Sooooo - what are you serving for Thanksgiving?

My plan - for the red - Livni 2009 pinot noir, followed if necessary by Tabor 2006 13,000, and for the whiye -2010 Domaine Netofa.

And yours?

My plan - for the red - Livni 2009 pinot noir, followed if necessary by Tabor 2006 13,000, and for the whiye -2010 Domaine Netofa.

And yours?

Looking so forward to read your TN about the Livni PN Yoel. It's unique and not resembling any other Pinot I've tasted so far, dark purple, full-bodied and concentrated. Give it at least 1 hour to breathe and pour carefully as it's throwing sediment.

I will bring the 08 Yiron from the neighboring thread as a representative of Israeli wines for my hosts who never had any.

Was thinking about one wine from each of the major kosher wine producing countries, including Cuvee Chabad, Zinfandel (California), Dalton "D" Petite Sirah (Israel) and the Vignoble David Reserve Côtes du Rhône (France).

Almost certainly beer - La Trappe Dubbel in a growler and some Estivale. Maybe the Terranal Malbec and/or 2010 CS, purchased from Trader Joe's in NYC.

2009 Or Haganuz - Select(just got 90 in WE)
2011 Odem Mountain Volcanic Chardonnay

no thanksgiving festivities for me as I work in my kiryat arba apartment offsetting my wine vacations and the forum procrastinations

Drinking the 2007 Gush Cab franc I got from the cellar when we visited, its better than the '09 needs a lot of opening.

I had livni with gab yesterday and wow.. weird because i know menachem and that he has a winery but i was told its just medicore...

Deff going to to expand my wine capacity sunday at carmel, binyamina, tishbi, herberg etc..

2010 Vignobles David, le Mourre d'Lisle [sic?]

Mazel Tov! I became a zayde on Thanksgiving. Obviously the culmination of my first daughter's first pregnancy, this healthy baby girl was born around 5:00 in the evening. Needless to say, we were all famished, having been up much of the previous night and the day. However, as were were going to have had the kids (including the new parents) and the machatonim to our house for Thanksgiving turkey, and thinking the labor would be long, we took the morning to cook both turkeys, 2 pies and all the fixin's. After the birth, the other kids came to the hospital loaded with food for the new parents who hadn't eaten since the previous night, and the requisite bourbon for a quick lechayim. Then home for Thanksgiving dinner, while the new parents were left to eat and take a long awaited sleep. So we began Thanksgiving dinner at about 9:00pm, after reheating the food. The machatonim came by with a bottle of 2009 Baron Herzog Cab Sauv Central Coast, and since I was basically the only drinker, I drank to as close to oblivion as I could muster, given my inadequate strength at the time, and was not able to finish the bottle. But I did have enough strength to hoist the bottle of bourbon to accompany the 2 pieces each of homemade pumpkin and pecan pie I managed to down before my coma. The wife and kids, on the other hand, managed to make it to Target to purchase a car seat so the new parents could get back to our house for Shabbos. An interesting Thanksgiving was had by all.

A huge Mazal Tov Craig, lots of nachas! Hope someone there in LA will offer you a great bottle of wine to celebrate such a great occasion! Or perhaps you'll dig up a fine drinking bottle of GAN EDEN CabSav Reserve 97...

Refua Shelema to the young mom!

Best,

GG

Mazel Tov and please tell me you had enough strength to finally taste the Terrenal wines! I really want to hear if you like them as I do.

David

Mazal tov Craig! Lots of nachas!

David, I did have the chance to taste both wines over Shabbos. I thought your assessment of the Chardonnay was accurate- one of the best Chards I've had recently, certainly worth 3 times the price at least. Innocuous fruit of unknown origin except for the lime component, but marvelous balance. I would have put some more oak on it personally, but oak is expensive and would raise the price. The Malbec, on the other hand, tasted like an indifferent Argentine Malbec. I'm not a fan.

Thanks - I appreciate the input. I would love to hear what others thought about both as well. Either way, Mazel tov again and best wishes to the family!

David

Comments on the wines we drank:

2010 Domaine Netofa - showed very good fruit, but also the bitterness in the finish that some others have mentioned in this forum. I had not noticed that with the previous bottle, but it was present in this one.

2009 Livni pinot noir - I see from various comments that there are quite different opinions on this wine. Following Gabriel's recommendation I decanted it an hour before dinner. Yes, it did throw some sediment but also needed some air. Drank a glass Thursday, had a small taste Friday, finished the bottle tonight (Saturday).

To me the wine was not a typical pinot noir. It has a higher alcoholic content, similar to a number of California pinots where the winery wanted the grapes picked as ripe as possible. There is a fair aount of fruit in the wine, both in the entry and in the finish (but in the finish only after being open quite a while) but the taste is not that of a typical pinot - much more concentrated black fruit than usual. and the wine is pretty astringent at this time. Doesn't seem to me to have the finesse - actual or potential - that I look for in a pinot. So far the 2008 Vitkin is still the best Israeli pinot I have drunk. Still holding onto the 2008 Ella Valley for a future occasion.

2009 Livni pinot noir - I see from various comments that there are quite different opinions on this wine. Following Gabriel's recommendation I decanted it an hour before dinner. Yes, it did throw some sediment but also needed some air. Drank a glass Thursday, had a small taste Friday, finished the bottle tonight (Saturday).

To me the wine was not a typical pinot noir. It has a higher alcoholic content, similar to a number of California pinots where the winery wanted the grapes picked as ripe as possible. There is a fair aount of fruit in the wine, both in the entry and in the finish (but in the finish only after being open quite a while) but the taste is not that of a typical pinot - much more concentrated black fruit than usual. and the wine is pretty astringent at this time. Doesn't seem to me to have the finesse - actual or potential - that I look for in a pinot. So far the 2008 Vitkin is still the best Israeli pinot I have drunk. Still holding onto the 2008 Ella Valley for a future occasion.

Hi Yoel, indeed the Livni PN is anything but true to the variety, anyway thanks for the comments I've been so long waiting for. Regarding your remark re: the Vitkin PN, obviously I've not tasted it but my cousin who also is a wine connoisseur and did btw lots of good work a few years ago to export israeli wine to Italy as a high ranking at Israel's Embassy in Rome, told me that in his opinion, Pelter makes so far the best Israeli Pinot (2006 or 2009, gotta ask). Considering his extensive experience with the finest Bourgognes, if I were you I'd give it a shot... Oh, he loved the Gvaot PN '10 as well!

I have heard wonderful things about the Pelter PN but have never been able to find any when in Israel. Will keep on searching next time I'm there and for the Gvaot as well. Took me three tries to find some Ella Valley.