Journeys / Friday Night wine

[Harry J]

bsd
From place to place.some been there,done that.some new.
But when you think of it every moment is new even those that feel revisited.
Yes even those that feel in a Rogov expression- vinegar like
are what creates me & you.
Have a good one; h

[Birger Vejrum]

bsd
From place to place.some been there,done that.some new.
But when you think of it every moment is new even those that feel revisited.
Yes even those that feel in a Rogov expression- vinegar like
are what creates me & you.
Have a good one; h

Hi Harry,

Very hot here in Denmark 29-33 degrees, very unusual for Denmark. My wine is in the fridge and come in my cooler 1 hour before we taste it Barbera d´Alba 2006 from http://www.filippogallino.com

God week-end.

Ciao
Birger

[T Shahar]

montes - Pinot Noir 2007 aged in oak for eight months. medium red color, medium to full bodied, strong tannins, berry fruits, vanilla. long finish.can not fell the high 14.5% alc in the wine. Very nice pinot for 12€.

Sabat Shalom.

Tomer

[Gamliel K]

Hi Harry,

Tonight I will be opening up a bottle of Hagafen's 07 Lake County Riesling. My tasting notes follow:

Hagafen, Riesling, Lake County, 2007: Like earlier vintages of this wine, it is semi dry, has a bouquet of lemons and honey, and a flavor of lemons, honey, and Seville oranges. Although lacking depth, this wine is well crafted and enjoyable. Score B/B+.

Have a gutten Shabbos and a gutten Chodesh,
Gamliel

[Doug Z]

uve got to take the cow (not bull, in this particular instance) by the horns...

(extra credit to thee who knows what the week's reference is to...)

tonight's forecast: salmon. (fillets with soy sauce and garlic and mustard) with partially scattered spinach.

gamla white reisling 2007 chilling as we speak.

no post for me next friday...alas, i will be on vacation in liguria for 2 weeks starting thursday. no internet or email.

poor me.

[Birger Vejrum]

no post for me next friday...alas, i will be on vacation in liguria for 2 weeks starting thursday. no internet or email.

poor me.

Hi Dough,

Remember to buy some Olive oil with you back home, worlds best in Liguria.

1 hours drive to the motherland Piemonte

Ciao
Birger

[Daniel Rogov]

Harry, Hi....

Considering that I tasted 27 wines this morning in my tasting room and then attended a press tasting of the new releases from the Golan Heights Winery, that followed by a humongous lunch, there is simply no room for wine on my schedule tonight. I am thus comfortably sipping one home-made citron presse after the other, and with that munching no more than salty, lightly buttered crackers. What can I say other than that for everything there is a time.

Best
Rogov

[Daniel Rogov]

1 hours drive to the motherland Piemonte

Birger, Hi......

In the Old Testament it is written that "Man doth not live by bread only" (Deuteronomy 8:2-3)
In the New Testament Christ said that "Man shall not live on bread alone" (Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4)

May I paraphrase that a bit as I have in the past in suggesting that

Man should not live on Piemonte wines alone

Best and Smiling
Rogov

[Birger Vejrum]

1 hours drive to the motherland Piemonte

Birger, Hi......

In the Old Testament it is written that "Man doth not live by bread only" (Deuteronomy 8:2-3)
In the New Testament Christ said that "Man shall not live on bread alone" (Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4)

May I paraphrase that a bit as I have in the past in suggesting that

Man should not live on Piemonte wines alone

Best and Smiling
Rogov

Hi Daniel

We had this talk before As said before when I am going to Piemonte I am not going on holiday, I am comming home.

Jesus Christ made wine of water, I bet you it was Nebbiolo he served

Ciao
Birger

[Avi Hein]

With a fine Shabbat dinner of sushi, I enjoyed the 2007 Yarden Gewutztraminer. A fun, lightly fruity wine with hints of leechee and other tropical fruits, this was a nice wine to celebrate my recent birthday. I still have one more bottle of this left, so I suspect that I will be enjoying it again before the holidays begin next month.

[EY Han]

bsd

Hi Harry,

Last night Kiddush again was done on grape juice (Carmel, I believe), but tastings were done in the following order: Recanati Reserve Chardonnay, 2006; Galil Mountain Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005; Tzuba Dessert Wine (Chardonnay?), n.v.; Yatir Shiraz, 2005. I believe that the Yatir Shiraz was my first tasting of it ever, and it definitely started out with a bit of a bottle stink, and I was seriously questioning the condition of the relatively recently purchased bottle as I was drinking it. It definitely was giving the earthy and somewhat Old World overtones on the nose and the palate. The Tzuba Dessert Wine on the nose and palate seemed very much like a good brandy to me (which is very good for me, because my liver problems do not let me swallow even the smallest drops of hard alcoholic drinks), and had hints of plum in the aroma.

Both the food for dinner (vegetarian) and lunch (last meat meal for at least another week, because of the Days of Repentance) were seriously insigifnicant this Shabbat, but Kiddush was done on a Chateau de Gairoird, Provence Rosé, 2006. My guests again did not like the Tzuba Dessert Wine as much, and they thought it was too sweet. However, I took it as well as my leftover Yatir Shiraz and Recanati Reserve Chardonnay to my friends' place, and they all loved all three in the late afternoon…

Best wishes, and a good week and month to all!!
E.Y.

[Matt Walter]

We had a Bustan 2002 CS which all thoroughly enjoyed!

Question for you, Daniel: You rated this wine as 89 in your book. Did you subtract points from its score for its lacking a long finish? I really liked this wine and felt that its only real shortcoming was the finish. Those of us at the table scored it anywhere from 90 to 92.

Matt

[Daniel Rogov]

Matt, Hi.....

Looking over my original tasting notes, I see that what prevented the wine from crossing into the 90 point category was its short finish and even then its predicted short drinking window as compared to earlier releases. As if to bear that out, a more recent tasting (about three months ago)had the wine showing first signs of true aging, now in a "drink up" condition, and possibly as a reflection of the 2002 "curse" earning only 87 points (as will be reflected in the 2009 edition of my book).

Best
Rogov

[Mike BG]

Amongst others we thoroughly enjoyed a bottle of Yiron Syrah 2003 and a Yarden Heightswine 2005 (concerning which the consensus was that this has to be the best Heightswine yet). We also had a bottle of Carmel SIngle VIneyard Har Bracha Merlot 2002, which seems to be a little over the hill, although less so than some previous bottles of the same. It just seems to be 'falling apart', which is a shame because it was excellent in its prime and I still have a good few bottles left. Daniel's original tasting note was very enthusiastic, but I wonder if he has tasted it recently?

Here is the original TN:

Carmel, Merlot, Har Bracha, Single Vineyard, 2002:Full-bodied, complex and notably tannic, a Merlot with true personality. Dark purple towards black, with the tannins still rather firm at this stage but with the balance and structure that bode well for the future. As the wine comes into its own look for black cherry, currant and plum fruits, those on a spicy cedar-wood background. Give this one time! Best from 2006-2009, perhaps longer. Score 92.

It never seemed to get out of the 'tannic' description, despite 'giving this one time' (which is why I have quite a bit left). According to the above TN it really ought to be at its peak now, but that is not my impression!

Daniel, any more recent TN?

[Daniel Rogov]

Mike, Hi....


My most recent tasting note for the wine in question follows. Much of my prediction for the drinking window and decline of the wine is based on experience with the 2002 red wines both of Carmel in particular and Israel in general. Let us not forget the "2002 curse".

Best
Rogov

Carmel, Merlot, Single Vineyards, Har Bracha, 2002: As in its youth, full-bodied and complex and dark purple, its once firm tannins still gripping but integrating nicely now and continuing to show plum, black cherry and currant fruits on a spicy cedar background. On the verge of passing its peak. Drink up. Score 90. K (Re-tasted 27 Mar 2008)

[Mike BG]

... Let us not forget the "2002 curse"...

... indeed not, but there were some notable surprises, including this one (while it lasted)!

... On the verge of passing its peak. Drink up. Score 90. K (Re-tasted 27 Mar 2008)

Interesting that I found it better now than earlier in the year (your note is from March, which is about when we had the previous bottle) although I think the colour is beginning to go a little brownish now. Bottle variance?

[Billy M]

Though it is the "three weeks" and yesterday was the beginning of the "9 days" it was a joyous time as one of my sons has come home for a brief time before going back to school. Friday night we opened a 2003 Castel C for the various salads that opened our meal and then a 2000 Yarden CS for the main course. I am so in love with the 03 Castel C, what a classic chard should taste like, hints of honey and melons and spring fruits and it was just perfect in balance. The Yarden is still outstanding, the flavors are well integrated and balanced, with dark berries, cherries and blackberries. Truly a wonderful Cabernet

[Harry J]

Hi.A golan merlot 2005 it was ok but borrowing from the Rogov lexicon "one dimensionsal".Alas the 14.5 kept it to so to speak hold its own.h