It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let's bring Merlot back!
Inky in color with a wide reddish rim.
Pretty nose of blackberries, black currants, black plums, light cedar, licorice, chocolates and coffee notes.
Full-bodied with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with currants, plums, sweet cherries, Mediterranean spices, light cedar, earth, chocolates, tobacco, peppercorn and herbs
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This young Merlot from Israel needs 3 hours to open up properly. Rich, spicy and engaging. Drinking very nicely now, and good by itself or with food. Smooth and elegant.
Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years. Has good potential to become a 94+ point wine.
This 4 year old is robust and good by itself as a sipping wine. Will also pair nicely with a big piece of steak.
Aged in French oak barrels for 18 months. Unfiltered. Kosher and not Mevushal.
16% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$50. — 4 months ago
Pale Lemon in color.
Very aromatic nose with lots of gooseberry and citrus notes.
Medium in body with medium plus acidity.
Fruit forward with mild complexity.
Dry on the palate, crisp and refreshing.
Showing limes, citrus, light grapefruits, green apples light herbs, minerals and spices.
Tangy finish with limes and light almonds.
This Israeli Sauvignon Blanc is nicely balanced and enjoyable by itself. Easy drinking, tangy and a little bit spicy. Fresh and fruit forward.
I've had a few vintages of this Sauvignon Blanc before, and it is very consistent.
A great party wine, and good for the pool too.
Grapes are grown in the Golan Heights region. Kosher.
13% alcohol by volume.
90 points.
$20. — a year ago
#kosherWineSunday
Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.
Light nose with chocolates, black fruits, light earth, tobacco leaf and light wood.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with black currants, cooked cherries, spices, oak, light vanilla, licorice, tobacco leaf, light earth, herbs and black pepper.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This 7 year old Cabernet Sauvignon from California is drinking very nicely now. Easy drinking, tangy and interesting. A good sipping wine.
Nicely balanced with nice complexity and a soft mouthfeel.
Peaking now, and will continue to drink nicely in the next few years.
Good right out of the bottle, and better after 30 minutes in the glass.
Good by itself or with food. Will pair nicely with barbecue meats. I paired it with a baked Brie cheese.
Kosher and Mevushal.
14% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$45 (current vintage). — a month ago
#KosherWineSunday
Dark purple in color with a short purple rim. Not showing age at all.
Dry on the palate with nice complexity.
Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity.
Showing black plums, cooked cherries, spices, light oak, herbs, light vanilla, dark chocolates, light vegetables, tobacco, light earth and peppercorn.
Nice finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.
This 10 year old Israeli Malbec is delicious. Peaking now and will continue to drink nicely in the next few years.
Good right out of the bottle, and better with airtime.
Wine Enthusiasts 90 points.
I had this vintage over 3 years ago, and it is still delicious.
This Single Vineyard is a great sipping wine, that will also pair nicely with a big piece of steak.
Aged in French oak barrels for 15 months. A small production of only 6,700 bottles. Kosher and not Mevushal.
15% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$35. — 6 months ago
A dark chocolate, coffee and sweet dark fruit. Very good. — 3 years ago
Matar by Pelter Strauss 2020, Israel
#KosherWineSunday
Inky in color with a reddish rim.
Strong nose with black fruits, tobacco, oak, licorice, black pepper and chocolates.
Full-bodied and elegant with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry and very fruity on the palate with black currants, cooked plums, oak, wild flowers, tobacco, licorice, light earth, coffee, bitter herbs, spices, tar and peppercorn.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a very tasty Syrah from Israel. Fruit forward and extracted. Nicely balanced and bold. Rich and good by itself or with food.
Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime. Really enjoyed the nose once it opened up.
I Had the 2017 three years ago, and it felt very different. This vintage feels like an Australian Shiraz.
Will continue to age nicely in the next 5 years.
Paired nicely with cheeses and crackers.
100% Shiraz grapes from the Galilee region were aged in French oak barrels for 16 months. Kosher and not Mevushal.
15% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$30. — 4 months ago
Dark ruby in color with a reddish/ brick rim.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with nice complexity.
Showing red and blue fruits with earth, wood, spices, licorice, light vegetables, herbs, pencil lead, metals, tobacco, coffee, cola and peppercorn.
Medium finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 9 year old, Single Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon from Israel is still drinking nicely, but past its prime. I've had this vintage 3 years ago, and it was better then.
Spicy and fruit forward. Rich, yet elegant with a nice mouthfeel.
Really loved the nose right out of the bottle, but it changed as it opened up.
Good by itself or with food.
100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were aged for 18 months in French Oak barrels. Kosher.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$45. — 10 months ago
It's time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.
This 4 year old Israeli Merlot is still young, but already enjoyable.
Full bodied with medium plus acidity. Dry on the palate and fruit forward.
Showing black plums, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, espresso, alcohol, spices, dark chocolates, peppercorn and tobacco.
Medium finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
Needs a couple of hours to open up properly, so be patient.
I've had this Merlot a few times before, and this vintage is my least favorite. A little disappointing, but might just be in its dumb phase.
Rich and spicy. Tangy and interesting. A little hot at this point, and will calm down in a few years.
Good by itself once it opens up, and good with food. I paired it with BBQ Meats.
Aged for 18 months in oak barrels (40% new). Kosher. Not Mevushal.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
90 points.
$33. — 3 years ago
"Odedi"
#KosherWineSunday
Dark golden in color.
Light on the nose and full bodied with medium minus acidity.
Dry on the palate with nice complexity.
Showing red apples, pears, apricots, light oak and spices.
This 5 year old white wine from Israel is still drinking very nicely. Rich and elegant.
Showing nice complexity, nicely balanced and soft. Very enjoyable by itself or with food.
Will not get any better from this point, so drink up.
Easy drinking and good by itself as a sipping wine.
100% Roussanne grapes were aged in oak barrels for 10 months. Kosher and not Mevushal.
12.5% alcohol by volume.
90 points.
$40. — 19 days ago