2018 Passover Seder Wines

This past weekend, we had some friends over for Passover Seder. We don't go crazy but we do go thru a short Haggaddah service and then have dinner. We are vegetarians so the food is pretty much kosher by default. We serve (with one exception) kosher for Passover wines. We had 3 other couples join us (1 jewish, 2 "goys") to celebrate with us. While the wines are far from the star of the show, it is fun to enjoy them. All of the wines served this year were under $30 and all very respectable.

For the Seder we used the 2016 Domaine Du Castel Jerusalem - Haute Judee La Vie. I hope Elijah appreciated it.

• NV Bartenura Prosecco 86 Points

  Italy, Veneto / Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Prosecco

  Nice enough for a Kosher for Passover Sparkler. Overpriced in my market at $20. Still, it was a nice start to the evening before we actually sat down for the Seder. Light gold in color. The nose has some minerality. Just a perception of sweetness on the palate. Nice froth. Minerals. Decent balance. Easy.

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Pomegrante, Marcona Almond and Citrus Salad

• 2016 Tulip Winery White Tulip 88 Points

  Israel, Galilee, Upper Galilee

  A Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc blend although the SB seems to dominate. Light green/gold in color. The nose has a bit of tropical fruit, minerals and slight grassy notes. On the palate, this is just barely sweet. Nice minerals. A hint of melons. Good acidity. Worked well with a difficult citrus salad to match it to.

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Vegetarian Matzoh Ball Soup

• 2016 Tzuba Chardonnay Metzuda 89 Points

  Israel, Judean Hills

  Light golden in color. The nose has some grapefruit with toast and some fresh cut lumber/sawdust. On the palate, its more lemon with some vanilla and fresh burnt toast. A bit heavy handed with the oak for my tastes but not totally out of hand. The Cal Chard lovers at the table liked it more than I. Decent acidity. Worked reasonably well with (vegetarian) Matzoh Ball soup.

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• 2014 Golan Heights Winery Mount Hermon White 87 Points

  Israel, Galilee, Golan Heights

  Not sure of the varieties here. Seemed a bit long in the tooth but Sauvignon Blanc and maybe Grenache Blanc were my guess. In any event, the fruit is mostly gone now. Light golden in color. The nose has a steely quality to it with slight melon notes and a dried floral quality (Viognier?). On the palate, a slightly oily texture is nice. The steely quality carries thru. Refreshing and food friendly. A bit bitter on the finish. Probably better a few years back. Drink up.

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Cheesy Stuffed Peppers
Mock Chopped Liver

• 2016 Domaine Du Castel Jerusalem - Haute Judee La Vie 90 Points

  Israel, Judean Hills, Jerusalem Mountains

  We drank 3 bottles of this. All consistent and well received. For around $20, this is actually a great value. I believe it is all aged in tank. Mostly a Bordeaux blend with some Syrah. Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, slight plums with a bit of herbal qualities. On the palate, this is medium bodied with nice black cherry and black raspberry fruit. Not a ton of depth but some complexity. Nice acidity, it worked well with food. Good finish.

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Simple Tzimmes
Greens and Quinoa Pie
Mushroom stuffed potatoes

• 2015 SonkinCellars Persona

  USA, California

  Yes, not Kosher for Passover, but we served it anyway. After all, it is our wine (and so, this is probably a biased tasting note). These bottles had been opened 60 hours prior to serving as I knew this was young. Still needed more air or cellar time. Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, slight black pepper and a hint of bacon fat. On the palate, good acidity, black cherry and black raspberry fruit. Nice finish. Worked well with food. This is a cooler climate Syrah that needs about 3 to 5 more years IMO. I don't score the wines officially as it would be biased but if I was, let's say 92 with some possible upside. Again, this is a biased review.

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Flourless Chocolate Torte

I know its supposed to be Next year in Jerusalem, but I will be very content if it can be next year in our home again with fun wines, good food, with great friends, and maybe some family.