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Tzora Winery
We made an unplanned stop at the Tzora Winery on a cold winters day and we are so happy we did. We arrived in the late afternoon and there was quite a party going on. A bunch of kids from America had arrived and they were making the most of the winery’s insanely kind hospitality. When we arrived the party was in full swing and we did not want to bother them or the winery staff. As we were getting ready to leave (please folks – always make reservations in advance – do not expect to be as lucky as we were), the staff was super kind and was able to squeeze us into the wine tasting that was in progress. The sad aspect is that though Tzora has increased the volume of wine – the best wines will continue to stay in Israel and not be imported abroad.
The thing that makes Tzora such a special winery are their vineyards. Ronnie James tends to the vines, and it is a labor of love. Unfortunately, as we write this article we are told that Ronnie has passed away. Ronnie and Tzora wines were built on the ideal that terroir makes the wine. The land that the vineyards sit on are the names given to the wines (Shoresh, Neve Ilan, Givat Hachalukim).
Ronnie was growing grapes since the 50s for himself and many other wineries. We will all miss him and his wine and vines will continue to pay tribute to him and his legacy.
We would like to thank the staff at the winery for allowing us to join in and enjoy the tastings. Following are the tasting notes which we sampled at the winery.
Tzora Judean Hills 2004 – Score: B+
The nose on this ruby red colored wine (60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot) is laden with raspberry, cherry, and oak notes. The mouth on this medium bodied wine fat with tannins and cherries. The finish is medium long and quite enjoyable.
Tzora Givat Hachalukim 2006 – Score: B+
The nose on this garnet colored wine (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) is laden with red berries and cherry. The mouth on this medium bodied wine is smooth and balanced with oak and soft tannins giving way to cherry and spice. The finish is not so long, but the wine lingers long on your palate after the wine is gone.
Tzora Shoresh 2004 – Score: A
The nose on this garnet colored wine (100% Merlot) is laden with red berries, mineral aromas, and cherry. The mouth on this medium bodied wine is balanced with integrated tannins giving way to red berries and oak. The finish is medium long with cherry and spice.
Tzora Or 2006 – Score: A+
This wine has quite a story around it as Robert Parker gave it one of the highest scores in a recent Israeli wine expose that he conducting along with Mark Squires. We were able to taste the end of the bottle and it was still quite impressive – none the less. Gewurztraminer grapes are harvested and then deep frozen for two months. Then they are extracted for 24 hours and only the first drips of the grape juice become Or. The nose of this golden wine is filled with honey and tropical fruit. The mouth of this full bodied and almost syrupy wine is fruity with citrus, pineapple and a touch of mint.
This past Friday Night’s wine…
This week we had no guests – so fewer bottles 🙂 Again a light Shabbos so lighter wine was in order.
Four Gates Merlot La Rochelle 2001 – Score: A-
The Merlot has a vibrant and almost shimmering purple color – quite lovely to look at. The nose is filled with cherry, raspberry, and strawberries along with a hint of oak and butterscotch. This medium bodied wine’s mouth is filled with a carry over of the nose’s raspberries and strawberries. It has a mid palate of acid notes and spicy wood. The finish is long with butterscotch, acid notes, medium tannins, and more spicy wood.
This past Friday Night’s wine…
This Friday night we had the chevra over and some of these wines were mine and others also brought wine. The food was lighter then normally – so the theme was Merlot, but still a bit too much for the dinner of Tunisian Couscous. The saving grace of Boulettes in heavy tomato sauce made the wine quite nice in the end. One wine was not quite the hit so it has been left out.
Four Gates Merlot 1997 – WOW! This wine is a knockout. The color of this unfiltered wine is a deep dark red. The nose is filled with blackberries, oak, and a bit of tobacco. The full bodied wine has a wonderful mouthfeel and starts with hints of berries and then ends in a long flourish of chocolate and oak. The slight amount of tannin that is still present is well integrated and gives it quite a kick still. This one is still quite a keeper.
Yatir 2002 Cabernet-Merlot-Shiraz – Well this was really just Merlot night but I took this out as it had a bit of Merlot 😉 . A nice crowd please. Mostly people liked the color – deep and brooding. The body is chocolate, dark fruit, cassis, and a nice round velvety mouthfeel that is balanced with just the right amount of tannin – to give it a bit of a bite.
Ella Valley Merlot 2002 Vineyard’s Choice – This one was not so well accepted. It was one of the last bottles – but still we are talking about a table of serious folks. I finished it the next day. I was surprised at the lack of appeal. The body is strong and has the right balance of tannin, acid and fruit to keep me very captivated. And beyond all that the wine is complex and has a long finish with hints of tobacco which is quite nice in a Merlot.
Chateau Piada Sauternes 2000 – For desert we opened this bottle. I had opened one a few years ago and it was dismissed as a wine with cooked fruit fruit flavors that was over the top. This time the bottle was quite different! The nose was strong with lychees and grapefruit. The body is quite full in the mouth, and the sugar fills it out quite nicely along with citrus and lychees in the mouth and the finish – quite nice.
Recanati Winery
Recanati Winery
The Recanati Winery is tucked away in the Industrial zone of Emek Hefer – a lovely town some 5 kilometers south of Hadera. The winery was built in 2000 by a group of oenophiles that were looking to build a world class winery to produce kosher wine that would truly compete on the world market. To this purpose they invested in a winery whose equipment is state of the art and a have access to a set of vineyards that are situated in the most envious of locations around Israel. The vineyards are spread throughout Israel’s wine regions – Upper Galilee, Judean Hills, Samson, and Shomron, and are closely monitored to extract the features that each region has to offer.
We appeared on a brisk Monday afternoon and were met by the current winemaker – Lewis Pasco. Lewis is a well known wine maker in Israel. He studied in UC David and from there went on to work in many prominent wineries – including Tishbi Winery and others. He joined the winery at its inception and has been there – ever since. However, he recently gave notice to the winery that he will be moving on – to pursue other opportunities with Israel or maybe abroad.
Meeting Lewis helped us to see the real success behind the Recanati brand and wines. For sure there is selling in a winery, along with marketing and such. However, Lewis says that Recanati is more about the wine and less about the bluster that wineries tend to display. The visitor room is a great example of that; it is a very nice spot within the winery, with awards and wines lining the walls. But it is not screaming look at me and the winery itself is inside the industrial zone – with a quiet external face – all very reminiscent of the winery’s approach to wine making – which is let the wine talk for itself.
Lewis was a highly accomplished chef before he turned his sights unto wine making – and his wines are a image of his tastes. They are not the California power houses, with exception to maybe the Special Reserve and Shiraz. That is not to say the wines are lacking – wine is not all about noise and attention grabbing oak. It is about balance – and all of Lewis’s wines are complex with balance and just enough show to tell you they are there – without stealing the show of what is going on in your palate. Even in the vineyards Lewis is of the opinion that the vines need not be managed to give out more fruit or that jammy flavor that seems to be popping up more and more in wine. Lewis’s vineyards are an envy of many a wine maker, and Lewis makes sure that just like his wine – the vineyards are not managed, but instead – kept to bring out the vines true and real potential.
We conversed about many a thing – mostly the wine but other topics as well, and one of the thoughts that keep popping up when I talk with owners or wine makers in Israel is marketing. Recanati does little marketing – letting the wine and their loyal fans take up the word for the winery. But with the current expansion of wineries within Israel and the global kosher wine market growing at a nice clip – how does one make sure that the consumer knows what varietals each winery has to sell them? Marketing outside of Israel was a constant topic of discussion and one that I think Israel must solve on a whole – not on a one off manner that most wineries are attempting to do.
Our time spent with Lewis was a real education – and we want to thank Lewis, Noam the CEO of Recanati – who stopped by during our visit, and the the entire winery for hosting us and showing us such a wonderful time. Following are the tasting notes which we sampled at the winery.
Recanati 2005 Shiraz – Score: B+
This wine that was aged in a mixture of American and French Oak for 8 months has a red to black color. The nose has oak and dark fruits that peek out from under the assault of the jammy aroma. The medium bodied wine starts floral and then at the mid palate changes to plum and and black berries. The structure is balanced with soft and integrated tannins.
Recanati 2004 Cabernet Franc Reserve – Score: A-
The grapes for this wine come from the Manara Vineyard in the Upper Galilee (750m). This wine that was aged in a mixture of French and Hungarian oak for 15 months has a medium to garnet color. The nose of this wine hits you with grass and floral aromas, with hints of oak. This medium to full bodied wine starts with green flavors that carry over from the nose and follow with floral notes wrapped in a blanket of berries and oak. Soft tannins and just the right amount of acid balance this wine out quite nicely.
Recanati 2004 Merlot Reserve – Score: B+
The grapes come from the Upper Galilee and were aged in French oak for 15 – 18 months. The color of this wine is dark red. The nose starts off with green and floral aromas but continues with cherry and berries. The medium to full bodied wine palate continues where the nose left off. The berries and cherry notes caress your mouth and finish with a long flourish of green notes and sweet wood flavors.
Recanati 2005 Petite Sirah and Zinfandel (PSZ) Reserve – Score: A-
The grapes of this dark to black colored wine come from grapes grown in the Jezreel Valley and the Upper Galilee. The color comes from the Petite Sirah’s black colored grapes. The nose is filled with green earthy aromas and hints of berry, cherry and oak. This full bodied wine has strong structure that needs time to mellow out. The body shows jammy flavors, tar and a fair amount of oak. The finish is long and satisfying wrapped in tannins and black fruit.
Recanati 2006 Chardonnay Reserve – Score: A-
The grapes for this electric straw colored wine come from the Manara and Ben Zimra vineyards. The nose is strong with lychees and honey suckle. The mouth is round with citrus flavors and lychees. The finish is medium to long with just enough acid and oak to balance out the wine quite nicely.
Recanati 2007 Rose – Score: B++
This pink colored wine has all you want in a rose. Lychees, and cotton candy steal the nose. The mouth of this light to medium bodied wine is very active and crisp. Green and herbal notes come through the curtain fresh berries and finish with a satisfying flourish of berries and lychees.
Recanati 2004 Special Reserve – Score: A-
This wine needs time to open up my friends! Lewis opened this bottle and all we could smell was green. But as it opened up the merlot (8%) and cabernet (92%) came through. The nose started to open with notes of black fruit, blackberries, and oak. The mouth of this full bodied wine is heavy with tannin still and will lie well in the cellar for some time to come. The tannin gives way to cassis, blackberries and more oak. The finish is long with hints of chocolate and dark fruit.
Recanati 2005 Shiraz Reserve – Score: A-
This purple colored wine has a nose filled with green vegetation and dark fruits. This medium to full bodied wine opens with dark fruit, cassis, and cherries. It follows with biting tannins and has a long finish of tar and oak.
Recanati 2006 Cabernet Franc Reserve (Barrel Tasting) – Score: A-
This red to dark wine has strong green to floral notes followed by cherry and oak. The mouth of this medium bodied wine is fruit forward, with grassy green flavors, and a long finish of oak and red berries. A real winner and one that truly shows the styling of Recanati wines – more fruit less bluster.
Tzuba Winery in Judean Hills
Barrels in Tzuba Winery
As we drive the 395 to get to Kibbutz Tzuba the winery’s vines grace our approach – they stretch from the bottom of the hill side along the valley below and all the way to the entrance of the Kibbutz. The Kibbutz is a tech Kibbutz, building bullet-proof glass and other protective shielding, a thriving business in these trying times.
As we drive up to the winery which is right on the left after you enter the Kibbutz gate – Paul Dubb is there to great us. Paul is the wine maker for the Tzuba Winery and has been growing grapes for the Castel Winery, since 1996. In 2000 Moti Zamir and Paul founded the winery and started planted vines for their label – while still tending to the vines for Castel. The 2005 vintage was the winery’s first vintage where they produced some 30,000 bottles. IN the following years they have ramped up to some 47,000 bottles. They hope to be ramping production up to 150,000 bottles in the next few years. They currently are releasing wines from the following varietal: Chardonnay, Viognier, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Shiraz, and Petit Verdot.
Paul has been around grapes since a youngster – where he grew grapes with his parents and grew a love for grapes and wine. Paul’s work is evident in the Castel wines – but is also visible in his own wines. The wines are fruit forward but in a balanced manner. This he says comes from the way he tends to his vines. He makes sure that the vines have sun, while keeping them shaded, to minimize over exposure of sun, which tends to show overripe flavors and too much acid in the wine. The wines are all aged in Hungarian oak and according to Paul – do not tend towards Bordeaux flavors. The winery is built to bring value wines in the Boutique winery market – something that Paul stressed is one of the selling points about Tzuba. Finally, the winery is owned in partnership with Kibbutz Tzuba – a partnership that should help the winery to compete in the ever competitive Kosher Israeli wine market.
My thanks to Paul, Moti and the Tzuba Winery for hosting us and showing us around their winery. Following are the tasting notes which we sampled at the winery.
Tel Tzuba 2006 Chardonnay – Score: A (50% 12 months in oak, 50% Stainless Steel)
Fermented at 55 degrees Fahrenheit – Sur Lie, this wine has a lovely and shimmering straw color. The nose is filled with Lychees, grass, and citrus. This medium bodied wine has a long and exciting finish and is not over oaked. The nose follows in the mouth – with Lychees and citrus flavors covering the mouth and enough acidity to balance the wine out.
Hama’ayan 2005 Sangiovese – Score: B
This ruby red wine has a nose of red fruit. The medium bodied wine has all the signature flavors of a Sangiovese – cherry, plum and added flavors of oak with soft and integrated tannins.
Tel Tzuba 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon – Score: A-
The deep Bordeaux colored wine has a nose of red fruit and oak. The medium bodied wine is smooth with light tannins, red fruit, and a long finish that tends to linger in your mouth.
Tel Tzuba 2005 Merlot – Score: B+
This dark ruby colored wine has a nose of plum and cherry. The medium bodied wine has firm tannins, almost jammy red fruit, a balanced palate and a finish that is medium in length that is accentuated with oak flavors.
Tel Tzuba 2005 Shiraz – Score: A-
This purple colored wine has a nose of fig, pepper, and earth. This medium bodied wine has jammy flavors, soft tannins, and a long finish that is supported by pepper and oak notes.
Tzuba 2005 Merlot Reserve Metzuda – Score: A-
This deep Bordeaux colored wine opens slowly. Over time the wine shows hints of red fruit and oak. The full bodied wine has strong tannins that show off its acidic core and cherry flavors. The finish is long and satisfying. This wine is still quite young and needs time to show its true self off.
Ella Valley in Judean Hills
Ella Valley Winery in the Judean Hills
Ella Valley is a winery we heard of a few years ago when we saw their wine in a restaurant in Berkeley, CA. It was an amazing wine, so we called the distributor and convinced our local store to stock their wines. Since then the store has gone through the wine a few times and has a few of the new releases.
The winery is located in an industrial park of Kibbutz Nativ HaLamed-Heh. The winery was established in 1998 – when they planted their world renowned vineyard that lies a few feet from the beautiful winery building. It took a few years before the first vintage was harvested and bottled – 2002. The winery now produces 200 thousand bottles a year. When they started the process of preparing the land for planting their vineyard they found an ancient winepress – it is this very same symbol that graces almost every bottle of Ella Valley wine.
We met Udi – the winery manager at the visitor center. It was hard to hear him at times over the squall of the parrots that grace the front of the building. It turns out that the GM, Danny Valero, has a strong love for parrots and they have a commanded presence along the path that leads to the visitors center. Udi went on to explain that the winery has an exacting scientific approach to wine making – down to the numbering of each bottle that they produce. Being that the winery is so close to the perfectly tended and managed vines – they are estate bottled (a not so common feat in Israel), and they can control the fermentation process to their exacting standards. The vineyard is in a long and beautiful valley, which shelters the grapes from winter frost and the extreme heat during the long summer months.
We would like to thank Udi and the people at Ella Valley winery for allowing us to taste a wide range of wines – so that we could share the experience with our readers.
2005 Cabernet Franc – Score: B+
This is the follow-on to the smash hit of 2004 – but not quite up to its older brother’s standard. The has a nose of green grass and flowers – classic franc aromas. The balanced medium bodied wine has light tannins that give way to red fruit and more green grass. The finish is long and lingers on the palate long after the wine is gone.
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah – Score: B+
The wine has a lively Bordeaux color that shimmers in the light. The nose is filled with earth and hints of green beans. The medium bodied wine is accessible with light tannins and a medium sized finish. The body has a sense of earth, a bit of tar, and complexity that helps to prop this wine up and give it more of a presence than it might have otherwise had.
2004 Merlot – Score: A-
This wine has a nice light Burgundy color. The nose is herbal and has hints of pepper and cherry. This medium bodied wine has a complexity to it that hints at what is brooding underneath the oak coat. It is a balanced wine with integrated tannins and a good amount of acid that allows the wine to stand tall in a crowd and culminates with a satisfying finish.
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard Choice – Score: A
The color of the wine is an electric black – if that were possible. The nose is strong and attacking. First comes licorice, followed by oak, and then cassis and more black fruit. This exciting full bodied wine is complex and brooding. The balanced attack starts with cassis and dark plums and then is followed by a long and very satisfying finish.
2003 Muscat (reinforced) – Score: A
The straw color of this wine shimmers with excitement, and begs you to come closer and inspect. It is at that moment that the nose of the wine jumps up out of the glass and hits you with honey and lychees. This medium-full bodied wine is reinforced with alcohol that greet you with more honey and lychees, and finishes with a long flourish of acid and peaches.
Yatir Winery in the Negev
Yatir Winery
The Yatir Winery is literally an oasis in the middle of a desert. The winery, started in 2001 is south of Jerusalem, but to get there you either go east or west and then south and then west or east. We drove there by going west and driving south on the 90 south from Jerusalem. The road is flat and long. We pass Ein Geidi and Masada, and then comes the glorious dead sea. As we pass the countless hotels that wind around the sea and edge close to the road, we come to the 31 that takes us east past Arad and to the Yatir winery. The 31 climbs high and you can sea the dead sea as a large jewel in the middle of a barren land. Then the road dramatically plunges down into the valley below and levels out. The desert that surrounds the winery makes the beautiful Ramat Arad vineyard (at 500m) that is adjacent to the winery stand out that much more.
The winery was started in 2000 as a joint venture between the grape growers of the region and Carmel Winery. The grapes that make up the wines we tasted are grown in the Yatir Forest, situated 10 minutes from the winery, in the Southern Judean Hills (at 900m). The Ramat Arad vineyard, wraps the winery, which is situated at the base of the famous Tel Arad archeological site, is owned by Carmel and tended to by the Yatir Winery. The Ramat Arad grapes are used by Carmel for their line single vineyard wines (Cabernet, Syrah, and Sauvignon Blanc).
When we came we were met by Eti Edri – and we were told the story of the winery and its wine maker Eran Goldwasser. Having spoken with many winemakers and others in the wine business in Israel – they all think that Eran is one of the best young winemakers in Israel.
The first vintage was 2001 and the wine has been improving year after year. The winery has been receiving a ton of accolades recently including the big news of Robert Parker giving a 93 to the flagship wine Yatir Forest. The wine we tasted (notes below) – the 2003 Yatir Cabernet/Merlot/Shiraz blend, was given a 90.
We asked Eti some questions about the wine production. Fermentation is done at a cool 60 degrees (Fahrenheit) for reds and a cold 53 degrees (Fahrenheit) for whites. The cool temperature for red wines – help extract flavor, color, and tannins from the must that the red wines ferment in. The cold temperature for the whites help extract fruit and less body that would get in the way of a clean and crisp white wine. They rack the reds 3 to 4 times a year.
Having read all about the winery before visiting it we tried to better understand what was they key feature that has led to its success. We asked Eti what was special about the winery. To our surprise the first thing she said was humility. That is not an answer we get often to that question – actually it may well be the first time anyone ever gave us that response. Eti went on to explain that Eran is passionate about the whole wine process from the vineyards to the bottling and storage. But throughout it all, he and all that work at Yatir are humble. Eran is a person Eti describes, that concentrates on small details, which she believes results in fewer issues. 90% of his work is not in the winery – but with building and keeping a close relationship with the farmers and winery workers.
We wanted to thank Eti and the folks at the Yatir Winery for the wonderful time we had at the winery.
2003 Yatir Cabernet (56%)/Merlot(33%)/Shiraz(11%) blend (12 months in oak) – Score: A
The nose starts with a mix of tobacco and floral notes and follows, with time, with a merlot nose, fig in the middle and ends with dark fruit. The color of the wine is a dark and brooding red with a touch of black. This full bodied wine starts big and is followed by integrated tannins with notes of licorice and sour cherries at the end. As it opens more – chocolate flavors come to the mouth and mix nicely with a very long and satisfying finish, laden with tobacco and cassis.
2004 Yatir Cabernet(40%)/Merlot(40%)/Shiraz(20%) blend (12 months in oak) – Score: A-
The color of the wine is a vibrant Bordeaux color. The nose of the wine is filled with red fruit and spice. This complex and full bodied wine is tight yet approachable. The red fruit shows itself nicely on mouth – cherry and berries along with a hint of vegetation. It has lightly integrated tannins and a very long finish. The wine seems to linger on the palate long after it has been consumed.
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