WTN - "Entry Level" Wines from Galil Mountain Winery

[ChaimShraga]

http://2grandcru.blogspot.com/2012/03/galil-mountain-winery.html

I don't really feel like copying and pasting.

[Pinchas L]

Hi Chaim,

I enjoyed your blog entry, as always. I wonder if you're as puzzled as me that Galil Mountain seems to get its winemaking right, whereas its bigger brother, Yarden, doesn't. I do understand that the relationship is more financial than professional. As to their insistence on producing Pinot Noir, I'm as stumped as you.

-> Pinchas

[Alek W]

Just for the record: the wines tasted are

Galil Mountain, Galil, Alon, 2009

Galil Mountain, Galil, Pinot Noir, 2010

Galil Mountain, Galil, Sauvignon Blanc, 2011

[Lior Yogev]

I already commented on the post itself, but I'd like to add that the Rose (2011) is also a small wine that's worth looking up. To my taste - on of the best local versions of this wine. I'm not much of a Rose fan so my repertoire isn't very large.

Lior

[Gabriel Geller]

Hi ChaimShraga, I had a much better experience with the Pinot Noir and I enjoyed it very much but I'm glad you like the Alon. I guess that considering your experience with Burgundy PNs, you have numerous points of comparison that I don't. May I ask you which are the Israeli PN that you like (either kosher or not)? Thanks.

[Stephen Weil]

dont discount Ella Valley.

[ChaimShraga]

Hi ChaimShraga, I had a much better experience with the Pinot Noir and I enjoyed it very much but I'm glad you like the Alon. I guess that considering your experience with Burgundy PNs, you have numerous points of comparison that I don't. May I ask you which are the Israeli PN that you like (either kosher or not)? Thanks.

I haven't tried any recenlt. AFAIK, the last one was the Vitkin and didn't like it, although I wanted to:

The nose is promising for the level and price of this wine, with candy-ish red fruit, a touch of VA initially, some earthy nuances. The palate, I think, is schizoid, as on the one had it feels lightweight, yet on the other, strains to contain it's 13.8% ABV and thus the alcohol overshadows the fruit. I'm kind of stuck with finding an appropiate Hollywood director. I'm looking for someone you want to like for a lack of pretensions yet still can't get excited over. I'd say Penny Marshall except I really loved Big. (Feb. 21, 2009)

[Lior Yogev]

I'm not convinced that Israel is a great pinot country - considering both the climate Vs. where pinot usually succeeds and the outcome most wineries produce from the grape. It may seem that the trend is to maximize the flavors by ripeness, oak, or both. The most characteristic pinot I tasted from Israel is from Anava winery, vintage 2007 - although - it's slightly too sweet, and more notably, extremely overpriced at ~170NIS. I should stress that I don't have any notable Burgundy pinot experience, but I did have some nice pinots around Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast so I feel I have some reference.

Lior

[ChaimShraga]

I wonder if you're as puzzled as me that Galil Mountain seems to get its winemaking right, whereas its bigger brother, Yarden, doesn't. I do understand that the relationship is more financial than professional. As to their insistence on producing Pinot Noir, I'm as stumped as you.

-> Pinchas

I don't think puzzled is the word. Amused, maybe, that the winery that seems to pride itself the most on technology leans, at the very end, on either the personal stylistic inclinations of its senior winemaker or on the edicts of its marketing department. Although I'm sure GHW would deny the latter and point out its long-standing disinclination, since rescinded, to produce a sparkling Gamla.

I do want to stress that I really enjoyed the Sauvignon Blanc, because it makes me feel there's people behind the winery and not just a big, bad wine-making machine. I have to say that so that I can feel better about not liking the Pinot. Then again, if you insist on making a Pinot, you risk incurring the wrath of my kind of wine geek.

[Gabriel Geller]

Thanks ChaimShraga! Have you had the Pelter PN? I've heard and read so many good things about it (among which that it is the only true to its varietal israeli PN) but as I restrict myself to kosher only, I didn't taste it myself.

[Yehoshua Werth]

Hmmm

Thought the 2009 Galil Alon was very nice yet to title them as entry level well.. People in the Duty free they cost $20.00
and most Galil Wines unless on sale are in the $14 Zone.. Thoughts??

[ChaimShraga]

Ok, so they're not entry-level wines. They're still fairly fairly simple fare. I always perceived the Galil Mountain hierarchy as two-tier: Yiron/Meron and the rest.

[Yehoshua Werth]

Where would you put the Avivim? and the Pinot is 17-$18...

I want to go to your entry level

How is you day by the way

[Lior Yogev]

People in the Duty free they cost $20.00
and most Galil Wines unless on sale are in the $14 Zone.. Thoughts??

The duty free at Ben Gurion is one of the most expansive places to buy wine in Israel (for most of the wines sold there, at least)
Even after the 3+1 usual sale there, you would be left with an average wine shop prices before discounts etc (again, for most of the wines).

In winedeopt, for example, it's 57NIS which is closer to 14$ than to 20$... ( http://winedepot.co.il/default.asp?Page ... ductID=722 )

Lior

[R Liberman]

Has anybody seen the Alon for sale in the US? I'd love to try it.

[David Raccah]

Will be here at the end of the year.....

David

[Daniel Kovnat]

Sorry to add my 2 cents so long after this string was started, but I was glad to hear that you found these three wines to your liking. I reviewed them and wrote about them on my blog about a month ago, and basically, agree with you other than the Pinot Noir. I thought that its high alcohol didn't balance well with the rest of what the wine gave me. Probably a difference of tastes. I think that the Alon and the SB were of excellent quality for their price.

I have a question as to the designation, "Entry Level" wines. Could anyone give me a more precise definition, especially in terms of price? Is there an absolute cost at which you would consider a wine to be "Entry Level?" Is the term relative to others produced?

Thanks for your responses,
Danny "Come Lately" , novice israelwinetaster