The Moon / WeeksEnd wine

[Harry J]

bsd
Yes the sun is very powerfull and all it does for us.The moon however speaks to us in a very personal way.Its message of renewal;its phases from dark to light carry a message unparalleled. A moment past can be remembered.A moment in the present we need to embrace.
Have a good one; h

[Yossie Horwitz]

Quiet Shabbat at home planned for this weekend and with the big kosher wine season coming up over Feb-March, some calm drinking with regular stand-bys: Galil Mountain Yiron 2007 and Ella Valley Cabernet Franc 2007.

[Gabriel Geller]

The moon however speaks to us in a very personal way.Its message of renewal. [...] A moment in the present we need to embrace.

Harry, Hi, shavua tov. Yes, personally it's now really a time of renewal, it is exhausting but in a very good way!

Friday night: Psagot, Merlot '08: Beautiful nose of fresh forest berries, following indeed on the palate of this dark garnet ruby-ish wine by essentially raspberries and some hints of straw' with juicy blackberries and dark chocolate with soft though well felt tannins on the lightly oaky-spicy and long finish. Drinking very nicely now, I really loved it and would grant it 1-2 points more than Rogov's 89.

Shabbat lunch: Paired with a Choucroute a la Starsbourgeoise (French traditional sauerkraut), in which a glass of it had been added, GHW Yarden Blanc de Blancs '05: Like last time I had this wine, which btw did a great job with the choucroute, this light gold wine was delightful with fine bubbles, toasted brioche and some yeast which was not overwhelming, also citrus fruits on the mid-palate and a decently long finish as far as I can state that with a sparkling.

Best,

GG

[Jon Tabak]

Did a mini Castel vertical and tasted a relatively new release. I'll write up my notes this week, but for now a quick summary:

Domaine du Castel Grand Vin 2005
Liquid silk, with dominant oak & earth. Far too much oak for my taste. Consistent with my previous TN.
http://www.kosherwino.com/index.php/201 ... -vin-2005/

Domaine du Castel Grand Vin 2006
Concentrated and vibrant. Super bright acidity, plenty of fruit on background of oak. So far this is my favorite vintage of Castel to date. TN to follow.

Domaine du Castel Grand Vin 2007
The child of 05 & 06: smooth and oaky but with plenty of fruit to balance and somewhat lively acidity. Fairly consistent with my previous TN, but I picked up more acidity on this bottle.
http://www.kosherwino.com/index.php/201 ... -vin-2007/

Petit Castel 2009
Very young, barely approachable. Searing acidity and tannins, tantalizing fruit, very well balanced. Has a nice future. TN to follow.

[YoelA]

1996 Big Horn Napa Valley cabernet.

[Pinchas L]

Hi Harry,

Tzora Shoresh Blanc 2007 - It opens with a somewhat honeyed nose, and then on the palate the white peaches that dominate are complemented nicely by white pepper. The wine is a bit creamy, and would benefit from higher acidity. Interestingly, this time I sensed some salinity. The bit of residual sugar adds some weight, but does not get in the way. Overall, this bottle is much better than the previous one I opened several months ago. 13% AbV.

Hagafen Reserve Merlot 2004 Vichy Vineyard Block 4 - This wine has not developed into something special. Not fearing that the wine will fall apart any time soon, I'll hold out in the hope that over the next several years that development will take place. Right now, the wine still shows its primary characteristics: silky tannins wrapped around a core of cherry and punctuated by rich coffee and chocolate. I haven't sensed any secondary flavors taking shape, yet. This wine is nowhere near as good as the Reserve Syrah 2001 I had two weeks ago. 13.5% AbV.

Best Regards,
-> Pinchas

[gaston k]

Four Gates Merlot 2007 - coming into its own, absolutely delicious with roast.

[Jon Tabak]

gaston - I have a single bottle left in my cellar that stares me down every time I look inside. Should I open it soon or do you think I'm better off waiting a bit?

[gaston k]

Jon - I would base the decision on when you have the appropriate accompaniment. I thought this latest bottle went particularly well with a roast, with the acidity of the wine a nice accompaniment to the spiciness of the meat. It may also go well with veal for similar reasons. No rush, but at least to me the wine is ready for action.

[Isaac C]

I opened up the Chateau Bertranon Bordeaux 2010. Did not like it at all - flat, watery, - I would not recommend it. So I switched to beer - Friday night - Maredsous 8 750ML. Shabbos Day - Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw. Both were excellent.

[Harry J]

hi; galil mt viogner 2009. enjoyed it but didnt find it very expressive as i imagine this particular grape cen be.wonder if the dalton would be.h

[Jon Tabak]

Harry - The Dalton is fantastic http://www.kosherwino.com/index.php/201 ... nier-2009/

[David Raccah]

Harry - The Dalton is fantastic http://www.kosherwino.com/index.php/201 ... nier-2009/

I too love the Dalton Viogniers - maybe the best Viogniers from Israel, but they are OVER. No more single varietal Viognier wines from Dalton All Viognier fruit will now be going into the Alma labels. Which is fine, but the blend does not taste as unique as the pure Viognier wines from Dalton.

David

[Craig Winchell]

I was over in San Jose at my friend Michael Lerner's. He is not a drinker, and just had grape juice for kiddush. We, on the other hand, had my 2010 Phantasma Orgasma, a one-off blend of the 2010 Zin, Syrah and Cab. It was OK, but I prefer each one separately. Actually, the blender of that bottle was Shimon Weiss. The Lerners had many people for dinner, so that bottle was finished, and we opened the 2011 Sangiovese, which people seemed to like not as much. To me, it was a decent wine. We never got to the bottle of 2010 Cab or 2011 Merlot that I brought. David, if you can get Michael to give them to you, you will have a chance to taste them even before you come down here.

[Pinchas L]

Harry - The Dalton is fantastic http://www.kosherwino.com/index.php/201 ... nier-2009/

I too love the Dalton Viogniers - maybe the best Viogniers from Israel, but they are OVER. No more single varietal Viognier wines from Dalton All Viognier fruit will now be going into the Alma labels. Which is fine, but the blend does not taste as unique as the pure Viognier wines from Dalton.

David

Hi David,

Did you ever pause and ask yourself why a winery such as Dalton would discontinue the production of a varietal Viognier, preferring to produce a Viognier based blend instead. My hypothesis is that Dalton, a commercial winery striving for reasonable consistency from vintage to vintage, discovered that the challenges posed by the Viognier grape in the Israeli climate make that very difficult, and figures that blending the Viognier with some Chardonnay will solve that problem. It is a fine line they are trying to walk; maintaining the floral and fruity character of the Viognier, while ensuring that it has sufficient structure and acidity. Personally, having sampled both wines, I prefer the Alma blend of 2010 over the varietal Viognier of 2009, precisely because I found the '09 to be too flabby, lacking in acidity. The blend might not be as unique as the pure varietal of '09, but it is the better crafted of the two.

-> Pinchas

[David Raccah]

Pinchas - I love the forum because it gives people the chance to discuss and learn, but I cannot agree that the Alma blend is better than the pure Viognier, but heck that is my opinion. I have a soft spot for it, I will admit, and yes it lacks the intense bite of the Alma, but the floral and rich perfume is lost in the Alma - which is what I am so in love with.

David

[YoelA]

Haven't had the Dalton viognier for a year or two so probably the last vintage I tried was the '07 or '08 reserve. Dalton made their reserve viognier in a different style than others, more complex and not quite as fruity, which made it a bit closer to the style of this wine made in its place of origin, the northern Rhone valley (Condrieu, mainly). Viogniers from Yarden and Yatir have been more fruity.

Have brought back a bottle of the 2009 Assif viognier to try, based on Rogov's notes of earlier vintages; may have to get to it soon to add more spice to this discussion.

P.S. Have not particularly liked most California viogniers. Some are too alcoholic; others too sweet. One exception had been the viogniers from Kent Rosenblum, a surprise since they make almost entirely red wines.

[Pinchas L]

Have brought back a bottle of the 2009 Assif viognier to try, based on Rogov's notes of earlier vintages; may have to get to it soon to add more spice to this discussion.

Yoel,

I also have an Asif Viognier on hand, that I'm planning on drinking this week. I'm looking forward to comparing our notes.

-> Pinchas

[Z Spigelman]

Friday night - Yarden Pinot Noir 2007 - still not a fan - too much wood. Totally different than the 2005.
Shabbat lunch - Dalton Zinfandel 2009.

[David Raccah]

I made some really GOOD Minute Steaks, Garlic Green Bean and mushrooms, and Roasted Potatoes. I had a so-so bottle of the 2006 Domaine du Castel Petit Castel - not impressed. Too sweet and too flabby:

http://kosherwinemusings.com/2012/02/01 ... it-castel/

David

[Adam M]

2007 Carmel Mediterranean X 2. Love it.