Tasting Note: Galil Mountain, Viognier, 2006
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Thursday, 06 March 08 - 04:32 AM (GMT -06:00) By Richard Shaffer in Tasting Notes |
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First of all, I am a BIG fan of this young winemaker and UC Davis graduate, Micha Vaadia.
Second, here is my tasting note for this wine:
Fresh ground pepper with a long apple fruit-roll-up finish.
Barkan Reserve, Pinotage 2002
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Monday, 08 October 07 - 04:59 AM (GMT -06:00) By Richard Shaffer in Tasting Notes |
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Most people know the Pinotage variety was created in South Africa and remains their unique varietal contribution from the vinifera family.
There is an entire site dedicated to this variety, so clearly (at least some) people like it.
My wife and I just tasted this wine.
I opened and even decanted it well ahead of time.
It's jet black in the decanter, almost completely opaque..
The nose was alcoholic to me, though.
Then we tasted.
Ever had your gums bleed, or suck on a nickel, and get that metallic flavor?
Well, that's this wine.
I felt like it coated my tongue and teeth with something I just wanted to scrape off.
If you're Count Dracula, or need to get someone from Transylvania a gift, then buy this wine.
Otherwise, don't.
Israeli Wine for the New Year, Anyone?
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Wednesday, 12 September 07 - 01:38 PM (GMT -06:00) By Richard Shaffer in Tasting Notes |
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We'll be drinking some Israeli wine over the Jewish New Year (I know you are shocked to hear this!).
Tonight, we'll be drinking a bottle of Bustan, Merlot, 2003.
Yaakov Fogler is the winemaker (I have actualy spoken with his son in the past) - they maybe make 1500 bottles per year of the stuff as I understand it.
I'll post some tasting notes for you after the holiday.
What I want to know is......what are YOU drinking this holiday?
Happy New Year!
Tasting Note: Mount Tabor Estate, Merlot 2004
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Tuesday, 28 August 07 - 03:49 AM (GMT -06:00) By Richard Shaffer in Tasting Notes |
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At first taste, this Israeli wine was like a man trying to stand up who just can't and keeps falling down.
This wine was a tease. A little taste of cherry that suddenty gets shy and hides.
Could the wine's struggle have been the fact that it's mevushal? It seemed to knock the fruit right off this wine and then add water.
(Note: the next day I liked it, the fruit was more pronounced and had a nice taste of chocolate on the finish that was a real surprise.)
Do NOT get me started on "mevushal."
Kosher is kosher. Kosher wine I need. Kosher I understand. Mevushal I do not. Ernie Weir of Hagafen Winery notwithstanding, I'm no fan of mevushal.
If you don't want heathens pouring wine for you in restaurants, then ask to open and pour your own, but let the rest of us get some decent freakin' wine!
I wanted to like this wine. And like I said after a couple hours and again the next day, I warmed up to it.
It cost me $9.99, and I need a weekday drinking wine with supper (and sometimes with breakfast).
Try it for yourself, and let me know what you think.
Tasting Note: Hagafen, 2002 Reserve Estate Bottled Cabernet Sauvignon: MJT Block
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Monday, 06 August 07 - 04:36 AM (GMT -06:00) By Richard Shaffer in Tasting Notes |
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How's this for a tasting note.
It's actually a direct quote from our 11-year old son, who made Kiddush over this wine last Friday night. I'm convinced that kids have better palates than adults, not to mention more interesting "tasting notes"!
I LOVE this wine, Dad. It's like the Incredible Hulk walked up to you and shoved a handful of the most amazing tasting cherries in your mouth.
Ditto.
Get this (mevushal!) wine - you can actually buy it from Ernie's site.
He only made 150 cases of this juice. MJT are the initials of the first names of his children. It's got 12% Cab Franc thrown in for complexity's sake, too.
Tasting Note: Yatir, Sauvignon Blanc, 2005
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Tuesday, 24 July 07 - 04:33 AM (GMT -06:00) By Richard Shaffer in Tasting Notes |
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First of all, a big shout out to Scott in the wine department at the kosher grocery store Hungarian in Skokie, IL. He's friendly and knowledgeable and sold me this bottle of wine along with a bottle of Psagot we'll talk about later.
I am a real fan of Yatir wines. The winemaker Eran Goldwasser is Australian-trained and really makes great wine at the foot of the Judean Hills.
I have had the 2002 Cab-Merlot-Shiraz blend in the past and loved it.
Last Wednesday night I drank the Yatir, Sauvignon Blanc, 2005 and learned some things along the way.
1) this wine is elegant no doubt about it - crisp and FOCUSED like a laser in your mouth
2) it has (for me at least) a long sour apple finish I liked a lot - after a bit of orange peel
3) while I enjoyed this wine and would buy it again, I think I am developing a preference for the over-the-top New Zealand Sauv Blanc style . Make a cat pee on a gooseberry bush then bottle the runoff and put it in my glass. I can't get enough of that stuff, honestly (though I admit I have fallen in love with John Anthony from California -- an amazing California-style Sauv Blanc). I have not yet had a Sauv Blanc from Israel that blew me away - WHAT AM I MISSING? TELL ME!
I like my Sauv Blancs to walk right up and kick me in the mouth and have a little color on them, too.
The key for each of us is try as many different wines as you can and learn what you love along the way.
Go get yourself some Yatir on your next stop.
Israeli Wine Tasting Notes: Galil Mountain, Rose
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Wednesday, 16 May 07 - 01:48 PM (GMT -06:00) By Richard Shaffer in Tasting Notes |
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Here in Chicago, we're finally beginning to believe that summer is on its way.
For me, there's nothing like a rose (not sure how to make my computer put that little flip on top of the "e" in rose but you get the picture!) when summer comes around, and lugging around a couple glasses-worth of hearty Cab in your belly just gets too heavy with the summer heat around here.
And my absolute favorite rose from Israel is from Galil Mountain. The 2006 is a blend of Sangiovese (55%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), and Syrah (25%).
Winemaker Micah Vaadia is the newest winemaker there. I have posted some of his vineyard photos.
The Galil Mountain Winery is a joint venture of the Golan Heights Winery and Kibbutz Yiron combining the unique features of the Upper Galilee with the expertise of the winemakers of the Golan Heights.
And he has his eye on making a rose that is what it is, he told me, that doesn't try to be anything except exactly what it is, a great fun mouthfeel wine, dry yet fruity, good for sitting outside in the summer with friends.
This wine has got some wicked AMAZING pink color that jumps out at you, not to mention a nice dose of watermelon aromas and flavors.
It's light enough for summer, and yet jazzy enough to stand up to food.
Best news.........it's available in the US!
These wines are made for early drinking - so get 'em and drink 'em, friends.
QUESTION FOR READERS: what's your favorite rose from Israel? Tell us in the COMMENTS section.
Israeli Wine Tasting Notes: Carmel, Regional, Merlot, Upper Galilee, 2003
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Tuesday, 08 May 07 - 09:17 PM (GMT -06:00) By Richard Shaffer in Tasting Notes |
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Carmel is the largest Israeli wine producer, producing maybe 14 million bottles annually.
They were founded in 1882.
Last evening with supper we enjoyed this bottle of Merlot with a meal of my special home-made "sloppy joes" - yeah, I know, sounds like something out of grad school but they're actually kicked up into a nice gourmet treat.
The wine goes great with food like Merlot tends to do; it was chewy, nice on the fruit, with a deep color. Rogov describes it as "chunky" in his tasting note.
This wine is from Carmel's "Appellation" series intended to represent what wine can be like from Israel's different wine regions (there are 5 - we'll get to them in a future blog).
Best news...this is an Israeli wine you can actually find here in the US.
Carmel has elevated the quality of their wines in recent years, in part due to the great leadership and vision of Adam Montefiore.
Carmel is also a partner in the newer boutique winery Yatir (another favorite of mine) - with winemaker Eran Goldwasser, Australian-trained and producing 100,000 bottles annually. Yatir is also available in the US.
Israeli Wine Tasting Notes: Dalton Reserve, Sauvignon Blanc, 2004
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Sunday, 06 May 07 - 08:00 AM (GMT -06:00) By Richard Shaffer in Tasting Notes |
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I have long been a fan of Dalton wines.
Surrounded by its own vineyards, Dalton is located in the Upper Galilee - they see themselves as sort of part commercial, part boutique winery.
With annual production of around 800,000-1,000,000 bottles, Dalton has several high-altitude vineyards along the Lebanese border. I understand they had some vineyard damage last summer during the war with Lebanon.
On Friday night, our family enjoyed a bottle of their Reserve, Sauvingnon Blanc from the 2004 vintage.
Here's how the Dalton site describes the vineyards for this wine:
THE VINEYARDS: These grapes for this wine came from the vineyards of Kerem Ben Zimra, located in Ramat Dalton in the highlands of the Upper Galilee. Ramat Dalton is a basalt plateau at altitude of 850 meters above sea level, and benefit from a constant breeze to maintain a cool climate. The vineyards were maintained to provide as much shade for the grapes as possible with little to no direct sunlight hitting the grapes.
I strongly recommend the Sauvignon Blanc - crisp, with a lot of grapefruit on the nose and taste and fruit following. It went well with the chicken my wife made (which was pretty darn good, too, by the way).
All Dalton wines are kosher, for those in need of such.
Good news about Dalton is that they are widely available in the US, at least in larger cities.
They introduced a new Viognier this spring - currently only available in Israel. Viognier is a favorite of mine - and a great transition wine for those of you who believe you "only" love Red Wine. Trust me. Here's Rogov's note on that Viognier.
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