This wine is a blend of blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. What a nose, intoxicatingly insane with rich layers of mushroom and truffle, followed by lovely graphite, dirt, earth, and depth with dark fruit, cherry, and herb. Wow what a body with deep structure, searing tannin and acid, showing perfect balance with layers of concentrated rich blackberry and cassis, showing still nice extraction and power, with leather, spice and mouth draping velvety and insane tannins and structure WOW. The finish is super long, with truffles, mineral, dark chocolate, pencil shavings, and lovely leafy tobacco lingering long. BRAVO!! This wine needed three hours in bottle to open, this wine has another 4 to 5 years but it is at peak and will stay for sometime. IMPRESSIVE!
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Opened during last Passover day. Full body, deep ruby red color. Intense black and red fruits, spicy and peppery aroma complements by cedar wood. Black cherry, dewberry, black olives and dark chocolate on the palate, extra-long spicy finish. Powerful, rich and bold structure, velvety texture, still juicy, complex, well balanced, gentle acidity, tannic. Food friendly, best match is meat or hard cheeses – tasted with Reypenaer VSOP. Serve 18º - 24º. Open half hour in advance. Drink now.
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Still going strong, no sign of getting old. Cedar, red fruit and a juicy, chewy texture that makes it both balanced and food-friendly. Excellent pairing with slow cooked leg of lamb.
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Domaine du Castel, Grand Vin 2007: A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. Very dark garnet in color, with on the nose crushed black fruit, wet forest floor, saddle leather and bakers chocolate. Full-bodied, with on the palate blackberries, cherries and cassis followed by notes of earth, graphite and smoked meat, medium-plus acidity and still powdery tannins that wrap the mouth while highlighting tobacco and dark chocolate on the long and generous finish. This wine is still full of youth with a potential to keep develop and cellar well over the next 4 years or so. 14% Abv.
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This is just wonderful now. Popped and poured. Lovely cedar notes with a core of red berries, velvety texture. Fine persistent tannins and a medium to long finish. Drink now or over the next 3 years.
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Top Israeli wine tasting from Enomatic (Wine Depot): surprisingly, very ripe fruits, (already at this a young age) mainly plums, aroma full bodied, soft tannins, good acidity level, very good balance, rich flavours, with pleasant long aftertaste. lacking the Bordelaise secondary & tertiary aromas that are typical to other vintages of this wine.
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In the glass, this wine is dark garnet in color. The nose consists of a layer of smoky oak that partially veils notes of plum, blackberry and black licorice. The palate offers a similar experience: a fair amount of smokiness parts way for ripe blackberries and black currants galore. This wine is medium-to-full bodied with an extraordinary lush mouthfeel, soft tannins and somewhat dull acidity. The finish is long with a note of dark chocolate and a hint of lemon zest. Like past vintages, the oak is generous but at this age it is still balanced by fruit. I fear that with time the fruit will subside and only oak will remain; only time will tell. Enjoy now and for the next 3-4 years.
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Elegant but extracted. Was a tad green at first, notes of cedar and blackcurrant, but red fruit moved to the foreground with a bit of air. I think I will wait with the next bottle at least a year - this will improve.
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Richly extracted and elegant wine, it began with strong cedar overtones and the high acidity that seems to characterize Castel reds, but smoothed out nicely in a decanter. Drank with Rosh Hashanna dinner 2010, and felt the depth was spot on, but the complexity has not really set in yet. If it indeed does become more complex it may be worth a higher score, but based on my limited experience, I have to assume that it won't become more interesting, just a bit smoother over time. A bit pricey even in Israel (about 48$), but that's the way the cookie crumbles with kosher wines, and I'm sure it's more $$$ in other countries.
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Tasted at the domaine with Eli Ben Zaken the proprietor. This is the finest Castel I've tasted to date. Highly structured, with ample acidity, bright red fruit, pencil lead and a hint of toasted oak. Still needs time to fully integrate, but the tannins are perfect - firm, tongue-coating and fine, but never austere. I expect this to start its drinking window in 2012, and continue to 2020. 93+
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9/14/2017 - Yagil wrote: 90 Points
Top Israeli CS tasting: good but below expectations for a Castel Grand Vin of 10 years...
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9/1/2016 - Yagil wrote: 92 Points
Top mature Israeli wines (my home): excellent wine
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5/21/2016 - raccah Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine is a blend of blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. What a nose, intoxicatingly insane with rich layers of mushroom and truffle, followed by lovely graphite, dirt, earth, and depth with dark fruit, cherry, and herb. Wow what a body with deep structure, searing tannin and acid, showing perfect balance with layers of concentrated rich blackberry and cassis, showing still nice extraction and power, with leather, spice and mouth draping velvety and insane tannins and structure WOW. The finish is super long, with truffles, mineral, dark chocolate, pencil shavings, and lovely leafy tobacco lingering long. BRAVO!! This wine needed three hours in bottle to open, this wine has another 4 to 5 years but it is at peak and will stay for sometime. IMPRESSIVE!
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5/7/2016 - vlzat Likes this wine: 92 Points
Opened during last Passover day. Full body, deep ruby red color. Intense black and red fruits, spicy and peppery aroma complements by cedar wood. Black cherry, dewberry, black olives and dark chocolate on the palate, extra-long spicy finish. Powerful, rich and bold structure, velvety texture, still juicy, complex, well balanced, gentle acidity, tannic. Food friendly, best match is meat or hard cheeses – tasted with Reypenaer VSOP. Serve 18º - 24º. Open half hour in advance. Drink now.
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4/22/2016 - Rani Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still going strong, no sign of getting old. Cedar, red fruit and a juicy, chewy texture that makes it both balanced and food-friendly. Excellent pairing with slow cooked leg of lamb.
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11/12/2015 - Gabriel Geller Likes this wine: 93 Points
Domaine du Castel, Grand Vin 2007: A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. Very dark garnet in color, with on the nose crushed black fruit, wet forest floor, saddle leather and bakers chocolate. Full-bodied, with on the palate blackberries, cherries and cassis followed by notes of earth, graphite and smoked meat, medium-plus acidity and still powdery tannins that wrap the mouth while highlighting tobacco and dark chocolate on the long and generous finish. This wine is still full of youth with a potential to keep develop and cellar well over the next 4 years or so. 14% Abv.
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4/15/2014 - Rani Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is just wonderful now. Popped and poured. Lovely cedar notes with a core of red berries, velvety texture. Fine persistent tannins and a medium to long finish. Drink now or over the next 3 years.
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9/29/2013 - Yagil wrote: 90 Points
Top Israeli wine tasting from Enomatic (Wine Depot): surprisingly, very ripe fruits, (already at this a young age) mainly plums, aroma
full bodied, soft tannins, good acidity level, very good balance, rich flavours, with pleasant long aftertaste. lacking the Bordelaise secondary & tertiary aromas that are typical to other vintages of this wine.
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6/1/2013 - mschechter wrote: 92 Points
Still young, very interesting
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12/20/2011 - jontabak wrote: 92 Points
In the glass, this wine is dark garnet in color. The nose consists of a layer of smoky oak that partially veils notes of plum, blackberry and black licorice. The palate offers a similar experience: a fair amount of smokiness parts way for ripe blackberries and black currants galore. This wine is medium-to-full bodied with an extraordinary lush mouthfeel, soft tannins and somewhat dull acidity. The finish is long with a note of dark chocolate and a hint of lemon zest. Like past vintages, the oak is generous but at this age it is still balanced by fruit. I fear that with time the fruit will subside and only oak will remain; only time will tell. Enjoy now and for the next 3-4 years.
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12/2/2011 - Rani Likes this wine: 91 Points
Elegant but extracted. Was a tad green at first, notes of cedar and blackcurrant, but red fruit moved to the foreground with a bit of air. I think I will wait with the next bottle at least a year - this will improve.
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10/21/2011 - Yagil wrote: 90 Points
oak vanilla aroma, balanced fruitiness, still quite young
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4/17/2011 - Gizmo2011 wrote: 89 Points
fruity, pyrazines medium palate, herbs
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9/15/2010 - jdparker wrote: 91 Points
Richly extracted and elegant wine, it began with strong cedar overtones and the high acidity that seems to characterize Castel reds, but smoothed out nicely in a decanter. Drank with Rosh Hashanna dinner 2010, and felt the depth was spot on, but the complexity has not really set in yet. If it indeed does become more complex it may be worth a higher score, but based on my limited experience, I have to assume that it won't become more interesting, just a bit smoother over time. A bit pricey even in Israel (about 48$), but that's the way the cookie crumbles with kosher wines, and I'm sure it's more $$$ in other countries.
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6/25/2010 - Yagil Likes this wine: 91 Points
elegant & qualitative aroma, strong in taste, still crispy, young & tannic. High potential.
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3/18/2010 - Yagil Likes this wine: 91 Points
Domaine du Castel Grand Vin 2000-2007 vertical tasting (Raab at Burgatta): high potential wine by the aroma, still very closed in taste. needs further aging of 5-8 years.
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2/15/2010 - madia wrote:
In the nose - a lot of alcohol, ripe fruit and chocolate. Round and well balanced. Very good (64$).
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10/23/2009 - Rani wrote: 93 Points
Tasted at the domaine with Eli Ben Zaken the proprietor. This is the finest Castel I've tasted to date. Highly structured, with ample acidity, bright red fruit, pencil lead and a hint of toasted oak. Still needs time to fully integrate, but the tannins are perfect - firm, tongue-coating and fine, but never austere. I expect this to start its drinking window in 2012, and continue to 2020. 93+
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