Names / WeeksEnd wine

[Harry J]

bsd
A name may evoke memories. A name might imply hopes & aspirations.
It can be at times powerfull;even overwelming.
Perhaps a sense of striving to become who we are.
Have a good one; h

[Yossie Horwitz]

In a hope to beat back NYC's recent chill, I'm planning a California weekend with a Four Gates n.v. Merlot, Brobdingnagian 2009 Besomim and Hagafen Prix Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. Will report back on how things went...

[ChaimShraga]

Ecker-Eckhof, Berg Wagram, Gruner Veltliner, 2010

Seeing as I'd just drunk and written about this, another tasting note would be rather superfluous, so let's talk about the food match. We had this with spicy Asian (from Zozobra) and I knew it would be a great pairing, what with the pepper and papaya/green peas combo on the nose and the interaction of salinity and sweetness on the palate.

This made me think how inappropriate the local wines are. I used to think Rieslings would work with this kind of fare, but you'd need a lot of mineral flare, which the local attempts don't produce. Same for Israeli Gewurtz. The local Chardonnays are too round for the most part and even the best just wouldn't have the right mouth feel (actually, Pelter's Unoaked is kind of tropical and might work, except it's not spicy enough). A Sauvignon Blanc might do the trick, but in the end, the only local candidate would be Sea Horse's Chenin Blanc. But I'll still stick with Ecker.

Wine Domains Of Austria, 119 NIS.

[YoelA]

Thursday evening, dinner with friends at a restaurant. They wanted a merlot, left the choice to me. The wine waitress was pushing the Katlav merlot (which I have never had) but I decided to go with the 2007 Yatir merlot/shiraz/cabernet (which, it turned out, also includes some cabernet franc and malbec). Our friends characterized the wine as "hazak" (strong), "a bomba". I liked it, but it definitely was too "strong" for a merlot.

Shabbat, dinner with the family and a bottle of 2010 Binyamina Yogev rose (60% malbec, 40% carignan).

[Z Spigelman]

Hi Harry.
Friday night - GHW Gamla Nebbiolo 2008 and Binyamina Reserve Gewurztraminer 2011. Although we had tasted the Nebbiolo on a previous occasion, this was our first bottle and was much enjoyed.
Shabbat lunch - GHW Gamla Syrah 2009.
Shavua Tov.
Zvi

[Gabriel Geller]

Seeing as I'd just drunk and written about this, another tasting note would be rather superfluous, so let's talk about the food match. We had this with spicy Asian (from Zozobra) and I knew it would be a great pairing, what with the pepper and papaya/green peas combo on the nose and the interaction of salinity and sweetness on the palate.(...)A Sauvignon Blanc might do the trick, but in the end, the only local candidate would be Sea Horse's Chenin Blanc.

I'd suggest Dalton's Fume Blanc, have you tried it? The Tzion Erez Fume Blanc is also not bad at all (and made from Chenin Blanc as opposed to the Dalton being a conventional SB).

GHW Gamla Nebbiolo 2008 and Binyamina Reserve Gewurztraminer 2011. Although we had tasted the Nebbiolo on a previous occasion, this was our first bottle and was much enjoyed

Hi Zvi, do you have some more details? I've never had the nebbiolo and a bottle is waiting in my cellar, I was simply wondering if it's worth waiting a bit more to open it?


Hi Harry, Shavua Tov!

Friday Night: Carmel, Appellation Cabernet Franc 2008: Even better than the last time I had it! Deeply dark garnet, almost black toward royal purple, vegetal notes rising straight on the nose, the oak clearly felt though not overwhelming on the palate, together with red currants, black cherries and blackberries following on the mid-palate. A full-bodied, concentrated and very well-made Cab Franc (although can be also categorized as bordeaux-blend as petit verdot, malbec and CS are found in small parts there) with a long and lightly spicy finish, by far the best QPR Israeli (and kosher) Cab Franc on the market (ILS 50-60).

Shabbat lunch: Tabor, Har, Shiraz 2010: Deep garnet, typically shiraz-ish on the nose with new leather and smoked meat on the nose, medium-bodied with dark fruits and again smoked meat on the palate, all that followed by a bit of bitterness that somewhat turned me off on the long finish. Was served at my cousin's place who also informed me that some of Tabor's Adama II Series wines can be purchased for about ILS 80 at Bar55 in Jerusalem.

Galil, Pinot Noir 2008: Wow, once again this shabbat, what a change from the last time I had this wine! As once claimed on this forum, Pinot Noir is a grape I share a very special relationship with... It must be very very good to outstanding otherwise I simply cannot swallow it. So last time I had this one I didn't like it feeling that the high alcohol (15%) was overwhelming, with too much heat rising on the palate, turning off the flavors. This time, what a change! Beautiful floral nose with strawberries, those then caressing my palate accompanied by notes of oak and vanilla in this medium to full-bodied wine, leading to a luscious and round finish. We all loved it (my mom in particular)!

Best regards and a great week to all!

GG

[Alek W]

GHW Gamla Nebbiolo 2008 and Binyamina Reserve Gewurztraminer 2011. Although we had tasted the Nebbiolo on a previous occasion, this was our first bottle and was much enjoyed

Hi Zvi, do you have some more details? I've never had the nebbiolo and a bottle is waiting in my cellar, I was simply wondering if it's worth waiting a bit more to open it?

Hi Gabriel, I had GHW Nebbiolo a month ago, and I'd suggest waiting for at least a year, maybe more.

Shabbat lunch: Tabor, Har, Shiraz 2010: Deep garnet, typically shiraz-ish on the nose with new leather and smoked meat on the nose, medium-bodied with dark fruits and again smoked meat on the palate, all that followed by a bit of bitterness that somewhat turned me off on the long finish. Was served at my cousin's place who also informed me that some of Tabor's Adama II Series wines can be purchased for about ILS 80 at Bar55 in Jerusalem.

I wonder, if Tabor, Har, Shiraz 2010 and Tabor, Shiraz 2010 (of which I've just bought a case) are the same wine or not. It looks like the confusion with the labels is hitting a new high...


Friday evening: Carmel, Kerem Kayoumi, Shiraz 2005. An excellent wine, full-bodied and very concentrated. Better than 2003 and 2004 vintages.

Saturday lunch: Sea Horse, Special Edition, Carignan, 2008. A very strange experience, see viewtopic.php?f=29&t=42589

[Adam M]

2007 Carmel Mediterranean. Outstanding. Drinking very well. I'm not a big fan of carignan, but the other grapes in this blend work really well together to present a whole host of layers of flavor. The evolution of this wine since release has been significant, in my view. Frankly, I wasnt a big fan upon initial release.

[Shlomo R]

Opened a bottle of Segal's Dishon at the start of dinner. When guests arrived for dessert, we opened a bottle of Vizcaya rum, a bottle of Willet bourbon, a bottle of Glenlivet Nadurra (original release, not current stufff) and a bottle of Trader joe's 2011 Vintage Ale.

For lunch, I opened a bottle of Yarden 2006 Merlot.

[SemionL]

Hi, Harry

Faustino VII, red, heated with spices and roasted chestnuts - perfect match to the weather.
The trick is not allow spices to overpower the wine

[Pinchas L]

Hi Harry,

Carmel Kayoumi Riesling 2010 - Had I drunk it out of a bag, I would have mistaken it for a warm climate Sauvignon Blanc, as something there is reminiscent of Flam's Blanc and Covenant's Sauvignon Blanc. The nose is dusty with pollen and a hint of citrus. Then on the palate the white flowers are joined by apples; more of the fuji and yellow delicious varieties than the macintosh and granny smith, citrus; more pomelo than grapefruit and lemon, and melon; luscious green honeydew not cantelope, on a background of chalk and slate. The medium-long finish is accented by touches of vanilla, maple and cinammon, surprising when you consider that the wine did not see oak. The wine is not very focused, but offers a beautiful pallette of flavors. It is a dry reisling, with 13% AbV that I picked it up at Schnapps for $25. I am very interested in hearing what others think of this wine, wondering if it is equivalent to an entry level German trocken.

Hagafen Syrah Reserve Heston Vineyard "L" Block 2001 - When I first had this wine about five years ago, I felt the oak was too aggressive, hiding and distorting what the wine has to offer, and I decided to cellar it for a while. Lately, I decided to revisit it, bringing my remaining bottles home, hoping time in the cellar helped its components come together, taming the oak along the way. Gladly, my decision paid off. While the initial nose isn't all that pronounced, the aroma left in the emptied glass are of intoxicating intensity, loaded with notes of chocolate, coffee and cherry liquor. The palate is elusive; the first notes are spicy: sage, thyme and taragon, but with a little time a tightly wind core of raspberry and dark cherry come into focus and counter the spices. Then rich chocolate takes over, that at times stands alone and at others allows the fruit and spices to share the stage. Part of the enjoyment is to witness the ever shifting nature of the wine, experiencing how the various flavors repeatedly enter and leave focus, offering a variety of sensory combinations. 13.5% AbV and mevushal. Some might consider it a mature wine, though I think now is the right time to enjoy it. I am not in a rush to finish off my remaining bottles, planning on opening them over the next two years.

Best,
-> Pinchas

[Gabriel Geller]

Hi Gabriel, I had GHW Nebbiolo a month ago, and I'd suggest waiting for at least a year, maybe more.

I wonder, if Tabor, Har, Shiraz 2010 and Tabor, Shiraz 2010 (of which I've just bought a case) are the same wine or not. It looks like the confusion with the labels is hitting a new high...

Hi Alek, for the nebbiolo was it the '08 or the '09 you had?

The Tabor Har Shiraz '10 is indeed, without a doubt, the Tabor Shiraz '10. Har is the re-branded name of the Tabor series.

[Joel D Parker]

Ecker-Eckhof, Berg Wagram, Gruner Veltliner, 2010

Seeing as I'd just drunk and written about this, another tasting note would be rather superfluous, so let's talk about the food match. We had this with spicy Asian (from Zozobra) and I knew it would be a great pairing, what with the pepper and papaya/green peas combo on the nose and the interaction of salinity and sweetness on the palate.

Wine Domains Of Austria, 119 NIS.

Sounds like a great wine. I had Giaconda's FX-Pichler, Grüner Veltliner, Smaragd Urgestein Terrassen, 2007 a couple of weeks ago, partly based on one of your reviews of that wine, and really fell in love with GV in one setting. That being said, I'm sure there's a lot of variation between the various GVs, and this is just one example. I could see it going with Asian stir fry, though this particular one would probably fit better with veggie or fish-based sauces in that genre.

Out of curiosity, Chaim, you once had a soft spot for Fino Sherry, which I also find is great with Asian stir fry. Though the Israeli imports of that stuff are extremely limited to my knowledge, I thoroughly enjoyed an Asian beef-stir fry I whipped up with Tio Peppe Sherry a few weeks ago (Wine & More-100NIS, which admittedly is a rip-off, but still probably worth it in terms of value for what it is).

@Pinchas, I have not tried the Kayoumi Vineyard Riesling. I don't mean to be snobby, but I do find it odd that Carmel is selling two single vineyard wines from presumably the same vineyard (Kayoumi Riesling and Kayoumi Shiraz) when even by the most relaxed of New World/Hot Climate standards I've never heard of Shiraz and Riesling sharing a vineyard. That doesn't mean I wouldn't try it, but it does put me off from the 25$ purchase.

This weekend, I made bolognese with dried Italian mushrooms, and we paired with with a 2008, Dominico Clerico, Dolcetto which actually can best be described by Jancis Robinson: "15.5 (2008) - Tasted Sept 2009 - Dark crimson. Heady and tastes purple but pretty sour and uncompromising actually! Tough for a Dolcetto!! Dry fine tannins on the finish. Atypical"

I would rate it lower for lack of enjoyment. I love wines with good acidity as long as its in balance with the rest of the wine, and this actually made my mouth pucker and finished with a drying sear of astringency. It had other flavors of course, which made it drinkable on day two, but even then not really enjoyable, though the food helped a bit. WineRoute, 100NIS.

Have a good week all.
J

[Pinchas L]

@Pinchas, I have not tried the Kayoumi Vineyard Riesling. I don't mean to be snobby, but I do find it odd that Carmel is selling two single vineyard wines from presumably the same vineyard (Kayoumi Riesling and Kayoumi Shiraz) when even by the most relaxed of New World/Hot Climate standards I've never heard of Shiraz and Riesling sharing a vineyard. That doesn't mean I wouldn't try it, but it does put me off from the 25$ purchase.

Hi Joel,

While your intuition makes sense, I'm commenting based on what I found in the bottle. Regarding its price, I would guess that the price in Israel is much lower. Granted my exposure is limited, but the point I was attempting to make was that this Riesling, though not high in acidity shows a nice mix of flavors. The other kosher Rieslings I liked were far brighter and more acidic than Carmel's, but also straightforward and one dimensional.

Best,
-> Pinchas

[Alek W]

Hi Alek, for the nebbiolo was it the '08 or the '09 you had?

It was '08.

The Tabor Har Shiraz '10 is indeed, without a doubt, the Tabor Shiraz '10. Har is the re-branded name of the Tabor series.

You mean, they are selling the same wine under two different labels. Funny.

[Gabriel Geller]

You mean, they are selling the same wine under two different labels. Funny.

Yes and no. In fact, they first released it under the regular old Tabor label but then around November 2011 they stopped selling the Tabor label releasing now to the shops all its wine in that series under the brand-new, and IMHO much better looking, Har label. The Har label looks really more serious and luxurious and can easily be mistaken for the Adama label for the not knowledgeable and attentive eye.

I had a tasting of the Har CS and Merlot about a month ago while dining at Laguta in Jerusalem with friends (food still good but awful service, what a let down!). Solid entry-level stuff but no more than that.

It might sound snobbish, I acknowledge that, but personally apart from a few Whites (Dalton Fume Blanc, Golan + Teva Moscatos...) and Red exceptions such as Galil's CS, Shiraz and Merlot the Golan CS '08 or Teperberg Silver Syrah and Sangiovese, I don't buy cheap bottles (that is to say under ILS 50). I'd rather spend a bit more (Carmel Appellation, Tabor Adama, Tishbi CS '07...) and enjoy a really good wine for say ILS 50-60.

[Craig Winchell]

Shabbos night, for kiddush and meal, we drank a perfect bottle of '97 GAN EDEN Limited Reserve Cab. We're towards the end of the usable life of the wine, so a perfect bottle doesn't happen too often. Since I'm a bit of an egoist, it's always a pleasure to see something I got right, and as of now, the only thing I have that reminds me of the meaningfulness of my career choice is that wine, the present wines being not truly under my control. So a real pleasure. There's a nice black currantiness still there, and that's the overwhelming fruit flavor present. No overt oak to speak of. The impression of balance. Mostly, the intriguing flavors which come from aging, and subtle at that. In any case, no wine for lunch. Then off to Mishnah Berurah group at a friend's house. He had '07 Hagafen Merlot and '05 Prix Melange on the table. Prix was the weightier of the two. Both had intense ripeness. The Prix was the richer of the two. But for all that, the PRix exhibited a really intense American Oak character which camoflaged any fruit flavors present. The Merlot had distinct other flavors, which I did not writed down because I couldn't, but was definitely the more complex of the two wines, and frankly, I liked the Merlot better than the Prix. I thought both were good for what they were, but I'm just not a fan of overt oak, so thumb up to the MErlot. Still, the '97 GAN EDEN was my wine of the Shabbos.

[David Raccah]

Hi Harry,

Carmel Kayoumi Riesling 2010 - Had I drunk it out of a bag, I would have mistaken it for a warm climate Sauvignon Blanc, as something there is reminiscent of Flam's Blanc and Covenant's Sauvignon Blanc. The nose is dusty with pollen and a hint of citrus. Then on the palate the white flowers are joined by apples; more of the fuji and yellow delicious varieties than the macintosh and granny smith, citrus; more pomelo than grapefruit and lemon, and melon; luscious green honeydew not cantelope, on a background of chalk and slate. The medium-long finish is accented by touches of vanilla, maple and cinammon, surprising when you consider that the wine did not see oak. The wine is not very focused, but offers a beautiful pallette of flavors. It is a dry reisling, with 13% AbV that I picked it up at Schnapps for $25. I am very interested in hearing what others think of this wine, wondering if it is equivalent to an entry level German trocken.

I was really sick this weekend so no notes. Still, I can lend an answer, in my opinion. I had the Riesling at Sommelier and it was no way compared to a SB. A SB is ripe and tart, this was bright, but the oily texture is a dead giveaway that this could be no SB. My notes:

2010 Carmel Kayoumi Riesling - Score: A-
The nose on this light gold colored wine screams with rich and vibrant floral notes, ripe peach, kiwi, rich honey, oak, nice oily notes, spice, vanilla, and mineral. The mouth on this full bodied wine is dry yet crazy rich and gives you a sweet perception from the very ripe fruit, the oily structure in the mouth adds weight to the wine, and the floral notes flow well through and mingle beautifully with the rich honey notes. The mid palate is well balanced and with core acid and more oily structure. The finish is long and floral, with the honey, mineral, and vanilla mingling well with spice and flower. The floral notes do linger, but the honey, oak, and vanilla, are the final impressions. A nice wine and one that I would happily enjoy with Asian food, a spicy cholent, or a nice Chorizo lamb sausage.

David

[Pinchas L]

Hi Harry,

Carmel Kayoumi Riesling 2010 - Had I drunk it out of a bag, I would have mistaken it for a warm climate Sauvignon Blanc, as something there is reminiscent of Flam's Blanc and Covenant's Sauvignon Blanc. The nose is dusty with pollen and a hint of citrus. Then on the palate the white flowers are joined by apples; more of the fuji and yellow delicious varieties than the macintosh and granny smith, citrus; more pomelo than grapefruit and lemon, and melon; luscious green honeydew not cantelope, on a background of chalk and slate. The medium-long finish is accented by touches of vanilla, maple and cinammon, surprising when you consider that the wine did not see oak. The wine is not very focused, but offers a beautiful pallette of flavors. It is a dry reisling, with 13% AbV that I picked it up at Schnapps for $25. I am very interested in hearing what others think of this wine, wondering if it is equivalent to an entry level German trocken.

I was really sick this weekend so no notes. Still, I can lend an answer, in my opinion. I had the Riesling at Sommelier and it was no way compared to a SB. A SB is ripe and tart, this was bright, but the oily texture is a dead giveaway that this could be no SB. My notes:

2010 Carmel Kayoumi Riesling - Score: A-
The nose on this light gold colored wine screams with rich and vibrant floral notes, ripe peach, kiwi, rich honey, oak, nice oily notes, spice, vanilla, and mineral. The mouth on this full bodied wine is dry yet crazy rich and gives you a sweet perception from the very ripe fruit, the oily structure in the mouth adds weight to the wine, and the floral notes flow well through and mingle beautifully with the rich honey notes. The mid palate is well balanced and with core acid and more oily structure. The finish is long and floral, with the honey, mineral, and vanilla mingling well with spice and flower. The floral notes do linger, but the honey, oak, and vanilla, are the final impressions. A nice wine and one that I would happily enjoy with Asian food, a spicy cholent, or a nice Chorizo lamb sausage.

David

Hi David,

Thanks for your response. Even though we used different descriptors, I think that our overall impression is rather similar; both of us singling out the floral notes, a fruit profile that's not tart, rich spices, and minerality, but I missed the oily texture. It was not my intention to say that this wine is atypical of a Riesling, just to mention what other wines came to mind when I sipped it, and those were in fact rounder Sauvignon Blancs. And while it is true that many a Sauvignon Blanc is bright and tart, so are many Riesling's, like Hagafen's Lake County, and City Winery's Riesling Shmisling, both of which boast acid levels that are at or above just about any Sauvingnon Blanc you've had. The principal reason I would not have suspected this wine to be a Riesling, is because there are so few quality Rieslings in the kosher market in general, and even fewer coming from Israel, that I did not think a wine of such quality can possibly be a Riesling.

Also, you mention oak in your notes, do you know whether the wine was in fact oak aged? The label says that the fermentation was in stainless steel, and makes no mention of oak aging. Perhaps Adam can tell us more.

Best,
-> Pinchas

[David Raccah]

Indeed Pinchas, I do note Oak, it was what I thought was there, could have been wrong, as my notes are a few months old. Also, to me the the oily texture was really nice, I wonder if it was below the honey and floral notes? Did you sense the huge honey as well?

David

[Pinchas L]

Indeed Pinchas, I do note Oak, it was what I thought was there, could have been wrong, as my notes are a few months old. Also, to me the the oily texture was really nice, I wonder if it was below the honey and floral notes? Did you sense the huge honey as well?

David

Hi David,

Yes. What you refer to as honey, I called maple, but honestly, I was thinking of mentioning honey, holding off because I did not want to add to my list of specific descriptors, and because honey, I feared, connotates sweetness, whereas this wine is dry. On the other hand, I didn't call out the oak, because it wasn't overt, other than the pronounced vanilla, and the label says only that the wine fermented in steel. In my original post I express my surprise that such flavors would be present without oak aging. I find the wine intriguing enough to warrant the purchase of several more bottles, granting myself the pleasure of seeing if this wine excites consistently, or was my excitement generated purely by the novelty of the wine. Next time, I'll also pay closer attention to the texture.

Best,
-> Pinchas

[ChaimShraga]

Out of curiosity, Chaim, you once had a soft spot for Fino Sherry, which I also find is great with Asian stir fry. Though the Israeli imports of that stuff are extremely limited to my knowledge, I thoroughly enjoyed an Asian beef-stir fry I whipped up with Tio Peppe Sherry a few weeks ago (Wine & More-100NIS, which admittedly is a rip-off, but still probably worth it in terms of value for what it is).

I never had a good bottle of Tio Peppe in Israel. I'd suppose it's because Fino needs to be very fresh in order to work. I liked the Lustau Finos (I loved just about everything from Lustau and the only reason I'm not buying and drinking that stuff regularly is I don't get abroad as much and I have other things in my sights) and I thought they were good until a former Forumite organized a Lustau tasting in Tel Aviv based on bottles sourced from the winery itself. The much fresher bottles were leagues and leagues beyond what I'd experienced previously.

[David Raccah]

Hello Pinchas, the texture expressed itself on the nose as well, so I would love to hear what you think the next time you taste it. To be honest, I had a ? mark on the oak in the mouth, but I think I noticed it in the nose. My guess, some staves were sued to help with the rounding, but I may be wrong. I will email Adam. As always, love your stuff, and thanks for the info! I too think this wine is unique and goes to prove the larger issue that is manifesting itself in the kosher wine world. That being that MANY of these new and wonderful wines, even those distributed by Royal, have yet to hit any retailers outside of NY - which to me is a real shame! I hope I get top taste this again at the royal event!

David

[David Raccah]

OK, spoke with Adam, indeed no staves or oak - so I guess we can ignore the oak, though I thought I sensed it - my bad.

David