One Week of Festivities, One Great Winery
If you have a chance, don’t miss the 30th Anniversary celebration for the Golan Heights Winery (Yarden, Gamla & Golan labels) being observed the next week at the port on the boardwalk in Tel Aviv. It’s free to just show up and mingle and hear the music as attendees get in the groove and it’s a reasonable price to try some of the thirty or so wines offered by Israel’s most lauded winery. Opening 700PM to 1100PM over the next week (ending Tuesday April 30th and not open Friday because of Shabbat/Sabbath) Saturday 830pm to 1130pm. This port side festival in Tel Aviv is a once a year tradition the winery has been offering the public to try their wide range of wines representing 21 different grape varietals from the winery that’s credited with launching the renaissance of Israeli wine when it opened in 1983.
Entry to the event is free and wines are available by the glass or by a flight at different stations/bars for either NIS 30 or 45 depending on which station you cash your tickets at. There are deals if you buy multiple tickets but never the less it’s a better deal than you’ll get by going out to a bar in Tel Aviv and some wines being served aren’t available yet. Wines are also available for sale by the bottle at competitive prices. A flight of wines at the pouring stations will get you a little more wine than ordering by the glass and with so many wines to choose from, it gives you a greater perspective into why the Golan Heights Winery was named Best New World Winery in the World for 2012 by Wine Enthusiast magazine in the United States as well as recently winning Best Winery out of 1000 wineries from 30 countries at VinItaly (in 2011), an Italian wine exposition going into its 48th year.
Their entry level Mt. Hermon series represents about 20% of all the wine the winery makes with about 1 million bottles of the red made each year and 1/4 million bottles of the white. So in Israel, its quite popular in restaurants but not in kosher restaurants in the US where they require wines to be mevushal. In the US, oddly enough you’re more likely to find it in non-kosher restaurants and wine bars.
2012 Mt. Hermon White (89 points) NIS 39
with hints of citric grapefruit, lemon and tropical pineapple and mango with crisp acidity. A nice summer wine to help you beat the heat
2012 Mt. Hermon Red NIS 39 (88 points) NIS 39 Bordeaux blend of Cab, Merlot, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot & Malbec at this price it’s a steal even if its young and unaged
2012 Mt Hermon Indigo (87 points) NIS 39
a perfume laced Cabernet & Syrah blend with notes of red raspberry & black cherry
NV Gamla Brut NIS 69 (90 points)
a great value for a bottle fermented sparkling wine
*2007 Yarden Blanc de Blancs NIS 124 (92)
Consistently one of the best sparkling wines in Israel
*2012 Yarden Gewurztraminer NIS 66 (91)
2012 Gamla Sauvignon Blanc NIS 39 (not tasted)
2012 Yarden Sauvignon Blanc NIS 55 (not tasted)
2009 Gamla Merlot or Sangiovese NIS 59 (not tasted)
2010 Yarden Merlot NIS 65 (not tasted)
2010 Gamla Cabernet Sauvignon NIS 85 (89)
2012 Gamla Chardonnay NIS 45 (not tasted)
*2011 Yarden Chardonnay Odem Organic Vineyard NIS 89 (92 points)
2007 Yarden Pinot Noir NIS 89 (88 points)
2009 Yarden Syrah NIS 95 (90 points)
*2009 Yarden 2T NIS 109 (91 points)
the dry wine brother of the dessert T2 made from the same two Portuguese varietals, this vintage seems more integrated than the initial 2008 release and what seems like initially a novelty now seems like an epiphany by the winemaking team
2012 Golan Moscato NIS 40 (89 points)
made to be sweet and bubbly and more fun than serious they still can’t help themselves from making it sing like a quality wine
*2011 Yarden Heightswine NIS 105 (94 points)
this Gewurtztraminer made in an ice wine style is a sublime yet decadent dessert wine that helped them win Best Winery at VinItaly in 2011 by winning a Grand Gold Medal
*2008 Yarden Syrah Single Vineyard Avital NIS 130 (93 points)
*2008 Yarden Syrah Single Vineyard Tel Phares NIS 130 (91 points)
*2010 Yarden Malbec (not yet released) 93 points
first release of a single varietal Malbec and a new standard for Israeli Malbecs sourced from their Yonatan vineyards at about 600- 700 meters (2000-2300 feet) it wasn’t labeled YET as a single vineyard wine but if they make it like this consistently I imagine they will
2008 Yarden Merlot Single Vineyard Odem NIS 130 (91 points)
2009 Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon NIS 115 (89 points)
*2008 Yarden T2 NIS 175 (92 points)
only Israeli fortified red dessert wine made in port style from authentic Portuguese grape varietals showing more and more character as it ages. A great wine to buy and forget about for a decade or two in your cellar and open when your kid graduates college or for a special birthday or anniversary.
*2004 Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon (91 points) from a double magnum (only 110 bottles)
A nice example by the winery how this wine can age. It would have been nice to be able to compare with a 2004 from a standard bottle as well since these double magnums aren’t going home with many people
*2008 Yarden Katzrin (94 points) NIS 670
the traditional flagship wine of the winery. This mostly Cabernet Sauvignon (87%) & Merlot (13%) is aged 18 months in oak separately then aged together for an additional 6 months. Elegant and smooth.
*2007 Yarden Rom (95 points) NIS 670
the results of a ten year teaming of chief winemaker Victor Schoenfeld with internationally renown winemaker Zelma Long . This smooth yet complex floral & fruity blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Syrah with aromas of black cassis, plums and raspberries aged 21 months in barrels defies my prejudice against against this Australian style blend thats often bungled but here it works splendidly and all the components seem in balance with each other.
2012 Petit Verdot (to raw to judge right now)
an unfinished wine showing great potential as a solo wine or as part of a blend
* favorite wines tasted
David Rhodes’ Wine Scoring Key
97-100 A+ 5 * Best of the Best, or One of the Best in Recent Memory (-0.5% of wines)
The kind of wine that opening creates a special occasion.
93-96 A 4 1/2 * Extraordinary, Great Example of What Israel does Right (-1%) A Wine Worth Remembering & Drinking Again and Again
The kind of wine that’s great for special occasions.
89-92 A- 4 * Very Good, Highly Recommended: Interesting and Expressive (-3-5%) This is the kind of wine that doesn’t just complement a meal or an evening
but can elevate it.
85-88 B+ 3 1/2 * Good, Recommended as a wine that shows some merit (-5-10%) A good guest brings a B+ or above wine unless host doesn’t appreciate
wine & you know no one else at meal does either or just bring cake.
81-84 B 3 * Fair, Not Recommended to Elevate a Meal or an Evening (50%+) Typically I won’t publish these scores, there’s too many better wines to focus or that merit more attention & praise but MOST wines in Israel that sell 4 or 5/ NIS 100 fall into this category (or below) with a few exceptions
reaching B+.
80 or less 2 1/2 * or less Not Recommended, Published or Worth Commenting About
prices were either at event prices or from winery visitor center
