Eli R wrote:AT GHW the Gamla Brut was available as was the 2004 Merlot (first appearance?).
Josh Patt wrote:Golan Heights had only the Yarden Syrah and the Merlot, and Galil Mountain had only their Shiraz.
Of the large wineries, I think Recanati had the best stand, both because of the wines and the people pouring them.
With the small wineries, there is more of a chance to meet the owners / winemakers. Amoung these I liked Shiloh, Agur, Psagot and Gush Etzion.
Josh
Josh Patt wrote:2006 Yarden Viognier - lots of tropical fruits, lightly spicy with a bitter finish. Probably the best Viognier of the evening.
2003 Yarden Syrah - An intense mouth filling Syrah.
2004 Yarden Merlot - Oaky nose. Starts soft and fruity in the mouth, but the tannins build up quickly. Needs a bit more time in the bottle. This will probably be a very good wine in another year or two, but most of the people at the fair will not appreciate that.
Tabor had only there basic dry reds along with the rose and a sweet red:
2007 Cabernet Franc Rose - light pink with strawberry fruit. Dry and crisp in the mouth. A good refreshing rose.
Pninim dessert Merlot - a frizzante (lightly sparkling) sweet Merlot - fruity and not overly sweet. Could go with fruit based desserts and the kids will like it.
Yatir didn't have their Viognier or the Shiraz (I think it's sold out). They had:
2007 Sauvignon Blanc - fresh cut grass on the nose with just a touch of oak. a good crisp SB.
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon - the fruit was not very pronounced. Balanced with good body, but not exciting.
2005 Merlot - Shiraz - Cabernet. A good balanced red with structure and concentrated fruit.
My pick for the best red of the show is the Recanati reserve Syrah and the Dalton "wild yeast" Chardonnay for the white.
Josh
Gary J wrote:Is having the uncertified wineries at the event a new thing? And how was this handled logistically? Were they all in the same area or were there separate areas? I can see some people drinking a wine they may have not wanted to drink.
EY Han wrote:
Seeing that the majority of the this year's crowd seemed to be even more fairly/completely new to wine compared to last year's, I thought my two guests - one from Ethiopia and another American who prefers sweet wines only - were fairly representative of the noses and palates of much of the attendees of the festival. They both thought that the GHW Merlot, 2004, although "strong" at the present, was the star of the show for red wines, and that the GHW Viognier, 2006, Tabor Pninim and Rosé, 2007 were also among the best of show.
I recently did a vertical tasting of the GHW Yarden Syrah from 2001–2003 and also including the Ortal Single Vineyard, 2004. I'm wondering if it is somewhat typical for the Yarden Syrah to lose its initial fruitiness overtime and gain more pepperiness and spiciness? My tasting of the 2003 vintage at the Jerusalem Festival seemed to show this…
Best wishes,
E.Y.
Josh Patt wrote:Interesting that your freinds felt the Yarden Merlot was the star for red wines ... in recent years I've found Yarden's Merlot to be less interesting that their Cabernet or Syrah. Of course this is just MHO![]()
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