Half a Dollar / WeeksEnd wine

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Here in the US there was an expression "buddy can you spare a dime". At times we come across those asking for a handout and at times we question their veracity,etc.
When it boils down to the nitty gritty if for a few cents here and there we can make someone else feel good,is'nt it worth it for the sake of the whole!
Have a good one; h

Opened a bottle of Quevedo Ruby Port last night to let it breathe for the weekend, Nothing like sipping a nice port during a storm. Also planning on opening a bottle of Shirah Power to the People.

Chodesh tov and shavua tov Harry!

This seems to become a new kind of tradition: Tasted friday morning the following wines with Josh Hexter:

Gush Etzion, Lone Oak, Riesling 2009: This bone-dry Riesling seems to be on its way out, the wine was still very good, with aromas of freshly squeezed lime and wet grass the kind that could mislead the taster that this could be Sauvignon Blanc rather than a riesling, but not as good as when tasted with Elk at the winery 3 months ago and goes somewhat flat after a little while in the glass.

Gush Etzion, Lone Oak, Cabernet Franc 2009: Aged for 21 months in french oak barrels, this dark purple wine doesn't fully disclose its varietal origins on the nose with aromas of ripe raspberries, cigar box and dark plums. No green notes here on the nose for us. Medium to full-bodied, the palate gives more space for the Cabernet Franc to express itself with well-extracted ripe raspberries, fresh tobacco leaves, nice acid, notes of coffee and bittersweet licorice lingering with hints of cloves on the long, slightly tannic finish. Truly magnificent Cabernet Franc.

Friday night:

Carmel, Kayoumi Riesling 2011: Fantastic wine, doesn't have the light sweetness of its 2010 predecessor and one needs to be both very sugar-sensitive and pay extra attention to detect any sweetness here. No real change from my previous TN when tasted the wine for the first time at the winery 3 months ago.

Recanati, Reserve, Petite Sirah/Zinfandel 2009: PS my love... If this wine was a woman I would definitely consider marrying her...

Shabbat lunch:

Finished the bottle of Gush Etzion Riesling, then:

Goldberg Vineyards, Maya 2010:This is a brand new kosher "winery" established on the slopes of Mount Meron in the Upper Galilee, having produced 5000 bottles with its first vintage in 2010 and used the facilities of Or Haganuz winery. They intend to produce "premium wine" and the team behind the project is backed up by some of the most famous players of the israeli wine industry. The wines having not yet been released to the market thus I'm not allowed yet to reveal its name. I was first given privately a taste of it at the Kosher Wine show in Jerusalem last week, in the company of Stacey B and her husband but while I could feel the quality, the wine was rather tight and closed which is why I received another bottle to sample and taste quietly later. What's surprising here is that despite the wine was made at Or Haganuz it doesn't carry the Badatz Hechsher as opposed to OH and Netofa but "only" the Rav Amshalei that is also the one supervising Lueria Winery. Now to the wine:

This is a Bordeaux-Blend composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Cabernet Franc, 12% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot, aged for 14 months in french oak barrels. Dark royal purple, the nose is very young and green with notes of wet grass and green pepper. After LOTS of swirling and decanting, it starts showing dark plums and cassis as well as light hints of toasted oak. Medium to full-bodied with ripe plums, cassis liqueur and notes of graphite, followed by mocha, tobacco and some loamy dirt with smoky wood, moderate acid with soft tannins rising on the averagely long finish. Good balance here with no overripe fruit to be found however while the wine is not yet at its peak and should reach it in about a year from now, its somewhat weak structure will allow to hold it for only 2-3 years at best, IMHO.

Best,

GG

2009 Ella Valley Cabernet Franc. Oh, so lovely.

Friday night Yarden Yonaton Syrah 2007. Very jammy on the nose and full ripe red and black fruit on the palate.
Shabbat Lunch Carmel Kayoumi Shiraz 2004. Spicy with medium tannins and still kicking.
We finished a bottle of Cordova and began a bottle of Quevedo Port to weather the storm.

My family and I were graced this past Shabbat by the presence of two new guests named Alon and Ela.

Alon and Ela and not your typical, big city, high society personalities. They are more like the modest, stalwart folk that would reside in a rural, hardworking, G-d fearing region. Very much the salt of the earth. Perhaps not the couple that you would rely on to jazz up your party or impress a pretentious, materialistic guest. Rather, this is the type of couple that you would love to have over during the week for dinner and discuss the granular points of life. If one appreciates them for what they are, they will score very high on a list of favorite people.

Alon is the clearly the more masculine of the two. Bigger boned and more muscular, with excellent character. Definitely loves to be served rich meaty dishes whenever possible. Yet, he is cool to hang out with alone (no pun intended )
Ela is no doubt the lady of the two. She has fairly big bones we well. But more along the lines of a do-it-all Polish "bubby" rather than a member of the East German woman's swim team. She has a round, curvy body, if I may say so. She also has a spiciness about her that makes her fun to be around.
After enjoying their presence at the same time, their qualities are so similar that it makes sense that they are a couple.

I will be inviting these guests to my home quite often from now on, me thinks

Chodesh tov....

Dinner at a friend's home celebrating a special birthday. A large group, so they served non-special wines.

2011 Barkan merlot: not much to write about; not much of a wine.

2010 Golan merlot: a strange wine; thick, almost syrupy; very plummy.

Hi Harry,

Hagafen Roussanne 2010 - The palate was brighter than at previous tastings, but without assuming a sweet side. It was a marvelous accompaniment to several leafy salads, one with a mixture of berries and another with a backbone of burghul (bulghur wheat), flaunting its versatility. This Rhone variety isn't as floral as a Viognier, or as some Rieslings, and isn't as fruit forward as your typical Sauvignon Blanc. Call it addition by subtraction, but its exquisite restraint makes it a great choice to accompany a meal, and don't mistake its restraint for blandness, as it is very nuanced. 13.5% AbV and $18 directly from the winery. B+/***/Y

Ella Valley Cabernet Sauvingnon VC 2005 - While I might have preferred to hold on to it a bit longer to see how it ages, a guest showed interest, so I popped the cork. I liked it much better than at any previous time I had it, because the tannins and oak are now well integrated and the fruit shows itself coherently in the from of raspberries. A bit of volatile acidity is present, somewhat marring the wine. B/**/Y

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
Indication of further interest: Y - would purchase again, N - no desire to purchase more

Just tasted:

Katlav, Nes Harim 2010: As with the previous vintage, an odd Bordeaux blend of 50% Merlot - 50% Petit Verdot aged for 24 months in french oak barrels. As opposed to the 2009, the alcohol didn't jump at me on neither the nose nor the palate though there is a tiny hint of heat. Dark garnet, the nose features aromas of cherries and raspberries as well as prunes. Medium, perhaps medium to full-bodied the wine starts with somewhat overripe fruit including prunes and dates as well as raspberries, sweet cherries, hints of butterscotch and sweet cedar wood with soft tannins rising on the long finish. 14.5% Abv. Drinking well straight out of the bottle and shouldn't hold over 2-3 years from now. It's not bad and should please the average israeli palate but not my kind of stuff.

Best,

GG

2007 Tzuba Merlot. Opened Friday night, finished at Shabbos lunch. (Wife under the weather, so she drank less than her share ). Interesting. I didn't find it had tons of fleshy, merlot character although you could tell it was an in-Cab. That said, a pleasant food wine that held up well to brisket and earthy Cholent. I suggest drinking within the next 12 mos.

*un-Cab.

Isaac and I have something on another plane. I open this thread to discuss a visit I paid to Ella Valley Friday mid-day and their lovely "new" winemaker, Lin Gold. To see how she's taken over the reins from the previous outstanding winemaker there for over a decade - Doron Rav-Hon.

Anyway I open the thread and one of the early posts, by Isaac, is about a lovely 2009 Cab Franc from EV... small world., and somehow it just fits that on this day a continent or two and an ocean apart Isaac and I are sipping wines from the same winery. Small world. Or great minds think alike?

In brief, it doesn't appear than Lin has missed a beat, certainly not with the young wines in barrels (the 2012 vintage babies, her 2nd vintage at EV) that we tasted. The wines are still "EV" - rich reds with plenty of ripeness but still very varietally corect - an attribute I very much appreciate. The Merlot was Merlot - not always easy to do in Israel, and expressive of the "Judean Hills" appellation. I use quotation marks because the name of the appellation bugs me, most of the grapes/wines using it are more properly the Judean "Foothills" at most since most are below the 400M elevation that for me tends to separate fruit with more "Moutainous" presonality. However much of the region has special meso-climates denoted by marked diurnal temperature swings, and cooler nights than one sees in most of IL at 400 M (or less).

Back to the wines. The Merlot was very good, maybe more. The Cab Sauv was excellent, really really Cab on the button and again ripe but not overdone -especially given the vintage since 2012 demanded pretty long hang times. The CF was correct and good, the Syrah was big and juicy, and the Petit Verdot was pretty much a show stopper because besides being very deep colored and somewhat more acidic than the other Bordelais varieties, it really had its own special floral notes -maybe a tad of lavender. It was a wine that can contribute more than color, structure and acid to any BDX blend. Of course they had some PS too, and it was unusually clean, fruity and again a really good expression of PS.

Hats off to Lin! She's settled in very nicely into the formidable shoes of Doron Rav-Hon.

Did I mention I'm sipping a 2008 (I know, Shmita...) Gamla Merlot now. Typical RHG wine - bold, ripe, woody, clean, did I mention ripe? Drinking very well right now and still has 1-2 years (or more) improvement in it with bottle age.

Gabriel - Katlav could really use an outside palate there along with some technical advice/expertise... If you got a connection (ie sell his wines) put in a word for me sometime?

Lewis great to hear that the reds are tasting well, did you get to taste any of her 2011 red wines?

Adam M, are the Alon and Ela available in New York now? I did not find them to be great, even though there is blue in them (see Yossie not all blue wines are winners). They are OK, but they lack depth and are way to over the top sweet. Again, Israel needs to learn balance, sweets for lunch and dinner will kill a country and your teeth!

David

Hi David - Yes, they are now available. I think that these wines deserve to be tasted again every few months or so. The Alon is a popping 15.5% alcohol. So it make sense that it would come out of the gates very sweet. I find the same to be true of the acclaimed Yiron, for example. The Alon is still drinking quite fruit forward, but I can tell that it has more to evolve as the next day it drank even better, and it improves even by sitting in the glass. Those who don't go for the fruit forwardedness merely need to give the wine more time to evolve.

The Ela has 1% less alcohol and is farther along on her way to balance.

At $15 or so a bottle, these are IMHO some of the very best values out there.....

David, after the barrel tasting and kibbitzing with Lin, I don't recall which vintage reds we tasted out of bottles. The 2011 (or was it 12?) Rose was a delicate dry rose - mad as I made the Recanati truly dry and dedicated Rose from the harvest. I can't stand Rose's made by Saigner (bleeding must off red wines) in Israel. At least none that I've tasted so far. I'm pretty sure we tasted a 2009 top of the line Bordeaux blend (or top end Cab?) and it was very, very good. Although I prolly would have oaked it more. Lin is NOT a fan of obvious oak, though they use plenty over there. I don't think - or maybe just don't recall - tasting 2011s out of bottle. Are you sure they're bottled already?

David, after the barrel tasting and kibbitzing with Lin, I don't recall which vintage reds we tasted out of bottles. The 2011 (or was it 12?) Rose was a delicate dry rose - mad as I made the Recanati truly dry and dedicated Rose from the harvest. I can't stand Rose's made by Saigner (bleeding must off red wines) in Israel. At least none that I've tasted so far. I'm pretty sure we tasted a 2009 top of the line Bordeaux blend (or top end Cab?) and it was very, very good. Although I prolly would have oaked it more. Lin is NOT a fan of obvious oak, though they use plenty over there. I don't think - or maybe just don't recall - tasting 2011s out of bottle. Are you sure they're bottled already?

Nope - non that I know of, but since you tasted the 2012 reds, I was wondering if you also tasted her first year's red wines - that was all. Eitehr way, next time I am there, I intend to bother her for a visit and not get stuck with a scarecrow - LOL!!! Enough said.

Finished Tzuba Cab 2009 for dinner, seemed to get better after opening previous day.
Lunch was Yatir Forest 2009, always a favorite very well balanced, deep purple colour and nice fruitiness, full boided but not overly heavy. Herzog Chalk Hill CS 2008, great wine, rich and oaky, with a aromatic nose, less of a fruity wine -it sent me home to sleep for a late shabbos nap.

Nope - non that I know of, but since you tasted the 2012 reds, I was wondering if you also tasted her first year's red wines - that was all. Eitehr way, next time I am there, I intend to bother her for a visit and not get stuck with a scarecrow - LOL!!! Enough said.

I'll take care of that then, of course if either/both Lin and Udi will be in the country. I'll pass on the robot...

Gabriel - Katlav could really use an outside palate there along with some technical advice/expertise... If you got a connection (ie sell his wines) put in a word for me sometime?

Hi Lewis, I'll def think about it. Now if we're talking Ella Valley, here's my TN for Doron's awesome 2008 CabSav (yep another shmitta wine):

Ella Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2008: Dark purple with on the nose ripe black currants, smoked wood, black pepper. Full-bodied with on first attack ripe cassis and blackberries followed by smoked meat, black olives, Mediterranean herbs and more juicy cassis, bracing acid, cracked pepper and a hint of vanilla with silky tannins lingering on the long finish. Superb.

Best,

GG

Hi;tzuba cab 07 yes definitely "berries and gentle spiciness" but the Rogov drinking window clearly was off on this one as the 2010 guide says till 2011. Personaly I'm a fan of ratings in fact I kind os miss Rogovs 100 pt system but this window business is so hit & miss IMHO. H

Hi Harry,

A gutn choydesh. This last Friday night we opened a too old bottle of wine that I found in my cellar. It was a 2005 Katlav Cabernet Sauvignon. Had I known I still had it, I probably would, and should, have opened it five or six years ago. Even still, it was actually very good--as over the hill wines go. It still had aromas and flavors of blackberry, cherry and oak with a little spice and earthiness, though the balance was off, and the mostly powdery tannins were mostly gone. Much better than expected, all things considered, but clearly an unfortunate and unfair demise for what I remember as a decent little wine in its prime. Fortunately, the food and company saved the evening. Rather than open another bottle, and I had two very decent back-up bottles on hand, the consensus was to switch to whisky: a 16 year old, single cask, single malt Scotch whisky from the Mortlach Distillery (Speyside), and a 19 year old, single cask, single malt, from the Clynelish Distillery (Highlands). So, all in all, a great time was had by all.

Shabbos lunch our guests brought one of those mostly forgettable kosher Bordeaux that Victor Wines imports: a 2001 Chateau Haut-Chatain, Lalande-de-Pomerol. This too was over the hill, and while still drinkable and free of vinegar elements, it sort of had a lousy over-watered, too old, fruit punch quality to it, with just a little dusty, musty overlay. Out of politeness, this was poured and consumed, before another bottle was opened. The next bottle was a Shiloh Barbera Shor 2007 that was drinking beautifully. After lunch, back to whisky. This time a single cask 21 year old Laphroaig. So all ended very well indeed.

Kol tuv,
Josh

After a day or two to flush out the IFWF excesses from the system, on Friday night I enjoyed a bottle of Benyo's 2008 Four Gates Merlot MSC. As pleasurable as the gentleman who makes it.
Shabbat Lunch saw a bottle of Foret Saison Ale, that a nice complement to some Ziti Bolognese, Roast Drumsticks and red potatoes.