Succot and wines for the outdoor vibe.

[Yehoshua Werth]

What to drink on a 50F night with a breeze and some warm food?
What to sip under the stars and some palm branches?
What to open that we have been saving for years?
What new thing seems to fit under the four walls?

Love be with you...

For me a few early thoughts...

2007 Alexander Reserve Merlot - been holding this and every bottle I taste I like them more & more.
2009 Or Haganuz Har Sinai - Big and Rich with a sweet vibe
2009 Agur Kessem - Earth, Funk, Herbs, Lemon and some amazing fruit.. One of my favorites...
2009 Domaine Ventura Cabernet - Have yet to taste ...
2011 Terra Vega Carmenere - Jalapeño Pepper's in red fruit...


and more thoughts to come

[Gabriel Geller]

Hi Yehoshua!

My list as of now:

- Carmel Appellation Carignan 2008
- Gush Etzion Lone Oak Cabernet Franc 2008
- Domaine Ventura Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (you must try this one Yehoshua! )
- Galim Mnts Yiron 2009
- Flam Rosé 2011
- Ella Valley Vineyard's Choice Merlot 2004
- Binyamina Zinfandel Reserve 2010 (anyone tasted this already??)
- BR Cohn Trestle Glenn Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
- Tishbi Viognier Blanc 2011
- Carmel Appellation Petite Sirah 2005

Best,

GG

[Jonathan K]

Guys- in Charleston, SC- Sukkot is generally HOT!!! What I wouldn't give for a 50 degree night!!

With that in mind, likely choices include:

Covenant Red C Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Four Gates Chardonnay 2009
Gallil Yiron 2004
Four Gates Pinot Noir 2009

Also, tucked away in a corner of the old cellar, I just found a long forgotten bottle of Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon 2000. I plan on contemplating that one under the schach as well.

[Marc G]

Just keep in mind that if chilly outside you may want to let the wine reach close to room temperature inside the house first.

[Elchonon Hellinger]

I have 2 cases in the mail, lots of Gush, cab franc, cab sav, syrah

[Isaac C]

Going to be opening as many of these as I can go through for the first days:

Yarden Merlot magnum 2001
Tzuba Cabernet 2007
Covenant Red C 2006
Yarden kela merlot 2006
Dalton Shiraz Oaked 2009
Galil Yiron 2007
Yarden Avital Syrah 2007
Yarden Botrytis 2004
Yarden T2 2008
Golan Mosacto
Yarden Cabernet 2007
BR Cohn Cabernet 2008

[Gabriel Geller]

Adding:

Binyamina, Zinfandel Reserve 2008
Hafner, Late Harvest Chardonnay 2009

[Z Spigelman]

Here in the hills of the Shomron the weather is expected to be hot and humid - 77 tonight and 93 tomorrow.

We are planning on drinking:
Tonight
- Ben Zimra Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2009
- Galil Mt. Pinot Noir 2010
- GHW Gamla White Riesling 2011
- GHW Golan Moscato 2011
Tomorrow
- Castel Rose 2011 (original plan was for Gvaot Masada 2007 bou too heavy in this heat)
- Galil Mt. Ella 2010
- GHW Golan Moscato 2011

Chag Sameach.
Zvi

[Harry J]

Hi; a son of mine studying in Yerushelayim asked me what wine he can bring back for me; being playfully difficult I said whatever you pick is good. He picked kayoumi shiraz! a chag sameach. H

[Craig Winchell]

With ambient temperatures of 105 degrees F, and perhaps hotter in the succah sweatlodge, nothing will taste very good, even if cooled down beforehand. We'll suffer through wine, then drink gin & tonics until we're good and shnockered. Adn if we're good drunks, we should be able to do it b'simcha. SoCal is OK much of the time, but a heatwave during Sukkos is not exactly my preferred situation.

[YoelA]

We're having a heat wave in the north also. Tonight's wine list will be non-kosher wines:
1998 Chappelet Napa Valley cabernet
2000 Leaping Lizard Napa Valley cabernet
2002 Henri Boillot Mersault
2001 Freemakr Abbey Napa Valley riesling

[Gabriel Geller]

With ambient temperatures of 105 degrees F, and perhaps hotter in the succah sweatlodge, nothing will taste very good, even if cooled down beforehand. We'll suffer through wine, then drink gin & tonics until we're good and shnockered. Adn if we're good drunks, we should be able to do it b'simcha. SoCal is OK much of the time, but a heatwave during Sukkos is not exactly my preferred situation.

Reminds me of the chol hamoed sukkot heat wave in 2010, when we had a record 113F in LA! I still had lunch (wearing a suit! ) in the sukka that day despite such situation makes that absolutely unnecessary halachikally speaking.

Sunday night: No wine, at my brother's (not a wine drinker). Kedem grape juice...

Monday lunch:

Gvaot, Vineyard Dance 2008: A Bordeaux blend composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. Almost full-bodied, dark garnet with on the nose sweet dark fruit and hints of smoked wood, the palate shows ripe blackcurrants, blackberries, dark cherries, mediterranean herbs, some nice earthy minerals and notes of dark chocolate with near-sweet and almost mouth-coating tannins on a fairly long finish. Very good and elegant but not as elegant as the 2010 vintage and with less green notes.

Best,

GG

[Yossie Horwitz]

Enjoyed the following wines over 2 days of Chag:

Golan Heights Winery, Yarden, Blanc de Blanc, 2005
Four Gates, Chardonnay, 2007
Golan Heights Winery, Yarden, El-Rom Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004
Covenant, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005
Segal, Single Vineyard Dishon, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007
Galil Mountian, Meron, 2007
Psagot, Single Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007
Chateau Piada, Sauternes, 2001
Golan Heights Winery, Yarden, Noble Semillon (Botrytis), 2005
Porto Cordevero, Ruby Port, n.v.

[Yehoshua Werth]

A Gut Chol Chamoed and Yom Tov / Shabbos.

So far

2009 Auteur Cabernet Sauvignon
2007 Gilgal Cabernet Sauvignon
2009 Alma Bourdeax Blend
2010 Yikvei Zion Muscat Hamburgh
2009 Odem Amber(port style)
2011 Or Haganuz Meron
2007 Barkan Superior Pinotage
&
New Square made Esrog Liqueur
2012 Single Barrel Limited Four Roses
Larceny Bourbon
Lions Pride 47th Ward Single Barrel Whiskey
Balcones Rumble Cask Strength

Coming this week

2007 Barkan Superior Pinotage
2009 Or Haganuz Har Sinai
2009 Domaine Ventura Cabernet Sauvignon
2009 Agur Kessem
and some great Koval Whiskey and or New limited Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon Grapevine Selection 1 of 204

[Elchonon Hellinger]

A Gut Chol Chamoed and Yom Tov / Shabbos.

So far

2009 Auteur Cabernet Sauvignon
2007 Gilgal Cabernet Sauvignon
2009 Alma Bourdeax Blend
2010 Yikvei Zion Muscat Hamburgh
2009 Odem Amber(port style)
2011 Or Haganuz Meron
2007 Barkan Superior Pinotage
&
New Square made Esrog Liqueur
2012 Single Barrel Limited Four Roses
Larceny Bourbon
Lions Pride 47th Ward Single Barrel Whiskey
Balcones Rumble Cask Strength

Coming this week

2007 Barkan Superior Pinotage
2009 Or Haganuz Har Sinai
2009 Domaine Ventura Cabernet Sauvignon
2009 Agur Kessem
and some great Koval Whiskey and or New limited Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon Grapevine Selection 1 of 204

I need you to move to miami!!

[Pinchas L]

We're having a heat wave in the north also. Tonight's wine list will be non-kosher wines:
1998 Chappelet Napa Valley cabernet
2000 Leaping Lizard Napa Valley cabernet
2002 Henri Boillot Mersault
2001 Freemakr Abbey Napa Valley riesling

Hi Yoel,

Any standouts?

-> Pinchas

[David Raccah]

Holy makeral I was on Chicago and the weather was awesome, I got sick, but the weather was great. San Jose, was ok, from what I hear, but chicago's weather was he clear winner here so far. Enjoyed the blazelet hagolan non reserve, did not care for the 2010 Odem chard or the 2010 unoaked Binyamina chard, i got mixed up with the solid 11 and the poor 10. I did not find the Sancerre from Joseph Mellot all that interesting either.

Mode tov,
David

[Elchonon Hellinger]

With ambient temperatures of 105 degrees F, and perhaps hotter in the succah sweatlodge, nothing will taste very good, even if cooled down beforehand. We'll suffer through wine, then drink gin & tonics until we're good and shnockered. Adn if we're good drunks, we should be able to do it b'simcha. SoCal is OK much of the time, but a heatwave during Sukkos is not exactly my preferred situation.

I drank like 1 full bottle and more last night.... i was so hazed out, shared the other bottle at simchas bais hashoeva... then walked home like 1 mile.. have a horrific hangover

[YoelA]

Hi, Pinhas. The Mersault was quite nice after a while, when the fruit came out from behin the acid. But the Chappelet was not up to par, so the second red wine wasn't opened. Probably will open it Sunday.

Some years ago when I was tasting up in Napa, a number of wineries were having sales on their 1998 cabernets, saying that they had not met the winery's standards. They were selling them at half the price of the then-current releases (i.i. $ 35 instead of $ 70). I tasted a few and bought two. But I only bought the Chappelet recently. Chappelet is known for making a more "elegant" cab, but this one was thinner than I had expected, and a bit bitter in the finish.

[Pinchas L]

Hi Yoel,

As an aside, knowing that you are quite familiar with Hagafen's wines, I was interested in your opinion. I am looking to choose from amongst their current offerings a white wine that I hope to serve at either a bar mitzvah or wedding within the next year and half. My initial inclination was to go with their Prix Sauvignon Blanc 2009. To that end I ordered a sample of that wine, and in addition I got the Roussanne 2011, as well as the Prix Chardonnay 2010. At this point I'm confused, and not because any of the wines are bad, but because in my opinion both Prix releases don't seem to have been fully integrated. Perhaps with some time they will, as the 06' Prix Chardonnay is drinking beautifully now, as is the '07 Sauvignon Blanc. The Rousanne on the other hand, surprised me, because it seems to lack its characteristic bitterness, hence making it more accessible to a wider audience. My chief concern with the Rousanne is that it is not a wine with which that many people are familiar, something that might put them off. I would clearly not have considered any of the previous versions of the Roussanne as viable candidates, but, as I've already said, this one is different.

Others are more than welcome to offer their opinion.

Best,
-> Pinchas

[Jonathan K]

Prix Reserve Merlot Vichy Vineyard Block 4 2005- in a decanter for an hour. brown around the edges and initially with clove and cinnamon on the nose and a very short finish. After 30 minutes, leather and notes of mint and eucalyptus and an extended finish. Wonderful mature Merlot. Drink now.

[YoelA]

Pinhas: Hagafen's rousanne is one of my favorites, but that's also because I don't care much for chardonnay in general (except for Chablis). However, for the bar mitzvah I suggest that you serve their Don Ernesto collage white. It has a very pleasant taste and aroma (it's a mix of rousanne with viognier and maybe another grape) and a funny-looking label.

On the genera; topic, at last night's sukkah we served Tzora 2009 Judean Hills cabernet and Shoresh white. The cab was a typical Tzora cab, terroir-driven with an earthy component and suprising drinkable for one that young. The Shoresh I had bought at a visit to the winery; it's 90/10 gewurtz/chardonnay and combines the fruitiness and zip of the gewurtz without thetypical bitterness in the finish - tastes as good as when I bought it.

[Isaac C]

Finally got a chance to write up my wines from the first days of Yom Tov:

Yarden Merlot magnum 2001 - Phenomenal, full bodied, bursting with flavor, elegant and smooth, with very soft tannins, the mouth showed strong notes of cherries. A lot of sediment and definitely showing it's age, this is a wine which shows the benefits of 10 years in the magnum bottle.

Covenant Red C 2006 - Dark garnet in color, powerful and fruity mouth and nose with fruity flavors (dark berries), a little spiciness, and nicely integrated tannins. The finish on this wine was long and enjoyable. An excellent California Cab and a wine that is much better now than it was a few years ago.

Dalton Shiraz Oaked 2009 - My previous TN on this hold (This wine is an amazing QPR. I had this together with some much more expensive and amazing wines and it held it's ground. Full bodied, rich spicy berries and tannins on the mouth and nose, and a nice sweetness and strong tannins on the long finish.) I had most of this after being open for over 24 hours.

Galil Yiron 2007 - A delicious wine, drinking excellently now. It has definitely improved over the past year. The nose and mouth on this wine was full of berries with a hint of chocolate on the finish. This full bodied wine was very smooth, long, and elegant with the tannins gently coating the palate.

Yarden Avital Syrah 2007 - Still too young and closed to fully appreciate, opened it in the morning and drank for dinner, still needed time to open up in the glass and never opened up fully. Super dark, full bodied and concentrated, classic Yarden Single Vineyard characteristics, the mouth and nose showed strong notes of plums and soft tanninns. This wine will benefit greatly from some aging.

Yarden T2 2008 - Previous TN holds, this is a favorite of mine.

[Adam M]

Am herein Dallas making due with what the local shops have to offer:

2008 Yarden cab - had a few bottles of this. It's quite good.
2008 Galil mountain yiron - ditto
2006 Yarden merlot - ditto
2007 Alexander Sandro. Ditto
GILGAL sparkling. Ditto
2007 Gamla Chardonnay - awful, but b/c it was over the hill.