Israeli Wines

Last night my tasting group got together to try some wine from Israel. Normally, this group limits wines to $40, but for this, a selection was bought and the price ranged from $10 to $75. All wines were pop and pour and served blind. They were consumed over 2.5 hours with bread and cheeses.

Consumed outside under the stars in Ray's (our host), Sukkah. Random selection brought the theme together with the only member of our group who has a Sukkah. Very cool.

• 2010 Golan Heights Winery Chardonnay 87 Points

  Israel, Galilee, Golan Heights

  Light gold in color. The nose has lemons and some waxy qualities. This is a simple Chard, but nice. Not over oaked or too buttery or anything I don't like. Not much complexity, but certainly proper and solid. Has a nice slightly bitter note that I enjoyed. And really nice under the stars in Ray's sukkah.

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As it was damp and dark, we went inside for this flight.

• 2009 Recanati Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Lebanon Vineyard 90 Points

  Israel, Galilee, Upper Galilee

  Purple in color. The nose is dusty with black cherries. Firm tannins. Nice texture. Some heat initially, but it fades. Lots of black cherry fruit. This is a solid Cabernet and as I understand, under $25 which makes it a solid buy.

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• 2007 Barkan Pinotage Reserve 89 Points

  Israel, Judean Hills

  This is one of the best Pinotage wines I have ever had. Sure, that is somewhat a backhanded compliment, but for $20, this is a solid wine. Ruby/purple in color. The nose is very nice with dust, cherries, and some cedar notes. The palate is soft with cherries, black cherries and some complexity. It does have some "pinot noir" type qualities. Nice wine.

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• 2009 Dalton Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 86 Points

  Israel, Galilee

  Purple in color. This is very tight on the nose. It has a very juicy texture which is nice. Very simple to drink. Some menthol on the finish. I find it lacking, but the group liked it much better than I did. Nothing wrong here, just not that interesting to me.

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• 2007 The Cave 87 Points

  Israel, Galilee

  Wow, what a disappointment compared to the 08 version. Ruby/purple in color and also showing some browning. The nose is sweet cherries and a bit cloying. Some cassis as well. This is better on the palate with black raspberries with a juicy acidity. It is a nice wine, but for the money I would expect more. As I said, I loved the 08 a few months ago.

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• 2008 Galil Mountain Yiron 90 Points

  Israel, Galilee, Upper Galilee

  I liked this more than the group. From a limited sample size of about 20 wines, I have come to the conclusion that 08 is a really nice vintage in Israel. Purple/ruby in color. The nose has some oak, but also cassis and cinnamon. Nice juicy texture. Nice black cherry fruit. Not complex but enjoyable. Long finish. For $22, there is good value here I think.

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• 2009 Yatir Yatir Forest 87 Points

  Israel, Judean Hills

  Another good wine that underperformed its price. I thought this wine was from the Negev, but the label said Judean Hills. Do they make different wines with the same name from different locations? This is inky purple in color. The nose is dusty without much fruit. On the palate, this is slightly sweet, and one dimensional. Tastes like a fine mass produced wine that should cost under $15. This sold for closer to $75. A couple people liked it more than I did.

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• 2009 Recanati Special Reserve 84 Points

  Israel, Galilee

  This was the groups WOTN, mostly because except for me everyone liked it though it got only one first place vote. I was mystified about that. The nose was non-existent for me. The palate had tart cherries, too much acidity and a bitter finish. It was ok, and with air it got better. I wouldn't pour it out, but I would not buy at $38. As I said though, the group liked it more than I did.

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• 2009 Domaine du Castel Petit Castel Kosher Judean Hills 88 Points

  Israel, Judean Hills

  Purple/black in color. The nose has black cherries and black licorice. It is very smooth to drink. Turn slightly slightly bitter on the finish. Nice wine if not great.

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• 2009 Barkan Merlot-Argaman Classic 84 Points

  Israel, Galilee

  Brought this back from Israel where it had been in my hotel room from the management. Light ruby in color. The nose has some light cherries. There are some bubbles/foam in the glass, but I don't taste it. The wine itself conversely tastes over acidified and flat. Not bad, but not great. I think it retails for under $10, so at that price point it is fair.

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Overall, it seemed like vintage does matter. Also, there are some good wines between $20 and $30 which is helpful to know. OTOH, at the high end, these wines were disappointing compared to others I have tried from presumably better vintages. Of course, these were bought in the USA and provenance is always an issue.