Without Reason / WeeksEnd wine

[Harry J]

bsd
Tall as the mighty cedar;small as a blade of grass.Fierce as the red of fire;pure as the white of snow.
Within us as individuals and in societies as a whole,diversity reigns as an instrument of expression.
Harmony exists when we sing the same song.
Have a good one; h

[David Raccah]

Truly slim pickings here in Boca! I got some diamond series cab and merlot and will report back on them, god willing. BBB for everyone else

David

[Bill Coleman]

Plan:

Friday night - Dalton 2005 Zinfandel
Saturday - 2007 Odem Mountain Volcanic Cabernet Sauvignon

[Gabriel Geller]

Dalton 2005 Zinfandel

Looking forward to read how this one has developed!

Harry, folks, shavua tov!

Friday night:
- Ella Valley, Merlot 2005: Yes, the 2nd bottle in 15 days! I share Dave Raccah's philosophy not to wait until a beautiful wine is gone (more on that below). Was as great as last time!

- Dalton, Petite Sirah 2010: This is official: I'm in love with this wine! Even better than my previous and 1st experience. Was drinking perfectly straight out of the bottle with just a short yet vigorous swirl in the decanter. Dark, almost black purple, with on the nose blueberry jam and vanilla, medium to full-bodied (leaning to the full) with on the palate creamy ripe blueberries and blackberries with hints of cedar wood and notes of vanilla, mouth-coating and teeth-staining tannins on a lusciously long, round, mouth-filling finish. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

Shabbat lunch:

- GHW, Yarden Viognier 2007: I was not lucky this time. I confirm most the impressions of other folks regarding this one a few weeks ago. What a shame, I let this one die. Gold in color with on the nose and palate oxidized notes of burnt caramel and honey and very reminiscent notes of a botrytised (Sauternes, Yarden Noble Semillon etc.) wine but lacking all the sinfully delicious and indispensable sweetness of such wine. RIP Yarden Viognier 2007.

Best,

GG

[Adam M]

2011 covenant Sauvignon Blanc. Very crisp. Any more crisp and it would be lemonade

2009 Dalton Alma SMV - we enjoyed this very much. Great color, body, balance of flavors. Great value, as well. Highly recommended!

[Isaac Chavel]

Hi, Harry, shavu'a tov,

2011 Elvi InVita.

Enjoyed immensely but strange. The label says 60% Sansa Blanca (whatever that is) and 40% Sauvignon Blanc. Yet, the wine was Sauvignon Blanc with nuances/variations (however you want to characterize it). Blind tasted, I certainly would have said "SB" --- no doubt about it.

Maybe those who are better than I can deconstruct the aromas and flavors to pick up the contribution of the Sansa Blanca.

A good week to all,

Isaac

[David Raccah]

Hi, Harry, shavu'a tov,

2011 Elvi InVita.

Enjoyed immensely but strange. The label says 60% Sansa Blanca (whatever that is) and 40% Sauvignon Blanc. Yet, the wine was Sauvignon Blanc with nuances/variations (however you want to characterize it). Blind tasted, I certainly would have said "SB" --- no doubt about it.

Maybe those who are better than I can deconstruct the aromas and flavors to pick up the contribution of the Sansa Blanca.

A good week to all,

Isaac

Isaac my friend all described here:

http://kosherwinemusings.com/2012/05/23 ... y-tasting/

[David Raccah]

What store did you buy the invita from?

[Stephen Weil]

Middle of the week was the Wine Event in Raannana.
Friday night Barkan reserve Sav Blanc and Cab. this was paired with the visitors not the food.
Shabat Teperberg Sav Blanc 2010. Perfect in that humid weather.
Have a good week.

[Pinchas L]

Hi Harry,

Castel Rose Du Castel 2011 - My son and I were sharing this bottle, both repeatedly refilling our glasses but not for the same reason; he enjoyed it and I needed more of it to try figuring it out. This baffling wine underscores the difficulty in producing a high quality rose. The basic attributes are there: the beautiful salmon color, and the lightness of body, but the flavors are not well delineated and the crispness is not as I expect it to be from a bottling of this caliber. The wine itself is a blend consisting of 60% merlot, 22% malbec and 18% cabernet franc, with an alcohol content of 13%. $30 at Schnapps. B-/*

Tishbi Malbec Single Vineyard 2009 - The first line on the back label claims that the wine was produced from the free run juice, a fact other Israeli winemakers should take note, as this wine is the antithesis of the super extracted wines that are in vogue. The fruit is pure, focused and layered, with a tanginess that is lovely. Behind the layers of fruit, are those of vanilla, mocha and other oak influences. The wine it brings to mind is the Recanati Wild Carignan. However, I must add that towards the end of day two the wine was fraying at the edges, losing some of its focus. The only way to know if it has a long life ahead of it is to cellar a couple of bottles. 139 NIS at the winery and 13% AbV. A-/**

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

[YoelA]

2008 Vitkin pinot noir. The best Israeli PN I have drunk so far (though I haven't yet gotten to my Ella Valley or Livni botttles). Beautiful nose; has the velvety entry of a fine PN. Fine flavors throughout, heavy on the cherries. Finish a bit hot (surprising for only 13.8% alcohol) but that's absorbed by food.

[Gabriel Geller]

Hi Pinchas, I'm happy you liked the Tishbi SV Malbec, I'm totally with you here!

Yoel, as you know I drink only K wine so I can't express an opinion of my own here re: Vitkin however I was told by many that the Pelter PN is the very best in Israel. If you ask me, the Livni is the most special IMHO but not so varietally correct (black, bold, thick) though I enjoy it immensely and the Gvaot PN 2010 is great and, according to people having substantially more experience with Burgundy than I have, is the closest to the "real thing".

Best,

GG

[Isaac Chavel]

From David Raccah's TN on Elvi InVita:

The nose explodes with bright lemon, Asian pear, green apple, melon, grapefruit, pineapple, along with Sauvignon Blanc fruit, green notes, lychee, and heavy floral notes. The mouth is big and round with nice balancing minerality, round and ripe almost sweet fruit, with herbal notes, that make for a full mouth. The finish is long and spicy with lemon/lime creme fresche and crazy long lasting citrus zest.

Probably the aspect I picked up beyond the Sauvignon Blanc was the "round," in contrast to a lean, almost steely SB.

Thanks, David,

Isaac

[Yehoshua Werth]

With many customers, The Wall street Journal and Gary Vaynerchuk all raving about it..

2010 Binyamina Yogev Cabernet Sauvignon / Petite Verdot Blend.

Nice fruit pretty well balanced and yes for $13 this is very good.
Will have again and look for the Red Label

[Jonathan K]

[quote="Adam M"]2011 covenant Sauvignon Blanc. Very crisp. Any more crisp and it would be lemonade+quote]

I had to laugh at this. We had the same wine this weekend and I told my wife, "This could almost be grapefruit juice." Lovely aromatics and about as subtle as a Mack truck but who cares? Fun drinking!

We also gave the Shirah McGinley Vineyard Syrah 2009 another try. Showing better this time with clove and a welcome salinity. Dense and dark and still a little closed down to me. This is a Wintertime wine and I will try it again then.

[YoelA]

Gabriel: Have heard great things about the Pelter PN but have never been able to find any. Did not know that Gvaot made a PN; will have to look for it on my next visit. Until the Vitkin the best Israeli PN I had drunk was the 2007 Tzuba, which was pretty good but does not compare to the Vitkin. Still have a botle each of the 2008 Ella Valley and 2009 Livni to try.

[Andrew Breskin]

It was mostly a beer week here, with some Asahi Extra Dry, Corona, and a local beer: Ballast Point "Calico" Amber ale, which is certainly one of my favorites.

[Jon Tabak]

NV Cantina Gabriele Rosato (2010)
2009 Abarbanel Gewurtztraminer
NV Four Gates Pinot
2010 VIgnobles David Reserve Cotes du Rhone
2009 Herzog Special Edition Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon

[Elie Poltorak]

Castel Grand Vin '07 - A-/** A very serious wine with mouth-gripping tannins that haven't softened despite 5 years from vintage. I think this wine needs another 2-3 years to begin to shine.

Covenant Lavan '09-- B-/** I really liked this wine when it was younger but I'm not so happy with the way it's aging. It has become too round with the oak dominating. Also, I've been spoiled by the far better super-crisp '10 vintage. Happily, that was my last bottle of '09 and lots of '10 sitting in my wine fridge.

Crown Heights Winery Chalk Hill CS '10 -- B-/** A fruit bomb. Lots of cherries and red berries on this medium-bodied wine, but I think it could've used more time in oak for more tannic structure (winemaker told me he kept most of it in Oak for 12 months but about 1/3rd was unoaked and blended in before bottling). A bit of residual sweetness on the back end, which I found slightly unpleasant. Will be interesting to see how it develops over the next couple years. A nice debut for this new garagiste.

Rashi Asti ('10 I think but not sure) - D. Wanted a sweet sparkler to go with sweet tuna tartar and the Shabbos day heat but the sweetness here was cloying.

[Gabriel Geller]

NV Cantina Gabriele Rosato (2010)
2009 Abarbanel Gewurtztraminer
NV Four Gates Pinot
2010 VIgnobles David Reserve Cotes du Rhone
2009 Herzog Special Edition Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon

How was the Abarbanel Gewurz? Was the Herzog CH '09 ready for drinking?

[Harry J]

hi; had a very delicious cabernet 2010 from Golan winery.Lots of chocolate,reminds me this wineries '98.Have a feeling this one is going to open more with bottle age.read one online blog where they called it the best yet from this winery. h

[Isaac C]

I had the Capcanes Peraj Ha'abib 2008 on Friday night. Full bodied with excellent structure, the mouth is full of fruitiness and soft tannins. I opened the wine a couple of hours before drinking and it opened up a lot more toward the end of the meal and I think it even improved a little overnight. I would decant this wine if drinking now and it should be even better in another year or so.

Shabbos day, I had a homebrew dubbel that was delicious.

[Shawn Johnson]

Dalton Petite Sirah 2010-becoming one of my favorite Dalton wines

Good week to all

[gaston k]

Too hot for wine with a Jersey Shore heat wave, so had a Rince Couchon Belgian blond ale (my son noticed the pig illustration on the bottle and asked how it was kosher) on Friday Night. Not as good as the Omer Blonde I had a few weeks back, but I'm more a Tripel/Saison guy anyway.
On Saturday, Boddington's with lunch and a Sam Adams Summer Ale with a late afternoon snack of salsa and chips.