Stubborn / WeeksEnd wine

bsd
Also referred to as stiff necked .Stubborness, as many traits can be a double edged sword.It can keep us in a rut or we can use it to fight our way out.
Hopefully we are granted to wisdom to know the difference.
Have a good one; h

We'll find out tonight whether it was worth being stubborn, when we open a bottle of the 1998 Freemark Abbey Bosche cabernet. I bought some even though the winery felt that 1998 wasn't a very good year for them. But they were selling it some years ago at half the usual price and I liked it (but felt it wasn't quite erady). And for white, some 2008 Thomas Fogarty gewurtz.

Friday night: Capcanes Perj Petita 2009 and a taste of Baron Rothschild 2010
Shabbat Teperberg lunch: 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, lovely as ever, and 2009 Malbec, simply delicious. I found the malbec more balanced, with notable but restrained fruit, when compared with the 2009 Tishbi. It might be that the Teperberg finished its development and is at the top, whereas the Tishbi still has some develolpment in front of it. I leave it to the experts to weigh in on the matter.

Had 2 pretty good bargain wines this weekend.

Galil mountain pinot noir 2010. It has a very interesting smell. I get dry sage, raw duck, fried portobello mushrooms and chocolate covered dried cherries. Medium bodied with flavours of sour cherries, sweet cigars, green pepper and a touch of pink peppercorns. A good pinot.

Gamla syrah 2010
I tend to like syrah and this is no exception. Deep purple and an incredible smell. It smells like a BBQ, with coal, smoke and seared beef with concentrated pomegranate and blackberries, the slightest bit of black pepper and earth. The flavour is full and pretty well balanced with flavour of blackberry jam, creamy vanilla, shitaki mushrooms and a match that has just been blown out. The finish is clean and a bit sweet.

Friday night: Capcanes Perj Petita 2009 and a taste of Baron Rothschild 2010
Shabbat Teperberg lunch: 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, lovely as ever, and 2009 Malbec, simply delicious. I found the malbec more balanced, with notable but restrained fruit, when compared with the 2009 Tishbi. It might be that the Teperberg finished its development and is at the top, whereas the Tishbi still has some develolpment in front of it. I leave it to the experts to weigh in on the matter.

WOW! I did not know that they released the 2010 Baron Rothschild already here in the states. Last year at the IFWF they were pouring the 2006,2007,2008 - maybe they skipped the 2009. Either way, the wine was OK to me, when I tasted it in France this past month:

http://kosherwinemusings.com/2012/12/01 ... -recently/

The 2009 Terra Malbec is elegant while the Tishbi Malbec has lots of bottle variation and when it on, it is a brute of a wine with more dead animal in it than a horror movie.

What did you think of the 2009 Petita?

I had a wine whose death was highly exaggerated on this very forum - so I think it is incumbent upon me to set the story straight - the 2009 Daltion Viognier is fine and it is NOT dead. Anyone with "dead" bottles in need of exorcism, can happily ship them to me and I will pay for the shipping!

http://kosherwinemusings.com/2013/01/19 ... ild-yeast/

David

I had a wine whose death was highly exaggerated on this very forum - so I think it is incumbent upon me to set the story straight - the 2009 Daltion Viognier is fine and it is NOT dead. Anyone with "dead" bottles in need of exorcism, can happily ship them to me and I will pay for the shipping!

http://kosherwinemusings.com/2013/01/19 ... ild-yeast/

David

David:
I've been drinking the Dalton viognier almost every Shabbos (except when I'm in Miami) for several months now and the past couple months it's been hit or miss. This week my bottle was dying. It was still drinkable after letting it air out, but WELL past prime. On the other hand, last week's bottle was absolutely awesome! The 2 previous weeks were not so good, the week before that great. So your experience is not inconsistent with mice, but I stand by my advice: DRINK UP BABY!

Harry, shavua tov Señor,

What a shabbat... unforgettable

Friday night:

GHW, Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon 2008: While this one was a lil harsh on opening, after 2 hours or so in the decanter carafe it was just about perfect. So as always, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that spent 18 months in new french oak barrels (please correct me if I'm wrong). Dark royal burgundy red with purple reflections, with on the nose ripe cherries, cassis and blackberries with a hint of vanilla. Full-bodied with on the palate black, red and blue (is there such a flag? ) fruit as well as plums and sweet cedar, layers of dark chocolate and spicy vanilla with silky tannins rising on the long, smooth, mouth-filling finish. An excellent vintage for this ever safe value. Crowd pleaser.

Midbar, Grande Finale Port-style NV: Doing very well, had a feeling that the wine was showing a bit more depth and complexity than last week. Will keep revisiting over the next few weeks.

Did a comparative tasting between the Louis Royer XO Cognac and Carmel 100 Brandy. The Carmel won hands down.
Shabbat lunch:

1848, Seventh Generation Cabernet Sauvignon 2009: Still doing well, the tannins mellowed out a bit. A really good wine indeed.

Asif, Chevlei Aretz, Avant Garde 2009: Let me just start by saying that with a very respectable number of guests at the table, it wasn't so easy to warn everybody and explain Ya'acov Oryah's political motives and opinion on Israel's kashrut agencies. The topic eventually leaded to a very interesting and passionate discussion that I couldn't hold myself from thinking about those we're having on this forum recently... This field blend of 30% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Gewurztraminer, 21% Chardonnay, 12% Semillon and 7% Viognier must have spent some time in oak barrels as it clearly shows so on both the nose and palate. While making for barely more than 1/5 of the blend, the Chardonnay component was surprisingly dominant on all accounts. The wine was very fresh and kicking with good acidity. Pale straw in color showing on the nose slightly toasted brioche, apples and citrus fruits. Medium-bodied and dry with on the palate ripe citrus, butterscotch, baked apples, orange rind and a hint of spice playing with flavors of ripe peaches and toasted almonds on the moderately long finish. Nice balance. A very good, different wine.

GHW, Gamla Chardonnay 2010: Light gold in color with on the nose apples, roasted pine nuts and ripe tangerines. Medium-bodied with on the palate juicy apples, tangerines, as well as a hint of roasted nuts and white pepper on the moderate finish. No overwhelming oak nor cloying buttery feel here. A nice vintage for this wine, quite a decent entry-level Chardonnay.

Falesco, Montiano Lazio IGT 2006: This Merlot knocked me out! Are you kidding me?! HOLLY WOW! It rested for about 4 weeks in my cellar after its short 4hr flight from Geneva to Jerusalem, purchased 3 bottles with the help of some buddy of mine from my friend fellow forumite David O (hasn't posted anything in a while, David! Where are you?!) at the very reasonable cost of $39. Pinchas L this message is for you: If there's not enough acid for your taste in this wine, then you're a lost case my friend! I will for once not use my Rogov-ish style of tasting note and will try to describe this wine in a more 'Gary Vaynerchuck' manner. First of all the color: Deep, almost impenetrable royal purple as some concentrated, freshly-squeezed plum juice. Then the nose: Take a raw cedar wood box with one or two fresh cigars inside, throw it in a wood oven for a few seconds and then take it out half-burnt and smoking, open it and throw in some handful of juicy ripe raspberries and a few pieces of lamb bacon and licorice. Close the wood box, shake it then open it and stick your nose inside: THAT is what this wine smells like... After some time in the glass, the fruit moves a bit more up to the front in an almost jammy way. Now the mouth: Full-bodied with ripe raspberries, layers and layers and layers of crushed red fruit, tobacco, red currants jam, spices, thyme, roasted meat, bracing acid all the way, backer's chocolate and with tannins coating, drying out the mouth on the very long finish that makes you ask for more and more. Powerful, rich and complex, without a doubt the very best Merlot I've had in my entire life. Still young and with all the needed attributes to age gracefully for quite a few more years. BRAVISSIMO! For once, I'll give it a score, à la Pinchas and Elie: A to A+/***

Best,

GG

the Tishbi Malbec has lots of bottle variation and when it on, it is a brute of a wine with more dead animal in it than a horror movie.

dude... Funny that I never got the animal on the Tishbi nor bottle variation.

I will have to restrict my drinking for a while as I'm going back on the medication I was on last year for 4 long dry months, so this is my last hurrah:

2010 Shirah Bro.Deux: A/*** Another home run from the amazing Weiss Brothers! Although the syrah is only 10%, it nevertheless manages to make its presence felt in a BIG way, really differentiating this wine from your typical Bordeaux Blend. Medium to full body with deep purple coloring but not very saturated (translucent rim). Irresistable nose with violet, red roses, blackberries, blueberries, and cedar. First attack opens with an unexpectedly blue streak of tart blueberries, along with tons of blackberries, sweet cherries, sweet plums, cassis, red currants, and a hint of rapsberries--nice sweet fruitiness but very balanced by the tart blue notes. Mid-palate the sweetness and red & blue notes recede and black and green take center stage, with more blackberry, eucalyptus, garrigue, vanilla, cedar, wet earth, Japanese green tea (the powder type that you dissolve), along with some nice green vegetal notes (not the green bell pepper and vegetal notes you expect with CF, but more like spinach and leafy vegetables), smoky but not smoked meat--more like a smoky scotch (think Lagavulin), and bracing tannins. The long finish has pencil lead, chocolate, and slighly-honeyed but very peaty scotch (reminds me of Laphroaig 30 year). Drinking beautifully but will be interesting to watch develop. Make sure to give this wine a couple of hours in a decanter before drinking to fully open up.

2007 Barkan Altitude CS +624: B++/** We often criticize wine on this forum for being overoaked, overripe, too sweet, too fruity, etc. Rarely does anyone complain of the opposite extreme. But this wine was a bit too austere for my taste. On first attack, this wine will make your mouth pucker up, as if you bit into an unripe persimmon. After giving it TONS of air (I used Venturi + 2 hours in a decanter!) it begins to open up, but it's still a very severe wine. Some may love that, but it was a bit too much for me--I like a tad of supple softness in my wine. Notes included blackberry, black cherry, black tea, a hint of red fruit, graphite, and baker's chocolate. BRACING tannins. A very well-structured wine, but just not my thing.

2009 Dalton Reserve Wild Yeast Viognier: I just can't rate this wine as this week my luck wasn't as good as last, and the bottle was WELL past its prime. Like I wrote above, this wine is now past its drinking window, so it's hit or miss--some bottles will be phenomenal but others will be dead. DRINK UP!!!

Kinor Dovid Shir Hama'alot 8 Year K'Port: A/*** YUM!!! (I know I promised a TN, but that's still to come ) I plan on doing a post with TNs for all of the KDs together.

Harry, shavua tov Señor,

Falesco, Montiano Lazio IGT 2006: This Merlot knocked me out! Are you kidding me?! HOLLY WOW! It rested for about 4 weeks in my cellar after its short 4hr flight from Geneva to Jerusalem, purchased 3 bottles with the help of some buddy of mine from my friend fellow forumite David O (hasn't posted anything in a while, David! Where are you?!) at the very reasonable cost of $39. Pinchas L this message is for you: If there's not enough acid for your taste in this wine, then you're a lost case my friend! I will for once not use my Rogov-ish style of tasting note and will try to describe this wine in a more 'Gary Vaynerchuck' manner. First of all the color: Deep, almost impenetrable royal purple as some concentrated, freshly-squeezed plum juice. Then the nose: Take a raw cedar wood box with one or two fresh cigars inside, throw it in a wood oven for a few seconds and then take it out half-burnt and smoking, open it and throw in some handful of juicy ripe raspberries and a few pieces of lamb bacon and licorice. Close the wood box, shake it then open it and stick your nose inside: THAT is what this wine smells like... After some time in the glass, the fruit moves a bit more up to the front in an almost jammy way. Now the mouth: Full-bodied with ripe raspberries, layers and layers and layers of crushed red fruit, tobacco, red currants jam, spices, thyme, roasted meat, bracing acid all the way, backer's chocolate and with tannins coating, drying out the mouth on the very long finish that makes you ask for more and more. Powerful, rich and complex, without a doubt the very best Merlot I've had in my entire life. Still young and with all the needed attributes to age gracefully for quite a few more years. BRAVISSIMO! For once, I'll give it a score, à la Pinchas and Elie: A to A+/***

Best,

GG

Awesome writeup!!! The Falescos are all amazing! Yehoshua did a nice review of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSKbrKysZR8
Who imports Falesco to the U.S.? I wish they were more widely available!

What did you think of the 2009 Petita?

Lovely, such a delightful change from the usual. Brought it to a friend's house. Went round the table rather quickly. I've had the 2010 recently, enjoyed it, but the 2009 showed the benefit of a year's cellaring. Have only one left.

Hi. Served terrenal malbec people liked it recanati syrah '10 dalton moscato '11 alma from argentina terra vega carmenere '12. H

Friday night - the Har Odem CS 2009, needed some time to open, nice full bodied wine with a little spice and berry. A little underwhelming, probably partially due to using fairly poor wine glasses provided at a dinner.
Metzuda 2007 - amazing wine, also needs a couple hours to come around but superb on the nose straight out of the bottle. Probably need to decant or open it a little earlier next time.
Someone at lunch brought a random bottle of 2004 Tzora Neve Ilan Cab. Liked it a lot, very soft on the palette, with plenty of berry and forest fruits. I didn't think it was over the hill yet.

We enjoyed the Capcanes Flor de Flor 2010 that needed some airing out and wasn't as good as the lat time I had it. Also enjoyed the Cuvee Chabad 2011 Zinfandel.

Visiting in Jerusalem took advantage of opportunity to partake in 2008 vintage of the Ella valley Personal to accompany our dinner meal
Shabbat lunch we enjoyed a Dalton Matatia

shavua Tov

Had my last bottle of the Yiron Syrah 2005 (found it while doing inventory) as well as a bottle of the Isaac's Ram Cabernet 2009 (thanks Adam M!) - both were really enjoyable. The Yiron is definitely towards the end of it's drinking window, and at first tasted a little too aged, but once the wine aired out with some vigorous swirling it was a really nice wine, really happy I got a chance to experience it with the aging. The Isaac's Ram was really nice, a full bodied Caberent, with a lot of flavor, needs some time to breath to really enjoy. The mouth was showing red berries with notes of black pepper. I also finished off the end of my bottle of Quevedo Ruby Port - I had opened it 3 weeks ago - and it was delicious.

The 1998 Freemark Abbey did not disappoint. Perhaps it's a bit light-bodied for the Bosche vineyard but the flavor and complexity were right there. Glad I have another bottle somewhere.

Tonight, dinner with friends and a bottle of 2006 Har Tavor 1/13000 cabernet-syrah. Not complex but nicely drinkable. If you have some, it can hold up for a couple more years but is quite good right now. Never was nor will be a 90+ point wine but should score in the high 80s.

Hi Harry,

Flam Blanc 2011 - This vintage has 58% Sauvignon Blanc and 42% Chardonnay. The nose and palate is dominated by the Sauvingon Blanc, but the Chardonnay provides structure and depth even if not much weight, so that the end result is more than a straightforward refreshing wine. The freshness of the fruit plays well off the bitter notes that linger. 12% AbV and about 74NIS B-/***

Prix Hagafen Pinot Noir California Soliel Vineyard North Block 2006 - Those that like the Four Gates might go for this, but this is not my preferred style. Honestly, when the wine was released more than four years ago, I chose it to be the wine for my daughter's wedding that took place in November of 2008, but it never developed into the wine I had envisioned. Its flavors are mostly earthen, complemented by a smokiness as well as mint. There is some red fruit in the background, but it is out of focus. Overall, I prefer the Fagan Creek bottling. 13.5% AbV and about $50 upon release. I have several more bottles of this wine that I plan on drinking over the next two years. C+/*

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

My good friend mendy's wife had a boy (mazal tov!!) very excited as sadly his father passed on less than 1 month ago so they can name the boy after him.

Shalom zachor at his wife's uncle, who has a crazy wine collection, we had 2002 bustan merlot with the bottle saying imported by royal? the wine was great but seemed a year or overdue.

Next up I wanted to open a good bottle but was unsure, so mendy grabs a herzog reseve 1986 and i was like umm woah dude.. that must be way RIP.. so we settled on a 2002 hagefen merlot.. OUTSTANDING!!! INCREDIBLE!!

Id love to hear if any one has had a 2002 hagefe merlot lately

Eden Wild Red 2009 - Really expressive, bright fruit – predominantly red berries; well-structured with a near-silky body, healthy bit of acid and tannins; long finish of tobacco, earth, and a bit of rubber. Very nice wine, thanks Gabe for the recommendation – I wish I’d bought more.

Galil Yiron 2005 - Well into drink-up mode unfortunately. Flabby, this close to falling apart completely. One dimensional cherry flavor, short finish. Glad I've only got 1 bottle left.

What! Allen and Isaac are scaring me, I have many 05 Yiron and another Yiron Syrah - are they really going? Anyone for a party, Yiron/Gangam style???

Hi Harry,

2010 Recanati Shiraz
Teal Lake Chardonnay

Shavua Tov

What! Allen and Isaac are scaring me, I have many 05 Yiron and another Yiron Syrah - are they really going? Anyone for a party, Yiron/Gangam style???

Count me in!