied a bit too much oak for me, still nice, balanced with enough acidity, nice blackberry, boysenberry, elderberry, loads of sweet oak, candied plum, really plush and extracted, with plush and pushed fruit, still nice, with mouth draping tannin, and sweet fruit.
The finish is long and ripe, candied but balanced with sweet spices, cloves, cinnamon, and sweet smoke and tar, intense toast. Drink by 2030. (tasted November 2024) (in Napa Valley, CA) (ABV = 14.9%)

2021 Kasher Cabernet Sauvignon, Sage Vineyards, Napa Valley, CA – Score: 91 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is more balanced. It has rich fruit but not candied, blue and black fruit hints of red, rock and slate, nice fruit, and loam.
The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, balanced, and nice, with acidity. It has lovely blackberry, boysenberry, plum, and raspberry flavors. The plushness and weight are nice. It is professionally made with loads of fruit.
The finish is long, ripe, and balanced, but it could use a bit more control, showing nice cloves, cinnamon, roasted herbs, and sweet spices. Drink until 2031. (tasted November 2024) (in Napa Valley, CA) (ABV = 14.9%)

Marciano Estates (Nov 2024)

After we left the restaurant in Saint Helena, we made our way to Marciano Estates. We were met by Michael McMillan, the General Manager at Marciano, and we were given the wines to open. The three wines were the 2023 Marciano Estates Blanc, the 2022 Marciano Terra Gratia, and the 2022 Marciano Estates. They were all stunning wines, and while the prices are high for these kosher wines, so is the cost of land, fruit, production, and so on in Napa Valley. These wines were not released at that time, I am not sure if they are available now, but the last two years of wines have been fantastic.

As always, the time spent at Marciano Estates is fantastic. The estate is stunning, as is the wine and the surrounding area. My many thanks to the entire Marciano team for putting up with us. The wines and the scores speak for themselves. I personally bought a few of the 2023 Marciano Blanc, along with 2021 and 2022 Marciano Estate wines.

2023 Marciano Estates Blanc, Napa Valley, CA – Score: 93 (QPR: GREAT)
This wine is 100% Sauvignon Blanc, and while it lacks the weight of previous vintages, its intense Sauvignon Blanc characteristics are special. The nose of this wine is gorgeous, with rich salinity, rich minerality, lovely gooseberry, lemon, lime, crazy passion fruit, and lovely flint/smoke. I love it. The mouth of this medium plus bodied is incredible, with lovely acidity, great gooseberry, passion fruit, saline, rich flint, chalk, rich minerality, lovely smoke, lemon-lime and lovely acidity, bravo The finish is super long and crazy, with more minerality, saline, rich smoke, and great acidity. This wine reminds me of Loire Valley, with its acidity, fruit, tension, and precision – it is unique and special. Drink until 2030 maybe longer. (tasted November 2024) (in Napa Valley, CA) (ABV = 14%)

2022 Marciano Terra Gratia, Napa Valley, CA – Score: 92 (QPR: GOOD)
This wine is a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon & 32% Cabernet Franc. The higher amounts of Cabernet Franc show in a special way. The nose of this wine is ripe, bold yet respectful, with ripe black and red fruit. It shows a nice pop in the glass, rich, with sweet oak, sweet vanilla, beautiful elegance, and rich minerality. It’s very nice. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, not candied, and really balanced. It shows great acidity, fine grain sweet oak, limited extraction, concentrated but elegant, with raspberry, blackberry, cassis, cherry, and rich smoke. It’s not quite plush but still professional, with minerality, loam, rich mouth-draping tannin, and a nice roasted herb. The finish is long, ripe, beautiful with ribbons of blue fruit, tannin, sweet oak, sweet dill, saline, flint, rock, graphite, and nice roasted herbs. Drink until 2035. (tasted November 2024) (in Napa Valley, CA) (ABV = 15.1%)

2022 Marciano Estates Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA – Score: 94 (QPR: GOOD)
This wine is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose of this wine is ripe, candied, and really nice still, with ripe black and red fruit, great minerality, salinity, loam, graphite, ripe green olives, and roasted herbs. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is incredible, dense, layered, richly elegant, plush, and concentrated, with impressive mouthfeel, graphite, minerality, great pop, control, attack but impressive fruit control and focus, showing blackberry, cassis, raspberry, plum, but the main thing to me is the control and precision, just truly plush, acidic, balanced, and impressive. Bravo! The finish is beautiful, incredible, layered, and dense, with mouth-draping tannin, smoke, roasted herb, and precision. The finish is long, dense, balanced, and precise, with crazy saline, minerality, graphite, tar, rich attack, and bravo. Drink from 2030 until 2035. (tasted November 2024) (in Napa Valley, CA) (ABV = 14.9%)

———————— Tasted in a previous visit ——————————————-

2022 Marciano Estates Blanc, Napa Valley, CA – Score: 93 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is lovely, and bready, with smoke, oak, brioche, peach, apricot, yellow plum, and orange blossom. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is really lovely and ripe, with intense acidity, lovely mouthfeel, plush-styled, a beautiful expression of French white, with intense peach, complexity, sweet oak, apricot, sweet yellow plum, intense loam, verve, and beautifully tense, with sweet tannin, grapefruit, lemon/lime, really lovely! The finish is long, intense, layered, concentrated, and richly extracted, with incredible sweet blossom, and sweet vanilla, on the long finish. Incredible! Drink from 2028 until 2034. (tasted February 2024) (in Napa Valley, CA) (ABV = 14.1%)

2021 Marciano Terra Gratia, Napa Valley, CA – Score: 93 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is lovely, balanced, ripe, and rich, with raspberry, strawberry, blackcurrant, plum, iron shavings, squid ink, rich minerality, loam, sweet spices, roasted herbs, and sweet oak, impressive. The mouth of this full-bodied Napa Cab blend is ripe, layered, extracted, and balanced with great acidity, and concentration, with lovely blackberry, cassis, raspberry, ripe strawberry, milk chocolate, rich tension, nice extraction, lovely plushness, a theme throughout the three wines we tasted today. Lovely! The finish is long, ripe, rich, extracted, and tense, with freshness, sweet oak, sweet tobacco, and sweet vanilla. This wine is incredibly accessible but please stay away from it for at least 3 years. Drink from 2026 until 2032 (tasted February 2024) (in Napa Valley, CA) (ABV = 14.8%)

2021 Marciano Estates Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA – Score: 94 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is incredible, purer than the Gratia, rich, expressive, but far more elegant, showing ripe, milk chocolate, milky, with blackberry, plum, raspberry, tar, smoke, and rich sweet spices. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, layered, and extracted, with great acidity, lovely tension, sweet tannin, blackberry, plum, sweet oak, sweet vanilla, raspberry, strawberry, juicy strawberry/raspberry, sweet spices, nutmeg, sweet earth, plum, and sweet loam. The finish is long, dirty, earthy, ripe, and elegant, with juicy and ripe strawberries, sweet oak, vanilla, and sweet tobacco. Drink from 2027 until 2033. (tasted February 2024) (in Napa Valley, CA) (ABV = 14.8%)

Hajdu Wines

I can remember the time I met Jonathan Hajdu at IFWF in 2008. He was standing there pouring Covenant Wines with Jeff Morgan. I had gone down with Benyamin Cantz, winemaker extraordinaire at Four Gates Winery. Jonathan is one of the nicest people around but also the hardest person to get on a phone, email, or text! He is so darn busy that his phone must feel like information overload. For an in-depth view of Hajdu Wines – look at this post.

I think his wines have been on a journey of sorts, maybe the man as well, but overall, they have settled down nicely over these past few years. Still, the 2021 vintage did show very well, and those are the wines I highlight here, along with the 2023 whites:

2021 Hajdu Proprietary Red, Napa Valley, CA – Score: 92.5 (QPR: WINNER)
This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot. The nose of this wine is richly balanced, ripe, herbal, floral, smoky, and meaty, with green notes, black and blue fruit, floral notes, lavender, and lovely anise. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, layered, concentrated, elegant, and deeply balanced, with intense acidity, blackberry, juicy boysenberry, ripe plum, rich earth, mouth-draping tannin wrapping the sweet cedar, and rich smoke. The finish is long, rich, smoky, earthy, and tart, with dark chocolate, sweet tobacco, anise, and plushness that goes on forever. Bravo! Drink from 2024 until 2031. (tasted April 2023) (in Berkeley, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2021 Hajdu Menagarie, California – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Merlot. The nose of this wine is ripe, but balanced, with good fruit, and lovely floral notes of lavender, smoke, earth, mushroom, loam, and nice funk. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is rich, ripe, layered, and concentrated, with blackberry, plum, smoked raspberry, rhubarb, rich earth, mouth-draping tannin, cedar, minerality, blackcurrant, and lovely acidity. The finish is long, earthy, dirty, smoky, and ripe, with minerality, leather, smoking tobacco, and dark chocolate, lovely! Drink from 2025 until 2031. (tasted April 2023) (in Berkeley, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2021 Hajdu Barbera, Sierra Foothills, CA – Score: 91.5 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is ripe, and well balanced, with sour cherries, sweet oak, smoke, roasted animal, varietally correct, and nicely floral. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, and well-balanced, concentrated, with intense acidity, mouth-draping tannin, rich mouthfeel, smoke, rich animal, dark cherry, plum, earthy notes, and rich loam. The finish is long, ripe, smoky, and dirty, with ripe plum, leather, rich smoking tobacco, and rose hip and lavender. Bravo! Drink by 2028. (tasted April 2023) (in Berkeley, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2023 Hajdu Pinot Blanc, Andersen Valley, CA – Score: 91+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is ripe, with great balance, freshness, bright, peach, apricot, grapefruit, honeysuckle, and sweet lime. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is lovely, ripe, and balanced, with great acidity, with great peach, apricot, grapefruit, honeysuckle, and green apple. The finish is tart, refreshing, bright, and aromatic, Bravo! Drink by 2025. (tasted February 2024) (in Berkeley, CA) (ABV = 12.5%)

2023 Hajdu Vermentino, Mendicino, CA – Score: 91+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is really fun, sulfur, flint, green apple, peach, Pear, Asian pear, and smoke galore. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is lovely, a bit shocked, but lovely, tart, with so much funk, apple, pear, and peach. grapefruit, and lime, are just lovely. The finish is long, ripe, balanced, and tart, with rich salinity, flint, and lovely smoke. Lovely! Drink by 2027. (tasted February 2024) (in Berkeley, CA) (ABV = 13%)

Shirah Winery

The Weiss Brothers and Shirah Wines have produced wines since 2009 (2005 and 2008 were more of a group/co-op effort). You can read the entire story on my 2013 post.

2021 Shirah Pinot Meunier, Santa Maria, CA – Score: 92.5 (QPR: WINNER)
This may well be the first time I have tasted the single varietal called Pinot Meunier. Of course, it is the grape used to make Champagne but I have never tasted a single varietal that I know of. How does Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier differ? Pinot Noir is leaner and richer, earthier, dirtier, all of what you crave from Pinot, Meunier is fruitier, ripens faster, grows in very hard areas, and colder regions, and has citrus notes that a truly unique! Bravo Weiss Brothers!
The nose of this wine is unique, yes I would have said this was Pinot Noir, sorry, this is new, tasted blind I would have also said it was a riper Pinot, and the citrus would have made me think of a blend, but I am really not sure. The nose is ripe, not candied, blunted a bit by the oak, with rich floral notes, yellow and jasmine, very unique, with oolong tea, orange/Meyer Lemon, like what! Followed by sweet oak, roasted meat, and rich red fruit. Bravo! The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is on point, showing great acidity, lovely cranberry, dark cherry, Cherry Cola, and hints of blueberry, this is one strange cat, with nice mouth-draping tannin, and yes, sweet orange. The finish is long, plus, almost round, but with great acidity, and sweet notes that carry this wine. Bravo!! Drink by 2027. (tasted July 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14%)

2022 Shirah Marsanne, Santa Maria, CA – Score: 92+ (QPR: WINNER)
This wine is the best of the three whites I tasted back, to back, to back from Shirah, but by a hair, still, funky, dirty, drier, less-fruity, nutty, and yummy! This one is for the oenophiles! The nose of this wine is fun, not a common varietal for us kosher wine drinkers, the focus here is the control, the lack of abusive oak, and smoke. Showing a lovely control, intense hay, straw, funk, white flowers, lavender, melon, pear, and green tea, is really fun! The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is not as fruity as the Chardonnay or Albarino, still, fruit is present, as is lovely acidity. The wine makes you think, while also being refreshing, tart, and precise with great salinity, honeyed notes of pear, melon, honeysuckle, funk, almonds, hay, straw, quince, orange, and rich honey, and really fun!!! The finish is long, tart, and precise, with great saline, almonds, mineral, hay, and fruit, a lovely package deal! Drink until 2025, maybe more! (tasted September 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13.7%)

2022 Shirah Albarino, Santa Maria, CA – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
WOW, Royal has decided to stop making Albarno, which I find to be a slap in the face to the kosher wine market. But good for Gabe and Shimon, good for them, step into the void and fill it with a rocking Albarino! Intense acidity, with precision, fruit focus, control, bravo!!! The nose of this wine is wild, this is not Spanish Albarinio, WHO CARES! This is fruity Albarino, this is a varietal, made in such a style, that California is allowed to show what it can add to the story! Throw in the Shirah brothers and you get a stunner! The nose of this wine is lovely, showing ripe peach, Orange, straw, cut grass, yellow floral notes, nectarines, and melon. In some ways, it smells more like fresh-cut grass than floral, but mixed with intense citrus, really fun! The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is lovely, layered, focused, and rich, showing intense acidity, saline, orange, Orangina drink, tart pink grapefruit, and cut grass, all the while refreshing and precise! Nice! The finish is long, tart, ripe, fresh, with nice tension, and refreshing, lovely! Not a long holder like the Chard still lovely! Nice!! Drink until 2025. (tasted September 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13.6%)

2023 Shirah Riesling, Santa Barbara, CA – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is classic, showing rich and ripe fruit, with intense honeysuckle, honeyed melon, and guava, but balanced with grapefruit, gooseberry, pineapple, and good minerality. This is too young for the funk to appear, but it will likely happen in a couple of years.
The mouth of this wine is fun, ripe, layered, and rich, plush, with good flint, smoke, and matchstick, followed by honeysuckle, honeyed melon, Meyer lemon, grapefruit, hints of orange, nectarines, and more smoke, FUN!
The finish is long, smoky, flinty, and fun, refreshing, tart, yet ready to handle creamy and spicy food, enjoy! Drink by 2028. (tasted July 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12.4%)

Herzog Wine Cellars

I finally got down to the winery to taste the full lineup of 2021 and 202 and some new 2023 whites. The work that David Galzignato (Director of Winemaking and Operations) has been doing at Herzog Winery is quite special. As I stated in my latest post on the wines of Herzog Wine Cellars, Mr. Galzignato has done an excellent job raising the quality floor of the winery. The new high-end wines are also a testament to the desire of Herzog to become a world-class California Winery, that happens to be Kosher.

Regarding the wines, 2021 shined the best. The Alexander Valley Cab used to be the bellwether for a vintage, in my opinion. However, Mr. Galzignato has done one very clear thing: He has elevated the Napa Valley Cabernet Reserve to a level it has never been at, again, in my opinion. The rest of the wines show that 2021 was a clear winner. It looks like 2023 will also be a WINNER for Herzog. Time will tell once the Alexander Valley and Napa Valley, Reserve wines are released.

2023 Herzog Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg Reserve, Clarksburg, CA (M) – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
The fruit had botrytis, modeled after Savennieres, old vines Chenin Blanc. The nose of this wine is lovely, showing white peach, pear, apricot, quince blossom, rich honeysuckle, pear blossom, sweet Lipton lemon tea, and sweet oak. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is fun, it is bone dry, showing great acidity, lovely mouthfeel, almost oily, with a lovely plush mouthfeel, starting with Lipton tea, honeysuckle, honeyed melon, pear, white peach, lovely mouthfeel, a true joy! The finish is long, tart, funky, and rich, with green notes, floral notes abound, and bone dry and rich sweet oak. Drink by 2028. (tasted September 2024) (in Oxnard, CA) (ABV = 14.50%)

2023 Herzog Pinot Noir, Chalk Hill, Special Edition, Chalk Hill, CA – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is nice, I would have liked it brighter, with good cranberry, plum, sweet spice, hints of loam, and rich earth. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is hefty, with dense fruit, good enough acid, lovely red fruit, cranberry, plum, nice earth, nice loam, and smoke. The finish is long, dirty, and earthy, with nice loam, green notes, sweet tobacco, and dark chocolate. Nice! Drink until 2031. (tasted September 2024) (in Oxnard, CA) (ABV = 14.50%)

2022 Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Special Reserve, Napa Valley, CA (M) – Score: 92+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is lovely, it is a bit better than 2021 with great black and red fruit, sweet oak, tar, smoke, and tobacco, showing as a Napa should show, Bravo! The mouth of this full-bodied wine is really fun, and tart, with great acidity, lovely fruit, blackberry, plum, plush mouthfeel, nice complexity, sweet fruit, ripe, but lovely! The finish is long, ripe, balanced, candied, and yet tart with sweet and ripe fruit, Bravo! Drink by 2032. (tasted September 2024) (in Oxnard, CA) (ABV = 14.50%)

2021 Yesod Cabernet Sauvignon, Montagna Vineyard, Pritchard Hill, Napa Valley, CA – Score: 94 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is pure heaven, showing ripe black and red fruit, lovely floral notes, rich anise, ripe and dense, with rich tar, smoke, sweet herbs, complex, and layered, with bright fruit, really impressive. The fruit shows the control and focus needed for a wine of this quality. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is really dense, layered, extracted, inky, mineral-driven, rich, and elegant, really impressive, Bravo. The mouth is ripe, but has so much in the tank, that this wine will impress for a long time, but now, the wine is the most impressive, showing blackberry, plum, dark cherry, and elegance. Bravo! The finish is long, tart, bright, fruity, smoky, dense, with sweet tobacco, dark chocolate, dense minerality, graphite, lovely!!! Drink from 2028 until 2040. (tasted September 2024) (in Oxnard, CA) (ABV = 15.5%)

2021 Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon, Chalk Hills, Special Edition, Sonoma County, CA (M) – Score: 93 (QPR: WINNER)
If it is hot in your area, PLEASE chill your red wines, these big reds need to be cooled down! Twenty to twenty-five min in the fridge will do the trick! The nose of this wine is a bit ripe at the opening, but that calms, from the start the wine is big, bold, black, earthy, dirty, and mineral-driven, with green notes, licorice, smoke, toast, hints of oak, tar, ripe black and blue fruit, and lovely loam, lovely! The mouth of this full-bodied wine is lovely, rich, ripe, layered, concentrated, and nicely extracted, with great acidity, lovely and almost elegant mouth-draping tannin (right now a bit too astringent), with intense tannin, blackberry, cassis, ripe boysenberry, dark currants, plum, loam, roasted herbs, sweet oak, vanilla, hickory, sweet dill, sweet spices, and lovely minerality, Nice! The finish is long, spicy, ripe, balanced, and bold, with lovely fruit, and some green notes, while it is not jammy and fat, it is a bit ripe, this should calm more, with more tar, sweet spices, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, and some great earth. The wine does calm down and becomes plush, ample, and enjoyable. Drink from 2025 until 2033. (tasted September 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2021 Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon, Special Reserve, Alexander Valley, Alexander Valley, CA (M) – Score: 94 (QPR: WINNER)
This may well be one of the best Alexander Valley wines in the past 10 years, better than 2014, just impressive. The 2021 vintage has been a blessing for California. The nose of this wine is ripe, it is even riper after a few hours as well, showing notes of ripe and juicy boysenberry, squid ink, black fruit, anise, white pepper, cocoa liqueur, sweet oak, milk chocolate, smoke, and nice minerality. The mouth of this ripe but balanced full-bodied wine has nice acidity, blackberry, ripe and juicy boysenberry, plush, rich, concentrated, extracted, and elegant, all at the same time, with nice tension, sweet oak, milk chocolate, elegant and draping tannin, and a plushness that helps to balance the extraction, with salinity and lovely minerality. The finish is long, ripe, extracted, balanced, and earthy, with nice loam, and smoke but the finish shines with its ribbons of graphite, saline, and tense tannin that lingers long. Bravo!! Drink until 2034. (tasted December 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2021 Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon, Special Reserve, Napa Valley, Napa Valley, CA (M) – Score: 93 (QPR: WINNER)
The 2021 vintage from California is helping wines I do not normally buy. This wine is balanced and ripe, but also tight and closed to start. The nose of this wine starts a bit closed as does the wine, it took a day to come around, showing lovely fruit, balance, black and blue fruit, nice floral notes, blue and yellow flowers, chocolate, anise, mineral, and loam, very nice! The mouth of this full-bodied wine took time to open fully, showing some tension, and verve, with black plum, blueberry, blueberry, freshness, roasted herbs, cocoa, sweet oak, all wrapped in draping and elegant tannin, and a plushness and elegance that I have never had in this wine. The finish is long, plush, elegant, and not extracted, with ribbons of graphite, floral notes, anise, smoke, and rich fruit. Bravo! Drink from 2025 until 2033. (tasted December 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2021 Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon, Special Edition, Rutherford, Rutherford, CA (M) – Score: 93 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is ripe and while I had hoped it too would be balanced, sadly, it lacked that balance to start. To start it was flat and uninteresting. With time that changes and improves. The nose of this wine is ripe, with round notes of ripe fruit, chocolate, ripe black and red fruit, with some cooked notes of plum, anise, and pepper. With time the cooked and round notes do calm and show a bit more finesse. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, without enough acidity to handle this massive body, showing black plum, blackberry, raspberry, sweet cassis, cocoa liqueur, nice tannin, and some tension, but overall not as refreshing as I hoped. With time that changes to a beautiful balance, with lovely acidity and complexity, to balance the mouth and show the better features and its plushness, along with lovely sweet oak, elegance, and tart balanced fruit, impressive. The finish is long, ripe, candied, and lingering with more ripe fruit, tannin, and nice minerality on the finish. Drink until 2032. (tasted December 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

Covenant Winery

When I chose Covenant Winery as the Winery of the Year for 2023, it was a thought that had been percolating around in my brain for a few years already. You can read that post for more info on the history and background of Covenant Winery. I want to highlight the focus on the entire lineup here. Sure, Marciano is a great winery, all three Kosher wines. Still, when you talk about a diverse USA Winery with a lineup like Covenant Winery, both regarding value and price, I am at a loss to name another one like it. It is the focus on quality that has reawaken my fascination with Covenant Winery, along with the story and, yes, the friendship I have built over these past two decades.

A perfect example of this is the addition of the Solomon White and the Covenant Syrah, Bien Nacido Vineyard. They are both new additions, and they have been massive hits from the start. The first release of the Syrah in 2020 was a bit too ripe for me but still balanced. I gave it a 92+ as Syrah, and I are not on the best talking terms. The next release in 2021 was a stunner, and it sold out very quickly, I gave that a 93. The Solomon Blanc is one of the best white wines I have had from California, outside of some of Benyo’s Chardonnays. Even with temperamental vintages like 2020 and 2022, they are producing wines that continue to shine both in quality and price. Keep up the great work, guys!

2021 Covenant Solomon Blanc, Bennett Valley, Sonoma County, CA – Score: 93 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this lovely wine is impressive with intense bright fruit, screaming bright acid, tart lemon/lime, sweet orange blossom, sweet bright pear, tart limoncello, and tart fruit.
The mouth of this full-plus-bodied wine is intense, layered, and complex, with rich layers of tart orange, ripe gooseberry, tart orange and creme, a really impressive expression of fruit and oak, with sweet oak, smoke, pear, apple, sweet mint, and sweet fruit. Bravo!
The finish is long, tart, sweet, bright, and oaky, lovely! Bravo!! Drink until 2030. (tasted September 2022) (in Berkeley, CA) (ABV = 13.8%)

2021 Covenant Solomon Cabernet Sauvignon, Lot 70 (RESCORE) – Score: 94+ (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is lovely, ripe, controlled, elegant, and new-world, with intense minerality, iron shavings, and graphite, showing nice pop, great balance, and black and red fruit, lovely!
The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, layered, elegant, and balanced, with lovely acidity, minerality, blackberry, cassis, plum, earth, smoke, and dense, with layers of concentration, extraction, and rich smoke. Bravo!!
The finish is long, dense, ripe, elegant, mineral-driven, and smoky, wow! With scraping minerality, sweet tobacco, dark chocolate, leather, and sweet spices/smoke. BRAVO!! Drink until 2033. (tasted August 2023) (in Berkeley, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2021 Covenant Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA – Score: 92+ (QPR: WINNER)
It may be me, but is this the first year that Covenant Cabernet Sauvignon uses an amalgamated cork? I’m just wondering—I drove for this for so long. At the start, the wine shows riper than I was expecting and used to from Covenant Cab, but with time, it calms, as expected.
The nose of this wine is ripe, dense, and fruity, with ripe black and purple fruit, dense smoke, tar, anise, chili pepper, white pepper, iron shavings, and nice minerality. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is on the edge of balance or anarchy. On one side is an elegant, bold wine showing dense fruit, with fruit focus, herbal notes, tart/sharp chili pepper, blackberry, boysenberry, smoke, roasted herbs, anise, and a dense yet elegant mouth-draping tannin. On the other side is a wine that thankfully calms and becomes what I expect.
The finish is long, fruity, ripe, dense, herbal, smoky, spicy, and mineral-driven, with lovely iron, graphite, intense and elegant mouth-draping tannin, juicy boysenberry, blackberry, Asian spice, and anise lingering long. Lovely! Drink from 2026 until 2034. (tasted March 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.8%)

2021 Covenant Syrah, Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara County, CA – Score: 93 (QPR: WINNER)
This is one of the most famous vineyards in Santa Barbara County, very difficult to get into and even tougher to keep. This is another proof of how good the 2021 vintage is, at 15.4% ABV this wine feels balanced, concentrated, and alive. The nose of this wine is ripe, dense, fruity, earthy, smoky, and rich, with loam, roasted beef, sweet spicy fruit, big red and black fruit, sweet spices, intense black pepper, and sweet herbs. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, concentrated, layered, and rich, but well-balanced, with ripe fruit, blackberry, boysenberry, sweet strawberry, sweet fruit, mouth-draping tannin, but balanced with lovely acidity, rich meaty notes, intense black pepper, sweet but balanced, bravo!! The finish is long, spicy, with intense black and white pepper, layered, complex, smoky, earthy, sweet, balanced, and refreshing, Bravo! Drink until 2030. (tasted December 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 15.4%)

2023 Covenant Chardonnay Lavan, Sonoma Mountain, Sonoma County, CA – Score: 92+ (QPR: WINNER)
This Chardonnay reminds me more of a Chablis than a Cali Chardonnay, even of previous Lavan vintages. It is a tart, complex, shy, joyous expression of Chablis and is still a bit too young to enjoy at this point. Put this one away for two years and try it then. You will be happy you did! If you MUST have this now, decant it for two hours and enjoy it, but I think it will show better with bottle age.
The wine is closed at the opening, but with time, it shows more like a Chablis, which is really impressive. It has melon, apple, pear, smoke, minerality, rock, and saline notes, along with waxy notes and a hint of oak.
The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied is also closed at the opening; with time, it shows nicely, with rich minerality, saline, great acidity, tart and refreshing, with lovely fruit, melon, apple, pear, smoke, with a tension and complexity that grabs you. If you crave a Chardonnay with complexity, refreshing notes, and some oak without the Burgundy price tag, run and buy this!
The finish is long, tart, and refreshing, with sweet but not ripe notes and a texture that mimics a more plush Oaked Chardonnay with all the good and none of the over-oaked feeling/taste. Drink from 2025 until 2030. Bravo! (tasted August 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13.9%)

2022 Covenant Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA – Score: 92+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is ripe, not candied, and balanced. It shows black and red fruit, good structure, tart cherry, plum, and cassis. The nose pops with good brightness, rhubarb, soy sauce, anise, fennel, and smoke.
The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is nice, showing great control, rich umami, great acidity, tart plum, cherry, and cassis, nice elegant mouth-draping tannin, and a nice fruit focus. It is not extracted or overly concentrated. This is a nice balanced wine that shows what Napa Valley can be when controlled.
The tannin, fruit, acidity, and minerality do come together nicely. This is showing as very accessible, but it can hang for sure!
The finish is long, tart, and balanced, with minerality, vanilla, sweet oak, tannin, tobacco, and tart fruit all coming together. Nice! Drink until 2033. (tasted October 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.8%)

2022 Covenant Neshama Proprietary Red, Sonoma County – Score: 92+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine smells very Cali, but it has nice control, lovely sweet French oak, with ripe black and blue fruit, ripe raspberry, pencil shavings, rich milk chocolate, and plush, ripe, fleshy notes. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is nice, it is ripe and controlled, with great acidity, plush, fleshy, ripe mouthfeel, showing ripe blackberry, plum, cassis, raspberry, sweet oak, mouth-draping tannin, minerality, and a ripe, sweet approach that is laden with fruit and oak that makes me smile. The finish is long and ripe, but the control and sweet oak peek out of the fruit and make the whole thing work. This would not have been the wine I thought I would like, but the work done here is precise. Nice! Drink until 2030. (tasted December 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2022 Covenant Landsman Syrah, Santa Rita Hills, CA – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is a classic Cali Syrah, sweet oak, ripe blue and red fruit, smoked meat, toast, some burnt ash, tar, and root beer in the far background. Nice!
The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is solid, another winner from a tough year, showing nice precision, lovely ripe boysenberry, ripe cherry, raspberry, hints of strawberry, all wrapped in sweet tannin, sweet oak, along with ribbons of minerality, saline, and great acidity.
The finish is long, tart, ripe, not candied, balanced with tar, more ash, roasted meat, and root beer. Drink by 2028. (tasted December 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2023 Covenant Pinot Noir, Landsman, Carneros, CA – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is classic Cali Pinot with dark and ripe cherries, lots of red fruit, green notes, herbs, and smoke. It is bright, tart, and ethereal with some funk and lots of fruit, nice!
The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is clean and ripe, with red fruit, cherry, and raspberry, clean lines, lovely bright acidity, ripe and juicy red fruit, refreshing, with tart and juicy fruit. The tannin and acidity work well together; neither stick out, but the three interplay perfectly with the fruit.
The finish is long, tart, refreshing, and juicy, lovely with coffee and sweet oak. Nice! Drink by 2028. (tasted November 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12.8%)

2023 Covenant Pinot Noir, Black Label, Carneros, CA (M) – Score: 91+ (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is classic Cali Pinot with dark and ripe cherries, lots of red fruit, herbs, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied-plus wine is clean and ripe, with red fruit, cherry, and raspberry, clean lines, enough acidity, ripe and juicy red fruit refreshing with tart and juicy fruit, and nice sweet oak.
This is a wine to pop and enjoy now. The finish is long, tart, refreshing, and juicy, lovely with coffee and sweet oak. Nice! Drink now. (tasted November 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12.8%)

2023 Covenant Solomon Blanc, Bennett Valley, Sonoma County, CA – Score: 92+ (QPR: WINNER)
This is the fourth year of this lovely wine, which, at this moment, needs a lot of time to come together. It could be bottle-shocked or it could just be young; each of these four vintages is different.
This is a wine that should be enjoyed at cellar temperature (56 degrees), not fridge temperature. I think this one reminds me more of the 2022 vintage, with a bit more acidity and oak. It is slow to open, but once it gets there, the wine is a joy!
The nose of this lovely wine is impressive with intense bright fruit, bright acid, tart lemon/lime, yellow plum, sweet orange blossom, lanolin, sweet bright pear, ripe lemongrass, sweet Honeydew melon, and lovely oak influence.
The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is ripe, layered, and complex, with rich layers of tart and ripe lemon/lime, melon, Asian pear, yellow apple, and piercing acidity. It has an impressive expression of fruit, sweet oak, smoke, saline, green olives, and sweet fruit. Bravo! Again, give this wine time!!
The finish is long, tart, ripe, and fruity, with lots of oak influence and hints of vanilla. However, the finish is really a focus on acidity, melon, lemongrass, saline, slate, and lemon; all wrapped up beautifully! Bravo!! Drink from 2026 until 2031. (tasted November 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13.8%)

Hagafen Winery

There is no older Kosher winery in California than Hagafen Winery. Hagafen Cellars is a winery located in the Napa Valley. Founded in 1979, it was the first kosher winery in California. Winemaker Ernie Weir and his wife, Irit Weir, own and operate the winery. If you want a deeper look into the history of Hagafen Winery – read my detailed post from 15 years ago!

I have been enjoying Hagafen Wines for 30 years, back when the Kosher Supervision on them was a Triangle K. Over these four or so years, I have kept exclaiming to myself how wonderful the wines from Hagafen are. They have always excelled at making white and Sparkling wines, but recently, the red wines have caught my attention, as well. My last visit in April 2024 was when I fell in love with Zinfandel again, ripe, not candied, balanced, but so very fruity, a wine that is made for BBQ, but also, one that refreshes and excites the palate. Bravo to Ernie and the team, and keep up the great work!

2021 Hagafen Chardonnay, Prix, Reserve, Oak Knoll, Napa Valley (M) – Score: 91+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is riper and shows more oak, showing rich brioche, croissant, red and yellow apple, sweet pear, and rich smoke. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is nice, showing great acidity, nice mouthfeel, great control of the oak usage, still with sweet vanilla, sweet hickory, sweet Asian pear, rich brioche, and a nice creamy texture that works well. The finish is long, with sweet Asian spices, vanilla, hickory, and leather, and refreshing notwithstanding the sweet oak. Nice! Drink by 2028. (tasted April 2024) (in Hagafen Winery, Napa Valley) (ABV = 12.5%)

2021 Hagafen Sauvignon Blanc, Prix, Reserve, Napa Valley, CA (M) – Score: 92+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is lovely, it shows the elegance that comes with oak applied to Sauvignon Blanc, it has the sweet spices, the rich salinity, rich gooseberry, guava, and sweet herbs. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is lovely, the best white so far of this tasting, 2021 was really a blessing for California, with sweet oak, sweet gooseberry, and guava, showing elegance, nice precision, with a balance of giving up the rich tension for elegance, with great acidity, very refreshing, and plush mouthfeel. The finish is long, refreshing, elegant, and smooth with more spices, acidity, saline, flint, and smoke. Bravo! Drin k by 2027. (tasted April 2024) (in Hagafen Winery, Napa Valley) (ABV = 13.7%)

2020 Hagafen Brut Cuvee, Napa Valley, CA (M) – Score: 91 (QPR: GREAT)
This is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The nose of this wine is lovely with good apple, pear, strawberry, nice smoke, and sweet herbs, bright and enjoyable. The mouth of this medium-bodied is fun, bright, ripe, and balanced, with a lovely small-bubble mousse, nice mouthfeel, rich acidity, nice sweet fruit, strawberry, raspberry, peach, and smoke. The finish is long, and tart, with a nice mouthfeel, and smoke. Refreshing. Drink now. (tasted April 2024) (in Hagafen Winery, Napa Valley) (ABV = 12.8%)

2022 Hagafen Pinot Noir, 50% Napa Valley & 50% Sonoma County (M) – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
The wine is a blend of Sonoma and Napa, nice! The nose of this wine is so bright and expressive, with great raspberry, strawberry, nice sweet oak, and good expression. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is rich, expressive, layered, and elegant, some of the best Pinot from the Hagafen label in some time, with rich raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, nice smoke, refreshing, with a lovely and lovely approach. Bravo! The finish is long, the oak is well integrated, showing nice smoke, leather, rich saline, fruity, and dirty, nice! Drink by 2027. (tasted April 2024) (in Hagafen Winery, Napa Valley) (ABV = 13.5%)

2021 Hagafen Merlot, Napa Valley, CA (M) – Score: 92+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is lovely, with a kiss of oak, bright, earthy, with sweet spices, sweet red fruit, no black or blue fruit here, great control, another 2021 hit! The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is another WINNER, showing great control, finesse, and elegance, but so bright, precise, and refreshing, with great fruit focus, nice sweet oak, rich strawberry, dark plum, raspberry, with rich saline, smoke, loam, dirt, and great acidity. The mouth is great with cacoa, plum, and sweet spices, awesome! The finish is long, ripe, and balanced, with more cacoa, leather, sweet spices, nutmeg, licorice, and rich loam. Bravo! Drink until 2028. (tasted April 2024) (in Hagafen Winery, Napa Valley) (ABV = 13.3%)

2021 Don Ernesto Ah-ha Zinfandel, Lodi, CA (M) – Score: 91+ (QPR: WINNER)
This is a winning Zinfandel, with great red fruit, ripe, raspberry, pomegranate, dragon fruit, hints of tart/bright orange, and orange peel, with sweet oak, and some tar. Nice!! The mouth of this bright, layered, not extracted medium-plus-bodied Zinfandel, is juicy, balanced, and ripe, with balanced and juicy boysenberry, raspberry, cacoa, sweet oak, sweet smoke, loam, cloves, and sweet spices, that give way to leather, and more spices. Nice! The finish is long, ripe, layered, and smoky, with blue and red fruit, leather, and dark chocolate. Really nice! Drink by 2027. (tasted April 2024) (in Hagafen Winery, Napa Valley) (ABV = 14.3%)

2021 Hagafen Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA (M) – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is anise-central, lovely, and has an overall fruit-focused approach, with rich salinity, red and black fruit, sweet oak, iron shavings, minerality, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is nice, with great acidity, nice smoke, nice cacoa, blackberry, and cassis, with a rich mouth-coating tannin, sweet dill, sweet oak, a nice Cab expression, showing less extraction, more precision, and nice fruit. The finish is long, ripe, and balanced, with the acidity lifting the wine, the saline, and graphite helping, and the oak, and fruit rounding it out, Nice! Drink by 2028. (tasted April 2024) (in Hagafen Winery, Napa Valley) (ABV = 13.2%)

2021 Hagafen Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley (M) – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is nice, clean, and ethereal, what I was hoping for from the Pinot Noir, professional, refreshing, smoky, green, red, and fruity, a Cali Cab Franc that shows nicely! The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is balanced, with great acidity, it does show sweet dill and sweet oak, but it is not overpowering, with nice cocoa, mouth-draping, and elegant tannin, the oak will calm with time, showing raspberry, plum, smoke, roasted herbs, foliage, and a plushness that belies its youth. The finish is long, dirty, earthy, ripe, tart, refreshing, and mouth-filling with more oak, ripe fruit, dense milk chocolate, and licorice lingering long. Nice! Drink until 2027. (tasted November 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14%)

2022 Hagafen Merlot, Napa Valley, CA (M) – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is lovely, with a kiss of oak, bright, earthy, sweet spices, sweet red and blue fruit, nice control, and balanced.
The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is another WINNER, showing reasonable control, some elegance, tart and refreshing with a bit of fat, boysenberry, raspberry, juicy strawberry, nice sweet oak, good acidity, smoke, loam, dirt, and big/bold tannins. The mouth is nice with cacao, strawberry, boysenberry, and sweet spices, nice!
The finish is long, ripe, and balanced, with more cacao, leather, sweet spices, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and rich loam. Bravo! Drink until 2028. (tasted September 2024) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13.5%)

Tench Vineyards

Tench Vineyards is one of those stories that harken back to the early days of Napa Valley. In 1965, the vineyards were bought, and in 2017, the first wine was produced under the Tench Vineyards label. Between those dates, wine was produced by many storied wineries proudly proclaiming their wines as Tench Vineyards. The story is long and winding, like the roads leading to the winery, and as hilly and complicated as the terrain the vineyard sits on and is surrounded by. If you want a proper read about the story – look here.

We drove up to this storied winery and were greeted by Margaret Tench and her husband, Rem Reigersman. At this point, one wine has been made kosher: the 2022 Tench Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. There is also a 2023, which we were given to taste from the barrels. My dream is that they will make kosher runs of the Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, as well. From the notes I read about the non-kosher wines, I can say they sound like wines I would love. Until that occurs, we thankfully have the lovely 2022 to enjoy, and the 2023 that I tasted from the barrel was very special, but until it is bottled in glass, it is just a dream! I look forward to tasting the 2023 and whatever other kosher wines from this storied vineyard. Many thanks!

2022 Tench Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley, CA – Score: 94 (QPR: EVEN)
This wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the famed vineyard of Tench Estate. The nose of this wine is lovely. It is ripe but not candied, showing a lovely pop, great brightness, fruit focus, control, and elegance. It is also ripe and very much like Napa.
The nose shows black, blue, and purple/red fruit, nice minerality, rock, roasted herb, rich tar, soy sauce, umami, loam, rich dirt, and some oak, though that is well integrated.
The mouth of this full-bodied wine shows great plush mouthfeel, lovely acidity, intense roasted herb, lovely oak presence, blackberry, boysenberry, plum, tar, searing but integrating tannin. It is almost elegant, more concentrated, and more focused than elegant, but it is still a beautiful wine that shows the power of Napa when controlled.
The finish is long, powerful, concentrated, plush, and rich; the minerality, graphite, rock, and power are lovely, followed by roasted mint, menthol, herbs, more soy sauce, and dark chocolate, just lovely! Bravo! Drink from 2028 until 2038. (tasted November 2024) (in Napa Valley, CA) (ABV = 14.8%)

Addax Wines

It was very kind of David Edelman to share a bottle of the Kosher run from Addax Wines. Russell Bevan is the head winemaker at Addax, and David has helped produce it for some of its Jewish partners. Many Thanks!

2021 Addax Cabernet Sauvignon, Phelan Ranch Vineyard – John Block Napa Valley, CA – Score: 91 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is a massive beast: ripe, candied, liqueur-driven, with candied black and blue fruit, rich minerality, dark bruising fruit, and intense oak.
The mouth of this full-bodied wine is crazy, ripe, and candied, I wish it had more acidity, but incredibly plush, ripe, and concentrated yet balanced. It has rich saline, graphite, black cherry, plum, cassis, and dense fruit attack.
The finish is long, ripe, candied, smokey, dirty, and plush with nice minerals, umami, dark chocolate, and dense fruit. Drink from 2027 until 2033. (tasted November 2024) (in Napa Valley, CA) (ABV = 14.9%)