Wines in Israel, June, 2009. Burgundy tasting added

[stefan]

This being a lazy Shabbat for Lucie and me, I decided to write up some short notes on wines we have drunk or tasted during our stay in Israel this June. They are dedicated to ChrisW who, strangely enough, likes to read about wine instead of wine critics.

With chicken stuffed with goat cheese & basil and a mushroom sauce and jasmine-bismati rice we drank

1999 Daniel Moine-Hudelot Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru. Lucie and I agree that the wine is an excellent match with the food. The chicken brings out blackberries in the Burgundy. The nice nose is not completely developed. Good, firm texture.

With spaghetti covered by a goat cheese tomato sauce with basil we drank

2007 Trio "The Secret" (92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot). This basic Cab has very good structure. The flavors are pure. There is a load of tannin, but it is soft. While too new world for my taste, it is a very well made wine. stefan 88. Lucie 88.

With left over pasta we drank

2001 Pierre Amiot Morey-St-Denis Les Milandes 1er Cru. Burnt smell "like you get when you carmelize sugar", observes Lucie. The mostly blackberry taste is good. Strong acids cut the pasta sauce and contribute to the longish finish.

2006 St. Innocent 7 Springs Pinot Noir. What is there not to like?

2007 Trio "The Spirits" (84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot). Not nearly as attractive as The Secret even if it tries to be more Bordeaux like. Maybe it will smooth out and develop a bouquet, but the slight body does not suggest that this is a wine to hold.

With a Spanish tortilla we drank

2007 Perrin Vacqueyras Les Christins. This usually reliable Rhone did not disappoint. It is full bodied with strong tannins and is full of peppered blackberries. s 90. L 90.

With sautéed chicken breasts and ricotta filled raviolis we drank

2001 Ferraton Les Miaux Hermitage. Shy but nice nose of dark berries. There are very tasty cherries and, yes, blackberries. This northern Rhone is satisfying and fullish without being overblown (take note, new world) and has a lasting finish. I also like the intense entry. s 92. L 91.

Our favorite restaurant in Rehovot is Restaurant Margaux, which is one of the most beautiful restaurants in the country. The food, while not exactly cutting edge, is always good. The owner is a wine buff who owns a winery. I had an Amnon filet first course and we drank from the cellar of Margaux

2001 Yarden Chardonnay. The cork slipped into the bottle, so the owner checked the wine and pronounced it oxidized. Fortunately, the back up bottle was perfect. Age has improved this nice new world styled Chardonnay.

For the main course Lucie had a Cornish hen and I ate a pastry stuffed with goose liver.

1996 Labegorce-Zede. The owner of Margaux as well as his daughter appreciate a healthy pour of this reliable Margaux so much that he compted the Chardonnay we had ordered. The '96 is dense and black for a Margaux, but five hours of air brought out the Margauxberries. The L-Z has strong tannins that would stand up to steak. With time the tannins get not only stronger but more aggressive. Is 1996 another 1986?

With supermarket baked chicken and Israeli salad we drank

2000 Bouchard Clos de la Mousse. This wine has nice cherry fruit, petrol, and carmelized sugar. It is tasty at the top and earthy on the sides. It is hard to believe that I got this wine for $11.11. s 90. L 89-90.

Last Thursday we went to a large tasting of mostly Israeli wines at our favorite wine store in Nes Ziona.

2007 Tzora Judean Hills (70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot). This is a nice basic Bordeaux blend from one of my favorite producers in Israel.

2006 Tzora Neve Ilan (70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot). This is a step up from the Judean Hills bottling with a better nose and more structure.

2007 Tzora Cab in a Burgundy bottle. Typical Cab for early drinking.

2006 Dovev Argaman. "Makes your tongue hairy," criticizes Lucie. It bears some similarity to an old vine Zinfandel.

2006 Dovev Meromgalil. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Kadesh Valley is light and dusty. Not bad.

2006 Carmel Merlot. Decent for throwing down now.

2006 Carmel Cabernet Sauvignon. Cab nose and light young Cab taste. It is made for drinking yesterday.

2006 Cabernet-Shiraz. This has a bit more umph than the Cab and a longer finish, but the taste is uninteresting.

2007 Avidan Tagsedom (Merlot/Cab/Shiraz). Sweet with muddled flavors.

2007 Avidan Tagedom (Cab/Petite Syrah/Shiraz). Also muddled.

2007 Tulip Mostly Shiraz. Sweet style Syrah; dusty.

2007 Saslove Aviv Mariage (Cab/merlot/Shiraz). Light but more flavors and interest than most of wines we tasted despite its modest price.

2007 Agur Kessem Judean Hills. (40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 20% Petite Verdot, 10% Cabernet Franc). Good structure but undeveloped. This wine is built to age.

2007 Galil Mountain Pinot Noir. This and the Golan Winery are the only two wineries in Israel that make a Pinot Noir. This is a good beginning effort. It is quite new world and not worse than basic CA PN.

2006 Golan Mountain Yiran (50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 4% Syrah, 2% Petite Verdot). Cab nose. Green pepper accents are pleasant. Gets better on second taste. Nicely priced @ 85 NIS.

2006 Fevre Les Clos. Tasted much better to both Lucie and me than the '02 Fevre we drank in South Padre. I will buy some if I find it at a close out.

2005 Dead Arm Shiraz. This is only the second time I have tasted a Dead Arm Shiraz. This is quite a nice wine that is, surprisingly to me, not overblown.

2005 Pesquera Reserve Ribera Duero. This made little impression on either of us.

2004 Teldeschi Amarone. Just so-so.

I bought a few bottles at the tasting. When we got home, with popcorn we drank

2005 Tzora Neve Ilan. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine contains pure fruit and a taste that expands at the sides. s 89-90.

The next night with steak we drank one of the most decorated Israeli wines.

2006 Domaine du Castel Grand Vin. The quality of the grapes is apparent from the nose. In the mouth the wine is concentrated and has softer tannins than I expected to find. It is full of black cherries and black currants. Tasty on the tonsils. While very good and a fine steak wine, it does not pass the Lucie test for being outstanding, which is "Let's open another bottle of this".

stefan, finally a by proclamation of the BD

[stefan]

Prompted by the underwhelming demand for more notes on Israeli wines, I mention one we drank last night with a chicken pasta casserole.

2006 Margalit Cabernet Franc (95% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon). The Margalit Cabernet Sauvignon is a rival to the Castel Grand Vin for the best wine produced in Israel. Never having tasted the Cabernet Franc from Margalit, I grabbed a bottle. It has an expressive red fruit nose. It is soft in the mouth with a strawberry flavor that is seasoned with cinnamon. Lucie detects some ether in the nose. I consider it too light for a high end wine and the fruit tastes a bit canned or candied. At $50 it is a poor value. s 87. L 85.

stefan

[jal]

Nice drinks Stefan, I'm curious, did you bring a lot of wines with you, or you found all these gems in Israel?

BTW, Jill and I will be in T.A. from July 24 through August 9, any chance of seeing you and Lucie there?

[stefan]

We brought six bottles from home. The Ferraton and Perrin we bought here.

We return home June 30, so unfortunately will miss you again. We'll see our mutual friend in TA for dinner on June 28.

stefan

[ChrisW]

Stefan,

I feel honoured!

Wine in Israel...

This reminded me of an experience around 15 years ago in a restaurant in a small village somewhere in Israel. I asked the waiter for the wine list. One could immediately see the feeling of panic in the waiter's eyes. He recovered by saying that he was going to get the wine expert (he used those words) from the kitchen. This expert came to our table and started to explain that they had three different red wines. He had tasted the first wine, but could not remember what it was like. He remembered the second wine, but it was not so good. He continued by saying that he had not tasted the third wine. Therefore, by logical analysis, he recommended the third wine to us as "this could be good".

Instead, we just ordered beer, just like we did for most of our stay (and other trips to Israel in the nineties).

Obviously, this was an example of a not so expensive restaurant in a small town, but Israel was at that time certainly not a wine drinking country. Not that it made my trips less enjoyable as beer was not such a bad substitute for wine given the very high temperatures during the summer in Israel.

ChrisW

[stefan]

Thanks for the chuckle, Chris. I remember well when the wine culture in Israel was like you describe. Things have changed a lot, though I still will drink only beer in some upscale restaurants.

stefan

[stefan]

Last night with eggs scrambled with smoked salmon we drank

2007 Clos de Gat Chardonnay. This Judean Hills Chardonnay may be the best white wine made in Israel. It has a lovely floral and citrus nose. It is elegant, well balanced, and has a long finish. stefan 90. Lucie 91-92.

stefan

[stefan]

Here is what we tried at the Burgundy tasting in Tel Aviv:

2006 Domaine Fevre Les Clos. Our brand new glasses might have been dusty out of the box as both Lucie and I got dust in the nose. The Chablis has nice minerals and a long finish.

2005 Maison Olivier Leflaive Meursault les Narvaux. Smoky Meursault nose with orchids. "Would be good with seafood," says Lucie. It is rich, slightly oily, and has good acid. We bought a bottle which we drank at lunch at the Dead Sea. The last sip was as good as the first. Lucie 89. stefan 89.

2005 Domaine Jadot Clos Vougeot. The first smell says "California Pinot Noir", then Lucie gets a whiff of hot road tar. Right now there are only primary flavors, oak, and lots of tannin. The structure is excellent.

2005 Domaine Dujac Morey St Denis. Lovely MSD nose with cherries, cinnamon, cloves, and that special perfume accent. The wine sticks to your tongue and tingles.

2005 Domaine J. F. Mugnier Nuits St George Clos de la Marechale. Masculine nose. Red fruit and underbrush. The flavors intensify toward the sides. Despite strong tannins and young fruit, this NSG goes down very easily.

2001 Domaine Lamarche la Grand Rue. This is the first time we have tasted this Monopole. The smoked meat nose goes in many directions. There are rhubarbs and raspberries in the still developing taste.

2005 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay. Light after the Lamarche Grand Cru; also too acidic. It is pretty tasty both in the front and in the back. A bite of cheese cuts the acid.

2001 Domaine Lafarge Volnay Clos de Chenes. Mature nose with truffles and washed tree fungus mixed into cranberries. There is Thanksgiving in the mouth, too. We bought a bottle to have tonight at the Dead Sea.

2004 Domaine Arlaud Charmes Chambertin. Regal nose, but green comes out with air. For me, but not for Lucie, the greenness is very pronounced in the mouth.

2005 Domain Jadot Charmes Chambertin. There are lovely, but hard to identify, perfumes both in the nose and in the mouth.

[SteveH]

I'm cracking up from the story Chris told about the Israeli restaurant with a list of three wines. Sounds like a routine you'd hear from a waiter in the Catskills.

Stefen's dinners and wine tastings there have really cast a whole new favorable light over my old impressions of Israeli dining. Haven't been there in 20 years so I only remember sweet sacramental wines and hairy, poorly plucked, overcooked kosher chickens. Good changes for sure.

Another marvelous trip for you and Lucie. Safe journey home.

Steve

[jal]

In israel for another week and we had almost no wines since arriving last Sunday (one good bottle of 2007 Chave Mon Coeur and that's it). It is so hot that we are drinking beer and juice instead. Tonight, Jill and I are heading to Lilith, one of the better restaurants in Tel Aviv. I'm looking forward to a good bottle, even a Kosher one.
The dining scene in Tel Aviv by the way keeps improving, constant food shows on the TV including an Iron Chef reality type show (called Knife Battle), chefs who have trained in Europe and the US and incorporating perfect techniques with fantastic locally fresh ingredients, add this to a great nightlife and the result is that I'm constantly eating out.

[William P]

Thanks Bill, your are living well. Some great burgs in the Tel Aviv tasting. Now enough of this intesting stuff and let's talk about what critic has a better sense of the future.

[stefan]

Have a great time in Israel, Jacques. Will you meet our friend? Lucie and I had a very nice dinner with him in June.

'07 Mon Coeur is too good to be a CdR.

stefan

[jal]

We'll probably call him this week, Bill. We had a nice dinner and drank the 2007 Petit Castel; a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Very nice with plum flavors and a nice bitter finish, a little too young but the wine list was pretty mediocre. The wine specialist was quite annoying, though - pushing on us everything we said we didn't want; oaky Chardonnays, dusty Merlots, even a Viognier. I'm glad we stayed with the Bordeaux Blend.

[stefan]

I like the '07 Petit Castel, too, Jacques.

In Israel I almost always drink Israeli wines when buying off this list.

stefan

[PappaDoc]

Jacques,

Try a wine called "Fusion" it's a Bordeaux blend of Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, and Merlot, from the Galalee Heights. The lable is black with some red bands. It sells for $18.00 at Zachys and is one of best selling Kosher wines.

See you soon,

John

[jal]

Jill and I went to an excellent restaurant yesterday called Carmela Ba Nahala; it was the Israeli equivalent of Valentine's Day and the chef had prepared a "lover's" menu. The food was excellent and we drank a 2008 Sauvignon Blanc from Yatitr. Excellent minerality, clean and crisp with a nose of citrus and granny smith apples. Probably the best Israeli white wine I've ever had.