Raindrops / WeeksEnd wine

Bsd. Ever cry tears ? For myself or for someone else. Or tears of one that causes the tears of another. Have a good one; H

Since tears are salty....

William Fevre, Chablis Grand Cru, Les Clos, 2006

Very mute at first, to the point where the bottle is suspect, there is a saline, tangy core nonetheless. There's little to the glory I expect from Les Clos, rather it is more about weight and presence and painting the marine colors of Chablis in bold strokes, with even less finesse that I find in good Premier Crus. It doesn't really work as well as expected, but at least its relative failures are mitigated by its yumminess.

Hi Harry, shavua tov,

Friday night:

Tabor, Har, Cabernet Sauvignon 2011: Bright garnet in color with on the nose cherries, plums and blackberries. Medium-bodied with on the palate, sour black and underripe aggressively acidic red fruit as well as roasted herbs and black pepper, unbalanced acidity and unfocused tannis with a rather short finish. This wine was literally sour and acidic, totally out of balance, absolutely not enjoyable and I certainly do NOT recommend it.

Ella Valley, Vineyard's Choice, Cabernet Sauvignon 2007: A powerful wine and a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 5% Petite Sirah that was aged (if I'm not mistaken) 17 months in french oak barrels. Very dark garnet with on the nose concentrated aromas of cassis, blackberries with hints of vanilla and toasted oak. Full-bodied and deeply extracted with on the palate again ripe and juicy black fruit, mediterranean herbs, a touch of green olives as well as graphite, vanilla, impressive bracing core acidity (almost à la Four Gates) with near sweet tannins coating the mouth and minted flavored dark chocolate lingering with elegance on a long and luscious finish. Excellent wine, excellent structure, will IMHO improve further and last another 4-5 years if not even more than that. Very impressive, delicious, without a doubt one of the top israeli wines for the 2007 vintage.

Shabbat lunch:

Teperberg, Silver, Rosé 2012: Made of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that were pre-selected to make this delicious and inexpensive rosé wine. Deep pink-red in color with on the nose red berries such as strawberries, red currants and cherries and hints of rose water. Light to medium in body with on the palate again much of the same characteristics as on the nose with crisp, refreshing acidity. I do like the GMW version a bit more for being somewhat more complex but this one is very good nonetheless and does exactly what a Rosé wine is supposed to do and with the matching reasonable price to booth.

Best,

GG

Enjoyed the Shirah, Syrah, McGinley Vineyard, 2009, Recanati Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007 and the Ella Valley Vineyards, Cabernet Framc, 2009.

I also enjoyed with my wife, 2007 Recanati Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Just lovely.

2004 Siduri Santa Rita Hills pinot noir. Showing its age gracefully, with some spice.

2011 Landsman Pinot Noir: A-/** This wine has developed beautifully over the past year and is at peak. The age gave it some complexity and nuance on top of the clean fruit. Very nice. Can't wait for the new vintage shipping in 2 weeks.

2010 Flam Blanc: A-/*** Crisp and delicious. Drink now

2011 Elvi In Vita: B++/*** Absolutely delcious quaffer. Like a good cold lemonade.

2010 Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon: B to B+/** Another poor vintage from Yarden. Brimming with date syrup on both the nose and mouth. On the plus side, an insane, room-filling nose, full of blueberry, blackberry, and red berries. Nice acidity. Much better than the overripe 09, but the heavy oak and sweet dates ultimately make this a pass for me.

2010 Yarden Syrah: B/** Like the CS, brimming with dates and heavy-handed oak.

2011 Netofa Tinto: A-/*** I absolutely LOVE this wine!!! Make sure to chill to PN/cellar temp before drinking (55-60 F), as at room temp it shows some heat and not all the notes come through. A very unique, special wine. The nose is dominated by dill, with some sweet vanilla, garrigue, eucalyptus, and blackberry. The mouth has bracing acidity, with blueberry, red currant, vanilla ice cream, green tea, and silky tannins.

hi; galil mt meron 07. very good,powerfull with a nice long finish.wild goat 3 grape blend,this ones off for me.perhaps the bonarda grape throws it off.h
And Gabriel-the har tabor '12 cab is in a different leauge probably than the '11,my 2 cents.

hi; galil mt meron 07. very good,powerfull with a nice long finish.wild goat 3 grape blend,this ones off for me.perhaps the bonarda grape throws it off.h
And Gabriel-the har tabor '12 cab is in a different leauge probably than the '11,my 2 cents.

Harry, as 2012 was a considerably better year (with potential for Israel's best wine vintage ever IMHO), I'd believe so. I hope I'll taste it soon enough as being unoaked, the wines in this series aren't meant for cellaring. BTW, the 2012 Galil Mountain wines (CabSav, Merlot and Syrah) are all very good and excellent as inexpensive table wines for daily drinking. Same enthusiastic remark goes for the mevushal 2012 Teperberg Silver wines (CabSav, Merlot, Sangiovese, Syrah, Late Harvest Riesling and Chardonnay). And yes, the 07 Galil Meron is lovely indeed .

Hey Harry the Bonarda wine was it Italian or from Argentina?

Hi David;they're from Argentina. The malbec reserve and the cab were good;just not the blend. H

2010 Bravdo Cabernet Sauvignon.

Very good. Opened with a nice tobacco box that melted away and vanished by the next day. Overall, a very solid wine.

Hi Harry,

2011 Tel Arza Mediterranean Blend

Had the 2008 Four Gates Chardonnay - liked it:

http://kosherwinemusings.com/2013/10/09 ... hardonnay/

Hi Harry,

Hagafen Zinfandel 2006 - The higher than usual alcohol level, when measured against Hagafen's standards, is felt in the form of a bittersweet haze. It works well with the wine, lending some seriousness to what might otherwise be a one-faceted wine. I like its fruit profile and its weight, and the age has done good things to this wine. 14% AbV B/**/Y

Best,
-> Pinchas

Grading for quality: A - marvelous, 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
Indication of further interest: Y - would purchase again, N - no desire to purchase more

2012 Don Ernesto clarinet. By hagafen. - I really enjoyed this bright fun table wine. My wife was not as impressed .

I had that at the winery and was not as impressed

Is Hagafen not what it used to be? I am getting this impression from TN"s for quite awhile, say, a couple of years.

My current take is that the reds are so-so but the white wines are mostly very nice! Some of the red Prix and nice, but that is it

Is Hagafen not what it used to be? I am getting this impression from TN"s for quite awhile, say, a couple of years.

Hi Isaac,

What gives you that impression? I cannot believe that my posts reinforce a sense of declining quality.

Best,
-> Pinchas

It is also my impression, having greatly enjoyed a number of Hagafen wines from '03 (CabSav Napa), '04' (Prix Zin) and '06 (PN) that since the 2007 vintage or so, there is a noticeable decline in quality there. I have as well enjoyed the 2007 Cuvée de Noirs sparkling and the 2011/12 whites (Roussanne, Riesling, '08 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc) but most red wines that I've tasted at the winery last April from '07, '08 and '09 were not at all that interesting, including the Prix series in general and the '07 Prix Mélange in particular. I was really disappointed as I had high expectations that were not met, to say the least.

Pinchas,

My take is that in the early days Hagafen wines were the go-to wines for reliable quality. One hardly ever heard a disappointment with any of their wines. My impression, and I admit it's only an impression, that since they expanded their offerings with especially high-end wines I read disappointing reviews more often than I expected. If I only read about less-than-great in their basic series, I would say they are keeping the best grapes for the top tier. But I am coming across, on occasion, less-than-stellar reviews for prix series wines. In theory, that should never happen.

Maybe expansions of one's lines has to be handled very carefully.

Pinchas,

My take is that in the early days Hagafen wines were the go-to wines for reliable quality. One hardly ever heard a disappointment with any of their wines. My impression, and I admit it's only an impression, that since they expanded their offerings with especially high-end wines I read disappointing reviews more often than I expected. If I only read about less-than-great in their basic series, I would say they are keeping the best grapes for the top tier. But I am coming across, on occasion, less-than-stellar reviews for prix series wines. In theory, that should never happen.

Maybe expansions of one's lines has to be handled very carefully.

Isaac,

I cannot speak for Ernie, but I don't think their total output has increased much, if at all, over the years. The unflattering reviews seem to come from those who prefer a different style than that which is offered by Ernie. Ernie's wines are consistently restrained in their oak and alcohol levels, whereas many on this forum prefer blockbuster wines. Additionally, when purchasing wines from Hagafen you should distinguish between the mainstays, those wines for which Hagafen is renowned, such as their Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Rieslings, and the others. Personally, almost every time one of Ernie's wines was panned on the forum, I've found that to be inaccurate when I tasted the wine myself. Of course, exceptions exist, as is the case with the Pinot Noir's of several years ago. Hagafen staff admit that the Pinot's of the past didn't pan out as they had hoped. But by and large I haven't found a more consistent producer than Hagafen, even if its wines aren't always exciting and definitely not flamboyant.

Best,
-> Pinchas

The unflattering reviews seem to come from those who prefer a different style than that which is offered by Ernie. Ernie's wines are consistently restrained in their oak and alcohol levels, whereas many on this forum prefer blockbuster wines. Additionally, when purchasing wines from Hagafen you should distinguish between the mainstays, those wines for which Hagafen is renowned, such as their Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Rieslings, and the others.

restrained oak? lower alcohol levels? I can handle that.