isrwinetaster
Member #590,221 signed up 5/20/2018
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Member since May 2018
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Most Recent Votes:
| Wine | Like It | Don't Like |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 Yatir Syrah | Yes | |
| 2016 Recanati Syrah Reserve | Yes | |
| 2016 Gvaot Jandali Gofna | Yes | |
| 2013 Montefiore Aria | Yes |
2013 Yatir Syrah
5/29/2018 - isrwinetaster Likes this wine: 90 Points
Rich and delicious Syrah. Cloudy medium-bodied garnet in apearance. Black fruit, herb, and black pepper on the nose with just a hint of oak. Rich black fruit and smooth chocolate on palate with a black pepper finish. This is a wine with a lot of balance and finesse, with fruit that's well-extracted but under control and not too much heat or oakiness. No one element stands out but the whole is a delicious and drinkable wine.
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2016 Recanati Syrah Reserve
5/23/2018 - isrwinetaster Likes this wine: 88 Points
Beautiful garnet color with clarity and not very full body. Lovely aroma of smoke, black and red fruit, cedar, cigar box, and a hint of dark chocolate and coffee; clearly a good amount of new oak. Surprisingly light bodied on the palate with subtle black cherry and light acidity but a bit hollow mid-palate. Black and red fruit, chocolate, and smoke are prominent, with young tannin quite evident. I am of two minds about this wine: on the one hand, I appreciate the effort to go a bit more old-world; on the other,I am not sure there is enough extraction/fruit to counteract the oak and therefore the wine seems to lack the balance and power I would like at this price point. I like this wine, and would not rule out the possiiblity it is too young to drink right now and might acquire greater balance with some aging, but at this price point I think there are better Israeli Syrahs.
UPDATE: 3 days after opening, the wine has begun to evolve. The nose displays greater harmony between the elements previously noted. Tannins are still rough but more integrated and the mid-palate seems somewhat fuller and more focused. The difference with some oxidation encourages me that this wine is indeed age-worthy and very likely to improve in the cellar. I would update my score sightly based on second tasting, but still think there are Israeli Syrahs that are more drinkable now with equal aging potential.
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2016 Gvaot Jandali Gofna
5/22/2018 - isrwinetaster Likes this wine: 89 Points
Very nice first vintage of this indigenous Levantine grape from Gvaot (previously I believe it has only been featured in a blend by Cremisan winery). Medium bodied with clear melon color. Floral and tropical nose (lots of vibrant fruit like Rainier cherry), with a hint of floral honey, like thyme or orange blossom honey. On tasting , the fruit really pops with lovely mouth-filling Rainier cherry and tropical fruit with a slight mineral aspect and a medium to full body. The acidity is lovely and the wine has a very long finish.
UPDATE: Several days after opening, the wine remains fresh and vibrant. The only thing I do not love about this wine, which seems more pronounced now, is the slightly higher alcohol for a white wine (14% per label). It's to be expected that a "new" wine grape like Jandali will require tinkering and learning how to balance the elements, but I think it's a very promising start. Also note that the price tag is quite high compared to conventional varietals of equal quality, but you are paying for the experience of tasting a varietal that is hard to come by. I personally am OK with paying more for a unique varietal (look at it as paying for more R&D) if it helps to ensure that the varietal is viable for winemaking and cheaper versions of these newer varietals become more prevalent.
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