Galil Mountain Winery Redux

[ChaimShraga]

I just posted about the Galil Mountain mid-range wines that were recently released.

The Ella is very nice while the Viognier surprised this avid non-fan of the grape.

http://2grandcru.blogspot.co.il/2012/09/galil-mountain-winery-redux.html

[Gabriel Geller]

I like the Galil Viognier a lot, much more than the Yarden which I find too oaky for my palate (the '08).

Shabbat Shalom,

GG

[Pinchas L]

Hi Chaim,

If Galil Mountain got you to taste their Viognier, then Ya'akov should eventually succeed in getting you to taste his, too.
Now I haven't had the 2010 yet, and based on comments they made I suspect that the grapes saw a tad too much hang time due to the grower not following that perfectionists instructions to the tee. Additionally, Ya'akov experiments as usual, so that the style is not necessarily consistent from vintage to vintage. His '08 was off-dry while the '09 was dry. Nonetheless, Ya'akov sounds very proud of his viognier, placing it in his highest tier, Adam V'Adama, back in the days of Asif. In my estimation, Ya'akov's is the best Viognier in Israel.

Best,
-> Pinchas

[ChaimShraga]

I'll post about Midbar in a couple of weeks, but they're the best line up of white wines I've ever tasted in Israel.

[Jonathan K]

Chaim, thanks for the notes. I love a good Viognier sometimes, and a good dry Gewurtztraminer all the time. My recollection of the last Galil Mountain Viognier I had (and it has been awhile) was an almost liqueor-like wine and it was not to my liking. Maybe time to give it another try.

[Gabriel Geller]

I love (...) a good dry Gewurtztraminer all the time. My recollection of the last Galil Mountain Viognier I had (and it has been awhile) was an almost liqueor-like wine and it was not to my liking. Maybe time to give it another try.

Galil Viognier 2011 is now a bit more expensive than in the past but much better IMHO. At the Jerusalem's Festival everybody was raving about the Yarden Viognier '08 but I just couldn't really enjoy it with the oak showing way too much, perhaps even more than in the Katzrin Chardonnay. While I can handle a little over-the-top heavy hand with oak in Chardonnay, I find Viognier being too sensitive to such treatment and I think it's a shame when wood overshadows its potentially great fruit profile. Jonathan, you must try the Gvaot Gewurz '11 at some point! As about only 650 bottles were made it might soon become impossible to find.