TN GHW Yarden Noble Semillon Botrytis: New Vintage!

I met with Victor Schoenfeld last week and he confirmed that the 2007 is the last vintage.

Did he say why?

I met with Victor Schoenfeld last week and he confirmed that the 2007 is the last vintage.

Did he say why?

Too expensive and complicated to make, no return on investment sales-wise.

Fair enough. But I finally discover it, and there it goes.

Fair enough. But I finally discover it, and there it goes.

I just "obtained" a handful of 2004s, of which I have very fond memories, the bottles seems to have aged a bit fast IMHO but gracefully and show a deep golden-bronze amber-ish color reminding of a fine brandy. Looking forward to open a bottle in a not-so distant future that I'll enjoy with the piece of foie gras that I have left at home which I need to prepare "half-cooked (mi-cuit) au torchon"...

No! I love this wine. The only match to this wine is the real thing. But best Sauternes have a price tag around 240NIS, which is way too expensive. And kosher Sauternes are even more expensive from the same chateaux.
BTW, I bet Yquem would never agree to make a kosher cuvee from the grapes they decided are not good enough for the regular cuvee. Their image and quality are beyond everything else.
Instead, GHW should better market it. It should be in front like the reds and not in the upper shelves where no one can see it.
A new box with appealing design is one simple, yet effective step to increase sales for example.

No! I love this wine. The only match to this wine is the real thing. But best Sauternes have a price tag around 240NIS, which is way too expensive. And kosher Sauternes are even more expensive from the same chateaux.
BTW, I bet Yquem would never agree to make a kosher cuvee from the grapes they decided are not good enough for the regular cuvee. Their image and quality are beyond everything else.
Instead, GHW should better market it. It should be in front like the reds and not in the upper shelves where no one can see it.
A new box with appealing design is one simple, yet effective step to increase sales for example.

Too late Alex, they ain't making it anymore... If only the great 08 vintage was the last one in this case...

Anyway, I always like to say that if I were a billionaire I wouldn't buy neither a soccer or a basketball team but Château d'Yquem and make it kosher... However the current owner, LVMH (Moët Hennessy - Louis Vuitton), majority shareholder multi-gazillioner Bernard Arnault is so passionate and rich that he wont sell it to me nor to anyone else even for $15 Billion..,

Dreams...

GG

Gabriel,
Yquem is a living legend. Kosher or not, most of us can't afford it anyway. Perhaps there is no market for sauternes in Israel. Do you have many customers who show interest in kosher editions of the top sauternes? E.g. Chateau Guiraud? Is it far from Yquem in the better years? I doubt.

I personally wouldnt want yquem's trash. You would be just be buying the name. Besides there isnt much of a market for kosher Sauternes. The Guiraud wines are still on the market even some 5-7 years later.

Gabriel,
Yquem is a living legend. Kosher or not, most of us can't afford it anyway. Perhaps there is no market for sauternes in Israel. Do you have many customers who show interest in kosher editions of the top sauternes? E.g. Chateau Guiraud? Is it far from Yquem in the better years? I doubt.

Marc: With me around, the Sauternes wouldn't remain on the shelves that long. Either I sell it or drink it!

Alex: I've not had yet even a single customer looking for kosher Sauternes. I do not sell any by the way, almost exclusively israeli wine. Those that buy the Botrytis are looking for dessert wine.

Folks, is there a way to search for kosher runs wines only on wine-searcher.com? Say, if I want to know where I can get and for how much a bottle of kosher Pontet-Canet?

anyone have a note for the 2007 Botrytis?

Thanks

anyone have a note for the 2007 Botrytis?

Thanks

Menachem, Hi, while I have not tasted again the 07 Botrytis since last year I believe that it is still a bit young at this point and would advise turning to older vintages for now (had the 05 with Yossie and Raccah a few weeks ago and it was drinking superbly) as the wine will likely gain depth and complexity with further ageing.

My (previously published) note for the 2007:

Golan Heights Winery, Yarden, Botrytis (Noble Semillon), 2007: The latest (and last) vintage of Yarden’s top dessert wine is full bodied and layered, loaded with the deep honey flavors typical of botrytis, a spicy background to keep things interesting and packed with bracing acidity that keeps the abundant sweetness from overwhelming the palate. Good botrytis funk together with heather, honeysuckle, marzipan, orange peel, lemon and subtle tropical fruit combine for a delightfully aromatic and rich wine with delightful hints of warm spices and a touch of crème brûlée, all leading into a long lingering finish (helpful at a half-bottle size). As opposed to the other botrytis wines which contracted the fungus naturally on the vine, this wine was manually infected in a controlled environment at the winery. Enjoyable now, but will develop additional layers of complexity and should be at its best in a few years, after which continue to enjoy through 2020 (luckily there is plenty of the 2005 and 2006 for us to enjoy while we wait).