Age / WeeksEnd wine

[Harry J]

bsd
Inherent in the alluring mystique of wine is its ability to age.The reward of patience to connect from what was to what will be.
Have a good one; h

[Yossie Horwitz]

Celebrating my sister's engagement tonight, so I'm breaking out a Yarden, Elrom Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2001 and Hagafen, Prix, Melange, 2004 (for starters). A Yarden, Botrytis, 2004 will likely round off the meal. Will report back.

[David Raccah]

Hey Yossie please report back on how long the ElRom takes to open.

Thanks

[Yossie Horwitz]

Will do (if opened Friday night, maybe it will be open by the time I can report back here )

[Ian Sutton]

Tonight a Te Mata Cape Crest SB (barrel influenced style), plus maybe a glass of 2002 Unison Selection (Merlot/CS/Syrah) if I can sneak a glass away from the brains of the operation.

[Andrew Breskin]

Harry,

Giving the 2008 Capcanes Flor de Primavera a whirl after the disappointing performance last week from Latour Netofa.

Also-- this week I had the 2007 Elvi Makor which is drinking beautifully, and the 2010 Weinstock Petite Sirah. This is the best (and most varietal-ly correct) kosher Petite out there. And it was drinking well out of the bottle three days later.

[YoelA]

Not all zinfandels do well with age; many only do well with 4 or 5 years. But the zins of Spenker, in Lodi, usually need ten. Tonight it's the 2000.

[Gabriel Geller]

Good Woch Harry,

I had a very busy wine week and did fine this weekend as well.

On Monday night, I opened with friends a bottle of Galil Mnts Pinot Noir '08: Disappointing. I've posted an extended TN on another thread.
Tuesday night for a friend's birthday we opened a Rose du Castel '09, beautiful pink toward orange, I'm usually not a rose drinker but this one totally won me. My best Rose ever! Clear strawberries on both the nose and palate, some spices too. Delightful. We then moved on with Tzora Givat Hachalukim '08, a very nice big cab deep and concentrated but not as much as the Shoresh '08 which I adore. Full bodied with the tannins clearly felt though not a source of disturbance at all, perhaps a bit too oaky for me with some hints of vanilla, dark fruits (blueberries, also well felt on the nose) and a very long finish. With the dessert (my home-made marrons glacés: candied chestnuts) a Binyamina Reserve Gewurtztraminer late harvest cluster select '08. What can I say..? If that doesn't satisfy you I'm afraid you're a lost cause...

Friday night: very rainy and cold here in Jerusalem, stayed alone at home as I was too tired for a walk in this weather. Enjoyed myself with my usual best QPR: GHW Golan Cabernet Sauvignon '08. Great as always! No matter how I look at it, if I were a critic I'd give it 90-91.

Today's lunch: started kidush with Golan Moscato '11. Pleasant and refreshing and much better IMHO than the '10 which I found too sweet.
Next: For the 2nd time this week, Binyamina Reserve Zinfandel '08. WOW! A new comer in my top-ten list! I ordered it Wednesday night for dinner at a restaurant in Jerusalem that I higly recommend, Angelica. I was stunned. Couldn't believe I was drinking a zin. I must say that I haven't had any for the past 8 months or so the last one being the Herzog Reserve Lodi '06 which I wasn't crazy about. Full bodied, concentrated with a hint of oakiness which I was totally ok with, cedar box and dark fruits on the nose, reflecting I guess the 14 months in both american and french barrels, round with an array of blackberries and what could be licorice, a light hint of spiciness and a long and graceful finish! AWESOME!

Best,

GG

[Yehoshua Werth]

Shavua Tov and a Good week to all...

Thursday night & Friday Morning opened some wines to celebrate the coming weekend.

2007 Tishbi Special Reserve Chardonay

2006 Segals Rechasim Argaman Dovev

2010 Gabriele Moscato Rose

Friday Night

2009 Or Haganuz Namura Blend

Shabbat Day

2010 Dovev Sirah

Notes to come

[Yossie Horwitz]

We had the GHW, Yarden, Elrom, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2001 (opened 1 hour pre-meal and was excellent after another 15 minutes or so in the glass). Remains in my opinion one of the top 5 [kosher] wines ever made in Israel. We also enjoyed the Tzora, Misty Hills, 2007 which was amazingly rich and complex, the Hagafen, Prix, MJT Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 (enjoyable but needs another 1-2 years before opening) and the Botrytis 2004. For a quiet lunch at home I enjoyed the Dalton Petit Sirah which I find more varietally correct than most and far more enjoyable than the Weinstock.

[Isaac Chavel]

Hi, harry, shavu'a tov,

2007 Ramon Cordova, Rioja Crianza. Very nice, tanins have softened, some sweetness, easy smooth drinking. Nice change of pace.

A good week to all,

Isaac

[Isaac C]

I had the Yarden Syrah 2005, great as usual.

[Alek W]

Friday night: Psagot Cabernet Franc 2007 - very green on the nose and on the palate, needs several hours to open.

Shabbat: Gamla Syrah 2009 - very young, but promising. Teperberg Silver White Riesling Late Harvest 2009 - light body, rich sweetness, not enough acidity.

[Z Spigelman]

Hi Harry.
KIddush both meals on Dalton Canaan Red 2010.
Friday night - Bartenura Ovadia Estates Chianti 2009 - medium bodied and plenty of black cherries. Reminded me of Dr. Brown's Black Cherry soda (without the fizz and sweetness). Much better than their regular Chianti.
Shabbat lunch - Dalton Zinfandel 2009.
Shavua Tov.
Zvi

[Sam M]

Hagafen estate ,Pinot noir 2009,
Received in the latest club shipnent. Deep ruby color, great earthy nose, just like Pinot should be, good balance and finish, enjoyable wine It was short on body however in my opinion. Could be that it needs a little more time.
Sam

[Shlomo R]

Friday night, we were at neighbors so I dropped off a Yarden 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and a Trader joe's 2011 Vintage Ale. Also on the table was a Teal Lake 2004 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. All 3 were polished off.

[David Raccah]

Hi Harry.
KIddush both meals on Dalton Canaan Red 2010.
Friday night - Bartenura Ovadia Estates Chianti 2009 - medium bodied and plenty of black cherries. Reminded me of Dr. Brown's Black Cherry soda (without the fizz and sweetness). Much better than their regular Chianti.
Shabbat lunch - Dalton Zinfandel 2009.
Shavua Tov.
Zvi

Funny Zvi, when I was looking around the wine stores in Israel, I did find many wines that were kosher that were from Bartenura, Kleine Draken, and others that were reasonably priced. I suppose Royal is bringing them in. I am happy to see that they are getting some foothold in the region.

David

[Sam M]

Sorry, hagafen Pinot noir was 2005.

[Adam M]

2006 Castel Grand Vin. This wine was a totally different wine the second day. Friday night it was not very enjoyable, at least for its price point. Was beginning to doubt my cellar (i have owned this for a few years now).Then, the next day, the remaining half the bottle was simply superb.

This wine, at its best, is fantastic. It has elegance and finesse and loaded with layers of flavors.

The only trick: to drink it at the right time. At this point in time, if this bottle is poured right out of the bottle and consumed entirely at one sitting, people very well may leave thinking that it is an incredibly overrated and overpriced bottle of wine. What a shame that would be...

[David Raccah]

Sorry, hagafen Pinot noir was 2005.

The 2005 Pinot Noir is what they are sending out as part of the Wine Club! That reminds me of a joke I heard from a few wine makers.

Ernie makes great stuff, why is he still shipping you guys 2005 Pinot? You can find both Daniel's and mine's comments on this - both exactly in line, and without each others knowledge - it was dead a year or so ago. I did have a better bottle after - but even that was drink up!!

viewtopic.php?f=29&t=22584&p=195819#p195805

[Pinchas L]

Hi Harry,

When planning the wines for this week, I took into account that I've had many good wines over he past several months, so that I was willing to gamble, opening bottles that could easily hit or miss the mark. After all, I was due for an off week. I chose my white to be the Castel "C" Blanc 2004, and since the previous bottle I had several months ago showed so poorly, I had little hopes for this one. For my red, I picked the Goose Bay Pinot Noir 2009, not a great wine but one I enjoyed the last time I had it, and I felt that if the Castel turned out a total disaster I would at least have a decent bottle to drink.

Castel "C" 2004 - Castel's blanc is a Chardonnay that spends a year in the barrel. When I opened the bottle the nose showed some tropical fruit that was nowhere to be found on the palate. Instead, I got to taste asparagus with bandaid, making for a fascinating drinking experience. Oddly enough, rather than setting the bottle aside, I found myself going to it repeatedly, filling my glass in an effort to wrap my senses around the experience. To my greater surprise, the following day, the bottle shed much of the off-flavors, supplanting them with notes of tropical fruit complemented by hints of vanilla. It wasn't a full recovery, though, and the wine was very mature, round and lacking acidity. 13.5% AbV.

Goose Bay Pinot Noir 2009 - Initially, the wine displayed a lack of balance, the alcohol--though only a mere 13%--showing too strongly, tasting like robitussin. However, on day two, the wine improved, offering on the palate notes of dark cherry and kirsch. Its style was consistent with that which I've sensed last time, an austere Pinot, showing restrained fruit in a light body. Overall, the wine showed poorer than eight months ago, the last time I had it. Luckily, the remaining bottle I have is from the 2010 vintage. This wine is mevushal.

Weinstock Chardonnay 2009 - In entry level wines I prefer unadulterated simple pleasure to a poor attempt at offering complexity. This wine failed to deliver the simple pleasures. The wine offered nondescript tropical flavors, that while imprecise were still decent enough. The problem was that on the finish a wave of burnt rubber rose like a tsunami, wiping out any enjoyment I had. 13.5% AbV, mevushal and selling for about $8.

Best,
-> Pinchas

[Harry J]

thanks to a reccmndation by AdamM retried galil mt barbera 07 & it was very impressive.full bodied w/ coffee & vanilla lurking in the background.h

[Yakov F]

Shamayin 2007 Shechakim Cabernet-Merlot and Psagot 2009 Cabernet Franc. Both were finished without any difficulty by the wine drinkers at the table. The Shamayim was the better of the two but it had been opened for a while before we drank it whereas the Cab Franc was not.

[gaston k]

Fri Night - Dalton Alma 2009, my first try if this blend and it was delicious with spare ribs. Dalton continues to impress.
Sat Lunch - St Bernadus Triple, more yeasty than smooth Burnsville good.