Daniel Rogov, Israel’s premier wine critic, has reviewed several great Israeli wines in recent editions of Ha’aretz.
For the hot summertime, rose’s are the perfect wine, even if they have gotten a bad rap. Rogov’s reviews of some great roses are at http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1086863.html
His TNs:
Chateau Golan, Royal Reserve, Rose, 2008: Made entirely from Cabernet Franc grapes, developed partly in stainless steel and briefly in used barriques. Medium-bodied, with appealing red and black berries, strawberries and red currants on a spicy background. Plenty of good acidity here. A more than usually complex rose. Drink now. Score 89.
Tabor, Adama, Rose, Charsit, 2008: Ruby to cherry red, medium-bodied, a lovely rose, fresh, crisp and full of life, with the most positive kinds of tutti-frutti aromas and flavors that include strawberries, raspberries, red currants and just a tantalizing hint of bubble-gum to tease our palates. Rose as rose should be. Drink now. Score 89. K
Recanati, Rose, 2008: Somewhere between rose petal pink and the color of strawberry juice, a blend of 80% Barbera and 20% Merlot with minimal skin contact. Fresh, firm and crisply dry with appealing notes of strawberries, berries and dried cherries followed by hints of white pepper and red licorice on the finish. Sits easily on the palate. Drink now. Score 88. K
Vitkin, Israeli Journey, Pink, 2008: Light cherry red, a rose primarily of Carignan and Syrah with small amounts of Tempranillo and Cabernet Franc blended in. Crisply dry and generously fruity, shows a low nose but opens to appealing aromas and flavors of strawberries, raspberries and black cherries, those with floral and spicy overtones. Medium-bodied, crisply dry and refreshing, strong enough to stand up to chicken and veal dishes. Drink now. Score 88.
Dalton, Rose, 2008: Made entirely from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, with very short skin contact. Peach-blossom pink, with wild berry and cassis fruits matched by an appealing hint of grapefruit peel. Off-dry and lively, fine on its own or a good match to fish, seafood and chicken salads. Drink now. Score 87. K
Avidan, Petite Soleil Rose, 2008: A true potpourri, this deep cherry-red wine rose is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Grenache, Carignan and Pinot Noir. Although it seems that just about everything “left over” was used here. the result is a success. The medium-bodied wine shows a fruity nose and appealing raspberry, cassis and cranberry fruits. Think of this not so much as a true rose, but as a light and refreshing red. A fun and easy-to-drink wine. Drink now. Score 87.
Binyamina, Yogev, Rose, 2008: Light rose-petal pink in color, opens quietly but develops nicely after a few minutes in the glass. Good acidity here to keep the raspberry, strawberry and citrus peel notes lively and refreshing. Rose as rose should be. Drink now. Score 87. K
Galil Mountain, Rose, 2008: Light- to medium-bodied and with refreshing acidity, a crisply dry, rose-petal pink colored wine showing an appealing tutti-frutti array of red fruits. Drink now. Score 87. K
Shiloh, Rose, 2007: Somewhere in color between rose-petal pink and cherry-red, a crisply dry rose. A blend of Barbera and Cabernet Franc allowed only short skin contact, showing appealing raspberry, strawberry and blueberry fruits. A most pleasant quaffer, medium-bodied and well enough done to stand up nicely to grilled fish or chicken dishes. Drink up. Score 87. K
Tzora Vineyards, Rose, Gvat HaChalukim, 2007: Made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, pale pink with an orange tint, light- to medium-bodied. Showing berry, cherry and watermelon notes, a dry wine with a creeping hint of sweetness. Drink up. Score 86. K
Rogov also reviews that old favorite (or not, depending on how old you are): Carmel Winery.Today’s Carmel Winery produces excellent world-class wines that are beyond enjoyable — they are heavenly. Rogov has this to say about Carmel:
From time to time I stand back and look at the Carmel Winery with a sense of continued amazement, reflecting on the quantum leap in quality that the winery has made in the last five years. Among the signs that the winery intends to continue in the direction of producing wines of increasing interest to even the most sophisticated wine lovers are the selections in their Regional series, also known as their Appellation series. Simply stated, they are excellent wines at reasonable prices and well worth exploring.
Here is just one TN:
Carmel, Carignan, Old Vines, Appellation, Zichron Yaakov, 2006: A super-dark garnet blend of 85 percent Carignan and 15 percent Petit Verdot. The Carignan comes from 35-40-year-old very low-yield wines with no irrigation. It’s a blockbuster on first attack, but the firm tannins and generous wood settles down nicely to reveal a rich array of plum, red cherry, raspberry and currant fruits all supported nicely by hints of cocoa and spices. Look as well for a generous mocha-rich finish. Drink now-2011. NIS 80. Score 90. K
As part of the 2009 Israel Festival, the wineries in the Jerusalem area will be holding a one-day festival on the beatiful campus of the Hebrew University, in the botanical gardens (I believe that this is the Givat Ram campus of Hebrew U, not Mt. Scopus). The festival will be Thursday June 4, beginning at 19:00 (7:00PM).
Participating wineries include:
- Ella Valley Vineyard
- Tzuba
- Kella David
- Mony
- Zmora
- Agur
- Ben Hanna
- Hans Sternbach
- Katz
- Yehuda
- La Terra Promessa
- Nachshon
- Srigim
- Tsafririm
- Sea Horse
- Anatot
Fair admission, including a tasting glass, is 60NIS.
Go also to Richard Shaffer at Israeli Wine Direct who is importing some of these fine wines and will be visiting Texas shortly.
Psagot Winery is an interesting new winery located just outside of Jerusalem that is available in the United States. Daniel Rogov recently conducted his annual tasting of their wines and this is what he has to say about it:
Located in the northern Jerusalem Mountains, overlooking Wadi Kelt (Nachal Prat), the winery was founded by Na’ama and Ya’akov Berg, who planted their first vineyards in 1998. In addition to a modern barrel cellar, some of the oak barriques are stored in a cave dating back to the 2nd Temple, that containing ancient pressing facilities, which maintains 90% humidity and temperatures up to 18 degrees Celsius. Relying on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Viognier and Chardonnay grapes, the winery’s top-of-the-line wine is a Bordeaux blend named Edom. Regular varietal wines are produced in the Psagot series and there is also a Port-style wine. Production from the 2007 and 2008 vintages was of about 65,000 bottles annually and anticipated production for 2009 is for 80,000 bottles.
Wines are exported to the USA and other countries. Prices in Israel for the Edom wines are about NIS 110; in the Psagot series about NIS 80-90; and the Single Vineyard Wine, yet to be released, will probably debut at about NIS 170 per bottle.
Psagot, Edom, 2007 (Advance Tasting): A Bordeaux blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot, showing still firm tannins and generous acidity, those needing a bit of time to settle down. Dark garnet in color, opens with black fruits and spicy wood, yields to red fruits and hints of Mediterranean herbs, all leading to a generous finish. Drink from release-2013. Score 89. K (Tasted 7 May 2009).
Psagot, Edom, 2006: A blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot, with the remainder made up of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Medium- to full-bodied, generously but not aggressively oaked, with firm tannins just now starting to settle in. Opens with red currants and raspberries, those parting to make way for plums and black fruits on an earthy-herbal background all with a light bitter streak that some will find appealing and others not. Drink now–2010. Score 86. K (Re-tasted 7 May 2009)
Psagot, Edom, 2005: My earlier tasting note holds firmly. Deep garnet in color, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (75% and 25% respectively) opens with a rich vanilla and white chocolate nose, then settles down in the glass to reveal aromas and flavors of black cherries, plums and currants. Medium- to full-bodied, with soft but mouth-coating tannins, a good touch of spicy cedar wood and on the finish an appealing earthy minerality. Drink now or in the next year or so. Score 88. K (Re-tasted 7 May 2009)
Psagot, Edom, 2004: This blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot reflects its 14 months in barriques with firm but nicely integrating tannins, spicy and vanilla-rich oak and, on the nose and palate, blackberries, currants and an appealing hint of freshly turned earth. A solid effort, with a long berry-rich finish. Drinking nicely but not for much longer cellaring. Drink now or in the next year or so. Score 87. K (Re-tasted 7 May 2009)
Psagot, Merlot, 2007 (Advance Tasting): Aromatic, medium-, perhaps medium- to full-bodied, with plum, raspberry and a hint of spicy licorice. Soft, gently gripping tannins lead to a round finish. Drink now–2011. Score 87. K (Re-tasted 7 May 2009)
Psagot, Cabernet Franc, 2007: Aromatic, opening with a nose of eucalyptus, tar and spicy wood.. Medium- to full-bodied, showing a hint of muscle going on to reveal dark plum, currant, tobacco and mocha notes, those on an appealing background of freshly cut herbs. A solid effort. Best 2010-2013. Score 90. K (Tasted 7 May 2009)
Psagot, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007: Showing much as at an earlier tasting. Deep garnet towards royal-purple, oak-aged for 13 months, full-bodied, with firm tannins and smoky wood settling in nicely now and showing rich and generous with well-focused red and black currant fruits overlaid with hints of cocoa and cedar wood. Drink now–2011. Score 88. K (Re-tasted 7 May 2009)
Psagot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Single Vineyard, 2007: Almost impenetrable inky-dark garnet in color, full-bodied, and with generous oak waiting to settle down and reflect the wine’s inherent good balance. On the nose and palate ripe currant, blackberry and citrus peel notes , those complemented by notes of sweetened chewing tobacco and mocha. Best 2010-2013, perhaps longer. Score 90. K (Tasted 7 May 2009)
