In Front of You /Weeksend Week

bsd
Wouldnt it be nice if....
Could'nt he or she....
Instead I will (try to ) see
the peace and serenity of today
that's right in front of me.
Have a good one; h

Hi Harry, Looking forward to drink Tishbi Single Vineyard Petite Syrah (their spelling) 2007 tomorrow. There will be also many other wines both tonight and motzei shabbat though I'm not yet 100% sure of the exact program, should be nice though.

Shabbat Shalom,

GG

Hi Harry.
Tonight - Yarden Odem Organic Merlot 2007 and Carmel Kayoumi Shiraz 2007.
Tomorrow - Sito Sauvignon Blanc 2011, Tulip White Cabernet Franc 2011 and Gvaot Herodion Vineyards Dance 2008.
Shabbat Shalom.
Zvi

Hi Zvi - Would love to hear how the 07 Kayoumi shiraz is tasting? I had some about 4 months ago and it tasted very much off. Hoping that it was just the bottle. I found the 07 Kayoumi cab to be very good and interesting (had a French feel to it), so it doesn't seem to be a vintage issue.

Speaking of Kayoumi, we will be having the '10 Dry Riesling, as well as the latest vintage of the Covenant SB, Dalton Rose, and the 07 Isaac's Ram.

Hi, Harry, shavu'a tov,

2010 Binyamina Carignan Reserve (mevushal). Enjoyed. Have to wait for a trip to Israel for the non-mevushal. Would be interesting to taste them blind side-by-side. Anybody try it?

2007 Hagafen Syrah. Drinking very nicely, surely enjoyable, but did not excite interest.

A good week to all,

Isaac

Friday night, for dinner at a neighbor's, I dropped off a bottle of 2006 Galil Mountain Yiron. Another guest contributed a bottle of Crown Royal Reserve canadian whiskey. Shabbos morning, in shul, had some 1998 Glenrothes, and then a Cantina Gabrielle Montepulciano d'Abruzzo with lunch.

Drappier Carte Blanche -- showing much more richness and mousse elements than ever before. Excellent!

Harry, everyone, Shavua tov and chodesh tov,

Friday night:

- GMW, Alon 2009: As good as always.
- Dalton, Alma Bordeaux-blend 2009: Still the best of its kind for the price IMHO.

- Dalton, D Shiraz 2010: Dark, almost black purple, very full-bodied with on the nose ripe blackberries, leather and plums all that wrapped in smoke, the same showing on the palate along with black pepper , roasted meat as well as nutmeg, hints of sweet cedar, bright acidity and silky tannins on the long mouth-filling finish. Amazing QPR, another winner from Dalton.

Shabbat Lunch:

- Tishbi, Single Vineyard Petite Syrah 2007: From the free-run juice of Petite Sirah grapes from old vines in Givat Yeshayahu aged for 12 months in american oak barrels, deep garnet, medium to full-bodied with on the nose fresh violets, vanilla and raspberries going on the palate to reveal notes of raspberries again, dried cherries and raisins along with milk chocolate and integrated tannins on a moderately long finish. Quite an esay-drinking and pleasant Petite Sirah. Most its Israeli counterparts (Dalton, Carmel, Recanati) are fuller in body, dark purple and more muscular wines setting this one a little bit apart.

Motzei Shabbat, Saturday night (at 7 brachot):

- Hevron Heights, Judean Heights, Chardonnay 2011: Didn't focused too much on this wine. A rather simple yet refreshing Chardonnay fermented 3 months in french oak barrels, green apples, medium-bodied and a bit acidic with hints of buttery oakiness. Not bad as an entry-level Chardonnay.

- Alexander Sandro 2008: Nice as always, a unique blend based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, these flushed out with Petit Verdot, Shiraz and... wait for it... Sauvignon Blanc!

- Segal, Rechasim-Dishon Cabernet Sauvignon 2008: Excellent, no change from my previous bottle a few weeks ago.

- Teperberg, Shiraz Reserve 2009: Royal purple, on the nose blackberries and sweet yet not to the point of jammy boysenberries, licorice and black pepper, full-bodied with on the palate the same with the blackberries being quite juicy, bracing acidity here with hints of leather and backer's chocolate as well as good tannins on a long finish. Well-done.

- Tzuba, Harmony 2009: Second time I drink this blend of 60% Sangiovese and 40% Syrah, each developed separately for 8 months in French oak and then an additional 6 months after blending. Bright ruby with on the nose sour cherries, redcurrants and raspberries with notes of dry herbs and wet dirt. Medium-bodied with forest notes of parisian mushrooms and wet grass along with sour cherries and redcurrants as well as a hint of allspice and bitterness on the moderately long and softly tannic finish. A different and enjoyable wine.

Best,

GG

Hi Adam- I tried a bottle of the 07 Kayoumi shiraz on Friday night and it was completely off. It smelled like burnt rubber and was undrinkable. I hope Zvi had a better experience.

Adding for today:

-Ramot Naftali, Malbec 2010.
-Tzora, Shoresh Red 2008.

Ella Valley Vineyards, Syrah, 2007
Bazelet Hagolan, Reserve, Merlot, 2006

Gush Etzion Lonely Oak Cabernet Franc Reserve 2009
Shabbat lunch Saint Pauli Girl and Hoegarden

Stacey,

How was the Cab Franc?

Isaac

Le Mourre D'Isle Cotes Du Rhone 2011- a bit young, but delicious after opening up.

Good week to all.

Stacey,

How was the Cab Franc?

Isaac

I liked the Cab Franc - here are my notes...
http://kosherwinemusings.com/2012/01/19 ... ean-hills/

Thanks, David.

You certainly gave it an enthusiastic recommendation.I notice that Stacey mentioned the '09 (and you reviewed the '08); and I do not know yet what my local store is showing on its shelves --- and at what price.

Isaac

You certainly gave it an enthusiastic recommendation.I notice that Stacey mentioned the '09 (and you reviewed the '08); and I do not know yet what my local store is showing on its shelves --- and at what price.

Well, probably either the 2007 or 2009 as the 2008 is shmittah-otzar bet din thus unlikely to be imported into the US. Having not tasted neither the 2009 nor 2007 so I can't tell but the 2008 was spectacular. my note follows:

Gush Etzion, Haalon Haboded (Lonely Oak) Cabernet Franc 2008: Dark royal purple, medium to full-bodied (leaning to the full) with on the nose black cherries and raspberries as well as mint and toasty oak, these showing layer after layer on the palate together with red plums as well as notes of green bell pepper, mediterranean herbs, vanilla and cigar tobacco well-balanced with nice minerality, very good acidity and well-focused tannins on a long smooth finish.

Best,

GG

Yarden Pinot Noir 2007 - Very good, though it needed a lot of time to open up, after a couple hours of being open it was still very closed and had a very strong spiciness to it which was gone by the end of the meal and was even better the next day. Medium bodied with a nice soft finish. Shabbos day, finished the Pinot and had a Kasteel Donker 2010. Also finished my bottle of Yarden T2 2008, it was just as good after being open for a week.

2009 Tel Arza Cabernet Sauvignon"the Secret" .. Balance ..Balance Balance and a great bouquet
2011 Chateau De Parsac Bordeau - another solid vintage and yes even 2011
2011 Binyamina Reserve Chardonnay -Un-oaked - Needed time to settle or just had to much smokey food at first. Great with BBQ chicken and fatty stuff good acid and refreshing from the Heavy Oak that I like so much..

hi; something different-Arza malbec 2010.enjoyed ; a definite vanilla overlay. By day EnFuego unido (Spain)2010.To me the most prominent flavor here was licorice. so/so. h

Hi Adam- I tried a bottle of the 07 Kayoumi shiraz on Friday night and it was completely off. It smelled like burnt rubber and was undrinkable. I hope Zvi had a better experience.

Hi Adam and Steven,
My bottle of Kayoumi Shiraz 07 was in excellent condition and it disappeared quickly. Maybe the Holy Land's influence!!!
Zvi

Started Friday night with a 2007 Ella Valley Syrah (A-/***) Manages to be fruit-forward and even slightly sweet while retaining an elegance not found in other Israeli syrah. Very food friendly.

I finished my stock of the fantastic 2009 Dalton Wild Yeast Viognier (A/***) almost a year ago, so aside from one bottle forgotten bottle I discovered several months ago, I haven't had a chance to keep tabs on this wine's development lately. Recently, I was lucky enough to discovery 11 bottles in a hole-in-the-wall wine shop! The wine has definitely changed quite a bit, with the delicate floral character becoming slightly heavier and much more honeyed. Notes of wildflower honey, honeydew, lychees, apricots, and orange marmalade. Still a delightful wine, but not one I would cellar much longer. Whoever decided to discontinue this wine needs to have his head examined.

Lately I've been bashing French wines, with their terrible QPR and lack of consistency, but this shabbos, I had one of the few exceptions, which although not cheap by any stretch, at least gives you your money's worth bottle after bottle, vintage after vintage. 2003 Malartic Lagraviere (A/**) This is a wine unlike any other--one can call it an experience, like a Montecristo #2 with a dram of Laphroaig. Layer after layer of smoky tobacco, rick black fruit, massive yet silky tannins, and hints of brine. Not a wine I'd drink every day, but definitely worth seeking out from time to time. I think it will continue to improve for another 3 years minimum and last quite a few years longer.

The last wine I tried wasn't such a success: 2009 Teperberg Terra CS/Merlot blend (C/*) This wine is wildly overpriced, as it's a bland, uninteresting blend. I suppose it would make a decent quaffer at $12 but at $28, it's a rip-off.

2011 Binyamina Reserve Chardonnay -Un-oaked - Needed time to settle or just had to much smokey food at first. Great with BBQ chicken and fatty stuff good acid and refreshing from the Heavy Oak that I like so much..

Happy to hear the 2011 is nice, the 2010 unoaked chardonnay sucked horribly, while the 2009 was lovely and grand. I recently tasted the 2009 oaked binyamina chard and that was quite nice.

Hi Harry,

My weekend was spent in Israel, enjoying time with family, participating in my nephew's wedding. Rather than providing detailed notes, I'll mention the wines we had, commenting along the way. Deciding to introduce my brothers to some local wines they haven't had, I brought the current lineup from Flam, sans the rose': Blanc 2011, Classico 2010 and the newly released Reserve Syrah 2010. Those at my table didn't get to enjoy much of the Blanc, since the women, when offered to taste the bottle, drank it to the last drop. It is a lovely bottle that should please every palate, even if it is not complex it still delivers enjoyment. The Classico garnered the most favorable comments for its balance and layered flavors. The bottle of the Reserve Syrah was emptied in a hurry, but I did not hear any comments. My impressions are very favorable. The wine is very enjoyable now for its intensely bright fruit and floral flavors, accompanied by some spice. Although it is approachable now, the winery staff recommends holding on to it for awhile, allowing for the complexity to develop. I believe the alcohol content stands at 14.5%, but it does not impart any sensation of excessive heat, and it is easily absorbed by the fruit.

The other wines that were at the table offered a nice comparison with the Classico. Those were: the newly released vintage of the Yiron--the 2009, the Bordeaux blend from Dalton's Alma series of the same vintage, and the Recanati Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2009. Of the four wines, the Classico is the only one for which the blend is not dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, containing only 42% of that grape, and with Merlot the dominant variety, at 50% of the blend. As a result, the Classico is more velvety, and does not have the pungency and herbaceousness exhibited by the other wines. Preference is subjective, but it is something I think worth noting. The Yiron is the most alcoholic of the bunch, by far, with an AbV of 15.5%, and the alocohol's contribution is amply felt. Also the Yiron and the Recanati, make more use of oak than the other two, their flavor profile including layers of chocolate and other oak derived contributions. Interestingly, I also found that this duo required the most time for their flavors to fill out the palate. If I were to rate them, they would all fall in a narrow band, between B- and B, but my very subjective personal ranking has them in the following order: Classico, Dalton Alma, Yiron, Recanati.

Best,
-> Pinchas