First Fruit / WeeksEnd wine

Bsd. When you get to the land and you plant and they start to grow instead of tasting the first fruit you set it aside.... On a personal note; were here in Afula as my oldest son who lives in Israel had his first son. And its great to be here. Have a good one; h

mazal tov! and shabbat shalom,

isaac

Brob's 2010 Petit Verdot! Looking forward

Hi Harry.
Welcome to Eretz HaKodesh and Mazal Tov.
Friday night - Flam Classico 2010 and Dalton Petite Sirah 2010.
Shabbat lunch - Sito Chianti 2010 - very light but tasted like stewed prunes. Turns out to be mevushal.
Shavua Tov and enjoy your stay.
Zvi

Hi Harry, a big Mazal Tov to you and baruch haba! Hope you can manage to pay me a visit!

Friday night:

Tishbi, French Riesling 2011: An easy-drinking blend of French Colombard and Emerald Riesling, off-dry with simple notes of fresh ananas and honeydew. Not bad with salads and a salmon quiche.

Tishbi, Merlot 2005: Another survivor brought over by a friend to whom I offered this bottle for Purim. Quite good and made a much better impression than last time which was the shabbat after Pesach were it was on the same table as Yarden Rom '08, Recanati PS-ZIN '10, Castel C '10 and The Cave '07 to name only these...

Ella Valley, Merlot 2006: Dark, almost impenetrable garnet with some purple showing at the rim, full-bodied with on the nose clean, focused raspberries and blackberries as well as dark chocolate, on the palate ripe bramble, sour cherries and cranberries with some good minerality, dark chocolate with a little hint of spice showing on the long and smooth finish. Ella Valley. Merlot. What's not to love?

After the meal and with dessert a few shots of williamine (Williams pears shnaps) abricotine (apricot shnaps) and absinthe (69% Abv)...

Shabbat lunch:

Dalton Petite Sirah 2010: My beloved basket of blueberries, vanilla and violets.

Wishing you all a great last week of 5772.

GG

Hi Harry, shavu'a tov,

For all those drinking 2010 Dalton Petite Sirah, I am finishing my last bottles of the '09. Had one this Shabbat, lovely, and one more to go. Will finish it sooner than later.

A good week to all,

Isaac

Mazel Tov!
Friday Night Yarden yonaton Cab 2007
Shababt lunch Castel Grand Vin 2005 and Carmel Limited Edition 2007

Bustan, Syrah, 2005
Hagafen, Prix, Oak Knoll, Chardonnay, 2010

Mazal tov, Harry!

2011 Covenant Red C Sauvignon Blanc
2005 Carmel Limited Edition. Like nearly all other prior vintages, as they age rightoutof the bottle they have a feel of being over the hill. But with some oxidation (we put most of the bottle back in the cellar for lunch today), the wine opens up and shows nice integration and balance. Very delicious!

Friday night = Katlav 2006 Merlot
Saturday = Dalton 2005 Zinfandel

Invited to dinner at a friends; they served 2010 Don Guillermo malbec. Nothing to write home about; plummy/sour tastes.

they served 2010 Don Guillermo malbec. Nothing to write home about; plummy/sour tastes.

2010 --- no wonder. I drank quite a bit of it when it came out. Quite tasty, we enjoyed it as a table wine during the week. Would try again a new vintage. But it was clear that one wouldn't drink the 2010 long after release.

2001 Haut Condissas. Still has good color, fruit, acidity and tannins. Flavors of blackberry, purple plums, cigar box and exotic spice. The 2001 and 2003 are worthwhile purchases if you can find them at a good price. Overall impression 89-90 pts.

BS"D

MAZAL TOV

2006 Falesco Montiano - As amazing as ever...
2010 Shirah Counterpunch - Delicate, Smooth and very supple character that brought me a smile.
2010 Saslove Aviv Cabernet Sauvignon - Nice bouquet and a wine that is very approachable now with good fruit and amazing tones on the nose again that flow thru to the pallete (Bay leaves / Chocolate /Caramel?? Cool) even written on label for notes.
2010 Saslove April - Nice a little better than table wine with good vibes.

Once again went with my beloved Flam rose for kidddush. why would I ever want to make kiddush on anything else?

2011 Flam Blanc A- /** Exquisitely balanced wine with tons of complexity. The sauvignon blanc and Chardonnay each come through loud and clear. explosive floral nose. tons of stone fruit, lychees and citrus with a long zesty finish. Excellent structure with bracing tannins despite the lack of oak. Truly a connoisseur's wine. Very food friendly to boot.

2004 Mt. Hevron Reserve Syrah B++/* This wine has matured beautifully and is at its peak. A typical big Israeli syrah, but the fruit is well integrated at this point. Has aged very well. I wish this winery weren't so expensive in the US!

Friday night - Recanati Cabernet Reserve 2009 - Full bodied with gentle tannins and a dark fruity mouth, the wine opened up after only a few minutes in the glass. The finish on this wine was long and flavorful. Overall, a very enjoyable and approachable wine.

Shabbos day - a homebrew clone of Brooklyn Monster Ale, and it was right on the money, and a Brouwerij De Ranke Noir De Dottignies - a good brew but nothing amazing especially at the price ($5 for small bottle).

I just opened a bottle of Flam Classico 2010. Indeed food-friendly but not so special. I guess that some people have been buzzing about it a bit too much just because it was Flam and turned kosher.

Flam, Classico 2010: A blend of 50% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, aged 10 months in french and american oak barrels. Dark garnet, medium, perhaps medium to full-bodied with on the nose red plums, bell pepper and a hint of basil, going on to show plums, red currants and bell pepper with a hint of spicy bitterness and soft tannins on a medium finish. Indeed a good match to some chicken with a rich sauce and beef stew, not overly complex.

Best,

GG

Hi Harry,

Hagafen Prix Sauvignon Blanc Moscowite Ranch Block 53 2009 - The usually high acid of the regular bottling is countered by the oak, mitigating its bite, and filling out the body. Unlike the regular bottling, whose fruit profile is decidedly citrus, a consequent of the high acid, this one has a profile of apples and grass. Its greater weight makes it a better food match than the regular bottling and overall more interesting. However, I feel that these individual components have yet to fully integrate and develop if it is to evolve into a truly great wine. 13.5% AbV and its price is listed at $30. B/**

Flam Classico 2010 - The aspect most striking about this wine is its balance. With fruit mostly dark, this time calling to mind cranberry and plum, complemented by restraining green herbal notes, and framed by oak. Gabe had this too, this week, and was unimpressed, whereas I'm impressed by its style, given the context of its intended use as a food friendly everyday wine, accompanying a meal, but not overshadowing it. Golan creates this wine with a purpose in mind, and it is amazing how well he manages to accomplish that which he sets out to do. That he manages to produce a wine consistent in quality and--surprisingly--in style, year in and year out, speaks volumes of his winemaking skills. 14% AbV and about 80 NIS directly from the winery. B/**

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

Teperberg Terra Malbec 2009- Delicious

Good week to all.

Mazel Tov Harry

Friday Night: Pacifica Meritage 2010

Sat Lunch: Recanati Shiraz 2010

Just to address Pinchas' remarks re: Flam Classico. I liked it but it was a bit too green for my palate and I like a bit more fruit, that's all. But it is a good wine and its restrained fruit makes it a nice match for food. As well, I made a mistake and mixed up the proportions for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in my previous post and thus have corrected that now.

Aside from the Classico, I also opened and enjoyed on its own after dinner a bottle of Recanati PS-Zin '07. Even with an aerator it took almost 2 hours to open up!

Recanati, Petite Sirah-Zinfandel 2007: 70% Petite-Sirah and 30% Zinfandel, aged for 8 months in french and american oak barrels. Deep purple with garnet reflections at the rim, full-bodied with on the nose ripe blackberries and blueberries with a hint of vanilla, followed on the palate by loads of blackfruit as well as candied violets, spicy oak and notes of walnuts rising with big and not yet integrated tannins on the long finish. Very good but not as good as the 2009 and 2010 (the latest is 95% PS and 5% Zin). Throwing some big sediments.

Best,

GG

Fri Night - 2009 peraj petita, a little thin this time around
Sat lunch - some 2006 CS by Segal's, and a healthy mug full of a Belgian ale whose name escapes me but was delicious

Hi; thanks for the good wishes. modest wine indeed while away. tabor har shiraz 2011;started with a nice mouth feel but didnt go anywhere.and also mt hermon red 2011,ok quaffer. h

Hey,
I drink too much wine and dont agree with the retail prices, im out of cases so likely i'll fall back to my saftey net of Ella alley cab franc (easy to get for 22$ here) and maybe ramon cardova di rioja which I get for about 15-16

Florida has got to catch up retail wise while allied sells here via opici, I have yet to see Gvaot on the shelf