Generations / WeeksEnd wine

[Harry J]

bsd
Children,parents. A vine ,its grapes.
Pruning,directing; attempting to grow.
Struggles within; choices we make .
As much as it sometimes seem were all the same ,each person is unique.
If we can come to respect each other-everything would be so great.
Have a good one; h

[Isaac C]

Opening a bottle of Dalton Petite Sirah 2010 and Trader Joe's Vintage Ale 2012. Good shabbos to all.

[YoelA]

Pacific Star winery, 2005 "Dad's Daily Red", a Mediterranean-style blend

[Gabriel Geller]

Pacific Star winery, 2005 "Dad's Daily Red", a Mediterranean-style blend

Harry, hi... shavua tov!

Yoel, interesting blend you've got there! I just looked up their website and can see that it's indeed an interesting blend of old vines' Carignan, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel and Charbono. How does it taste/smell like?

Friday night:

HHW, Isaac's Ram Cabernet Sauvignon 2005: Even better than my last bottle a few months ago. Holding its own very nicely.

The meal was followed by a very rare kosher Cognac, Marceau XO, a bottle that comes in an individual wooden case which my host received as a gift from a french government official more than 15 years ago and that he finally decided to open for his daughter's engagement last year. Needless to say that I felt very honored and lucky to taste that. Turns out apparently that Marceau made only kosher Cognac and that the VS is still available in France. Anyway it has a floral and leathery nose with hints of caramelized nuts, freshly tanned leather and prunes, with on the palate pecan nuts, leather and almonds as well as dried apricots on the finish. Very tasty indeed but I still like both the Carmel 100 and 120 brandies better. I enjoyed as well some Calvados Boulard VSOP that was also quite good.

Shabbat lunch:

Willing to certify my feeling that the new Teperberg Terra Viognier 2011 is IMHO now the best Viognier in Israel, I decided to compare it with the Yatir and while the later is also excellent, the Teperberg (and the Midbar) beats it hands down. Anyway:

Yatir, Viognier 2010: An unoaked Viognier that spent 5 months in stainless steel vats, light straw with green reflections. On the perfumed nose typical tropical fruit such as guava and Japanese medlars as well as fresh honeysuckle. Medium-bodied with on the palate medlars, pears, guava, peaches with a hint of tangerine and on the moderately long finish fresh unsalted almonds and a note of white pepper.

A safe and good week to all,

GG

[lewis.pasco]

Friday night Shabbat dairy & vegetarian dinner, quite lovely with friends in Jerusalem: Beit El winery's 2011 "Roni" Carignane - lovely and light-medium bodied, very drinkable for such a young wine, fruity and Beaujolais like. Kudos to Hillel Manne for NOT trying to turn this wine into something the vintage didn't give with his deft hand on the oak... OK I missed the Beaujolais Nouveau tasting at Avi Ben that I'd meant to attend before Shabbat.

Anywho, dinner included a vegetarian Borscht, cherry tomatoes salad, roasted eggplant with yogurt, avocado half mashed with a pinch of red wine vinegar, dill and cilantro, farfarelle with home made pesto (mine, how nice it is to find real Italian kosher parmesan on the Supermarket shelf at Rami Levi!) and fresh blanched green beans with just a wiff of EVOO. With this lovely assortment of soup and "small plates" for Fri. dinner, the 2011 Bet El "Roni" was darned near perfect.

Saturday - Pelter's 2010 Trio at a restaurant in the far North. At 145 NIS, less than $40 per bottle on a restaurant menu, I wonder how many Californians would find such a lovely and typical Bordeaux blend. Absolutely everything in this wine is in balance, like a fine Cru Bourgeois St Julien.

Hi Harry!

[Gabriel Geller]

Friday night Shabbat dairy & vegetarian dinner, quite lovely with friends in Jerusalem: Beit El winery's 2011 "Roni" Carignane - lovely and light-medium bodied, very drinkable for such a young wine, fruity and Beaujolais like. Kudos to Hillel Manne for NOT trying to turn this wine into something the vintage didn't give with his deft hand on the oak... OK I missed the Beaujolais Nouveau tasting at Avi Ben that I'd meant to attend before Shabbat.

Anywho, dinner included a vegetarian Borscht, cherry tomatoes salad, roasted eggplant with yogurt, avocado half mashed with a pinch of red wine vinegar, dill and cilantro, farfarelle with home made pesto (mine, how nice it is to find real Italian kosher parmesan on the Supermarket shelf at Rami Levi!) and fresh blanched green beans with just a wiff of EVOO. With this lovely assortment of soup and "small plates" for Fri. dinner, the 2011 Bet El "Roni" was darned near perfect.

Saturday - Pelter's 2010 Trio at a restaurant in the far North. At 145 NIS, less than $40 per bottle on a restaurant menu, I wonder how many Californians would find such a lovely and typical Bordeaux blend. Absolutely everything in this wine is in balance, like a fine Cru Bourgeois St Julien.

Hi Harry!

Hurray!!! Lewis, welcome back on the forum! How are you doing? I texted you yesterday, hope to see you tomorrow! best, Gabriel

[Isaac Chavel]

Hi, Harry, shavu'a tov,

Friday night at a friend's house: 2010, then 2009 Dalton Merlot. Both very nice, the '09 obviously the smoother of the two. Although one at the table preferred the '10 as having more character.

Shabbat lunch: 2007 Galil Yiron, drinking beautifully.

A good week to all,

Isaac

[Yossie Horwitz]

At a school dinner for my kids, overcame mediocre (to say the least) food with a bottle of Hagafen's 2008 Prix Cabernet Franc. For lunch polished off a bottle of Binyamina's Reserve Zinfandel left over from Thursday night and the Hagafen LH 2008 for desert. An OK wine, but nothing in the league of the Yarden Botrytis or even Hagafen's Prix LH Chardonnay.

[David Raccah]

Friday night Shabbat dairy & vegetarian dinner, quite lovely with friends in Jerusalem: Beit El winery's 2011 "Roni" Carignane - lovely and light-medium bodied, very drinkable for such a young wine, fruity and Beaujolais like. Kudos to Hillel Manne for NOT trying to turn this wine into something the vintage didn't give with his deft hand on the oak... OK I missed the Beaujolais Nouveau tasting at Avi Ben that I'd meant to attend before Shabbat.

Hi Harry!

Lewis great to see you here at the forum! We look forward to your wine notes and knowledge!

[Josh Patt]

Friday night I made kiddush on wine of my own making - a fortified red wine from Tempranillo grapes (with a little Morlot added). Allowed to ferment for two days and then fortified to 19% Abv. I can't claim to be objective about my own wine, but I'm happy with the result.
I also made some dry wine which is still ageing. I have two wines, one from Petit Verdot and Merlot and the second from Petite Sirah. I will probably blend them, but haven't decided yet when and in what proportion.

With the rest of Friday night dinner we had the Shilo Shor Cabernet 2009 - full boodied with cassis and blackberry fruit going on to herbs and cedar. A very good Cabernet, true to the variety and approachable now. I can't say how much this wine will improve with age, but it would be nice to set aside a few bootles to find out.

With Shabbat lunch we had the Dalton reserve Suavignon Blanc 2011 - almost colorless with a nose of tropical fruit (mostly pineapple) follwed by a hint of cut grass. Clean, crisp and refreshing.

[Pinchas L]

Hi Harry,

With more guests on hand than usual, I also had more bottles than is my norm.

Tzora Neve Ilan Blanc 2009 - The wine is currently in an interesting phase, in which salinity is the most prominent feature. The fruit has receded, but the wine still tastes fresh and crisp, with a touch of butterscotch on the finish. 100% Chardonnay and 14% AbV. B/**

Hagafen Pinot Noir 2011 - After a respite of several years in which Ernie did not produce a Pinot, primarily because of issues with sourcing quality fruit, he released another one. The wine is delicate in weight, texture, and the way it carries the fruit. Its very pleasant, even if not complex. In many ways I like it better than the regular releases of old. 13.5% AbV and $32 directly from the winery. B-/**

Tzora Shoresh 2006 - This vintage is 100% Cabernet Sauvingnon, unlike the 2005 that was made entirely of Merlot. This basket of cassis is encrusted in a substantial layer of herbs, and was dropped on the forest floor where it lay for some time. A bit clumsy. 14% AbV and about 119 NIS. C+/*

Shiloh Cabernet Sauvignon Secret Reserve 2009 - This is a very pleasant and easy drinking Cabernet, whose tannins do not overwhelm, whose fruit is bright, and whose body is on the light side. I don't understand its "Secret Reserve" designation. 14.5% AbV. B-/na

Best,
-> Pinchas

Grading for quality: A - marvellous, B - good/intriguing, C - mediocre/uninspiring, D - subjectively flawed, F - objectively flawed
Grading for value: *** - it's a steal, ** - it's a reasonable deal, * - you've been robbed

[Stacey B]

Friday night Domaine Ventura Cab Franc 2009. One of the best Cab Francs I have had. French in style it is both elegant and full at the same time, even at its young age.
Later in the evening we enjoyed a Kayoumi Shiraz 207- this one keeps getting better.
Shabbat day we had a HHW Pardes merlot 2005. When I decided to open it I had another bottle picked just in cas as my experience with another HHW the Mackpelah ot the same year was not so good , but to my surprise and joy this one was really good, plum, black fruit, garnet in color medium body and tannins intact.
A good and safe week to all!

[Harry J]

Friday night had 2 wines from the enagagement party that were both surprses to me in their depth as opposed to previous vitages. Segals 2011 fusion and recanat ysmin red 2011. For lunch my duagters future inlaws sent over a bottle of Four Gates chard 2005. What a lovely wine.melon,pear,and soft tannins. H

[Craig Winchell]

Shabbos night, while worrying about my daughter who had gone off to the Golan for Shabbos, a pre-Pesach drawn bottle of Agua Dulce 2010 Cab, which tasted oakier than I remembered. Shabbos lunch, a not-yet-over-the-hill bottle of '97 GAN EDEN limited reserve Cab. I continue to find a few bottles here and there of very good wine, interspersed with others that are clearly well on their way to hell. Nice to get some pleasure from a wine I had begun writing off over a year ago, as I'm entering a new phase, with some new GAN EDEN potentially on its way (if I get my act together-- luckily, I still own the brand name).

[Sam M]

2005 prix melange- loved it.
2010- psagot edom - one of my favorite wines.

[Yehoshua Werth]

Harry great thoughts may it be so!

Josh Hope to taste this 19%ed sounds fun.

Mr. Pasco welcome

Had
2007 Yarden Kela Merlot in Honor of the Award... This still tastes your full and flexing muscle Choc all around, over the top and long finish.
2009 Alexander Cabernet Sauvignon for Kiddush thanks to my wife... Always a pleasure. Big and Silky.
2010 Galil Yiron Barbera... Wow lets get fruity, deep, light spice, amazing nose on this ... Did not want to give up the smelling for a while.. Re-checked after Shabbos and yes top notch.. WELL DONE
2006 Tabor Adama Volcanic Cabernet Sauvignon... Peaked yet nice flavors around need to taste again when not so chilled.

[Josh Patt]

Josh Hope to taste this 19%ed sounds fun.

Let me know when you're in Israel and I'll be happy to share a bottle with you!

[jgpersky]

Battle of the Barberas
Shiloh Shor Barbera 2010- classic Barbera but a little too angular for my taste. I think it needs time after 16 months in oak.
Galil Barbera 2010- delightful and soft. More integrated after 12 months in oak. I wouldn't kick either off my table.

[gaston k]

Another bottle of Landsman Pinot Noir. I keep on drinking it, and it's pairing well with a variety of Shabbat foods.

Also spent some time in San Fran, and made major use of Sabra's proximity. Missed out on visiting any wineries, though did end up at a bar in Oakland called the Trappist, and had some great Belgians on tap.

[David Raccah]

Battle of the Barberas
Shiloh Shor Barbera 2010- classic Barbera but a little too angular for my taste. I think it needs time after 16 months in oak.
Galil Barbera 2010- delightful and soft. More integrated after 12 months in oak. I wouldn't kick either off my table.

Could not come to appreciate the Galil Barbera - as you said an OK wine with spice and black fruit, but lacking almost any complexity. The 2009 Shor Barbera was more interesting and mevushal!

David

[Gabriel Geller]

Another bottle of Landsman Pinot Noir. I keep on drinking it, and it's pairing well with a variety of Shabbat foods.

Hi Gaston, with so few bottles available and that even only to club members, wouldn't it be better to let some sit in the cellar for 3-5 years and see how it ages? I mean 2011 for a PN seems soooo young to me!

[David Raccah]

Had the wine again last night - more on the insanely epic event soon, but the Landsman Pinot is not a wine that is long for this earth. Maybe two or three years at most, in my humble opinion. Very lovely.

David

[Gabriel Geller]

Had the wine again last night - more on the insanely epic event soon, but the Landsman Pinot is not a wine that is long for this earth. Maybe two or three years at most, in my humble opinion. Very lovely.

David

How long was it aged and what barrels were used? And if I dare to ask, how much are they selling it for?

[David Raccah]

The Pinot, Syrah, and Zinfandel are part of the new Landsman Wine Club:

http://www.covenantwines.com/wine-club

The wines are NOT multi year wines that are the norm for Covenant. When you think Covenant, they want you to be thinking Cabernet and Chardonnay, that is the desire in any case.

David