Sagee Aran

8.9

a Blend of Syrah, Carignan and Argaman. a little jammy. — a month ago

Sagee Aran

9.4

The years have done good for this bottle. Dark in color, thick and chewy structure but subtle in texture, mild + nose, palate of dark fruits and maturity, very tasty. At its peak... — 5 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.3

Yarden – Pinot Noir – 2022
Galilee – Israel 🇮🇱

Overview
100% Pinot Noir sourced from the northern reaches of the Golan Heights, where high elevation, cool nights, and rocky volcanic soils create an ideal environment for this delicate, thin-skinned variety. Aged for over 16 months in French oak, this bottling delivers surprising depth and complexity. Kosher, and produced in a non-Mevushal style, allowing greater finesse and aromatic purity.

Aromas & Flavors
Lifted floral notes, red cherry, wild berries, rose petals, clove, and subtle baking spice. The volcanic influence adds a faint smoky-mineral edge that enhances its old-world charm.

Mouthfeel
Silky, medium-bodied, and beautifully balanced. Fresh acidity supports a layered palate with refined tannins and an elegant, persistent finish.

Food Pairings
Herb-roasted chicken, mushroom risotto, seared tuna, Mediterranean lamb skewers, or grilled vegetables with za’atar.

Verdict
A sophisticated and terroir-driven expression of Pinot Noir from one of Israel’s most compelling cool-climate zones. Remarkably elegant, with an old-world spirit shaped by a uniquely volcanic landscape. Cheers!

Did You Know?
The Golan Heights sits atop an extinct volcanic plateau. Its basalt-rich soils and high elevations mirror some of the world’s great cool-climate regions, making it one of Israel’s best sites for Burgundian varieties. — 7 months ago

Sagee Aran

9.0

Good dark color, mild to intense nose, chewy, tannins are still strong, fruit forward...very good value for this merlot. — 4 years ago

Cynthia Stevenson

9.4

Smooth, mod body, low acidity, light tannins. — 5 years ago

barak heller hayun

9.0

very interesting!

asking around for a recommendation for interesting cheap wine for accompanying a family meal, this red blend was advised.

60% Cabernet sauvignon
30% syrah
5% petit verdot
5% cabarnet franc

1 year in french oak barrels.

15% ABV

strong red 👀

a bit of funk and grass first, followed by cooked black fruit and some ripe red fruit with added black pepper and vanilla👃

full body.
high acidity.
low tannins

silky mix of ripe black and red fruit with tartness and sweet oak spices with some greeness and dirt on the background👄

long pleasent 🎯

intresting and well made.
excelent vfm (59 nis).

at the meal there was a choice of ouscous and rice (separately) with vegetables, chard and beans or salmon with thick and spicy pepper and 🍅 sauce.

the wine got along with them, even with the spicy fish.
but it wasn't a match made in heaven. — 6 years ago

Adam Baker

9.4

Cherry, blueberry, light plum, dryer dark fruit. Excellent wine. Very smooth. Really good with gyro before OU/houston game. We drank quick. I bet this opens up even better over time. — 7 years ago

with Elissa

Sagee Aran

9.3

all in place. a benchmark CS. full body, ripe, juicy, good acidity, tasty. — 2 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

8.9

Yarden – Chardonnay – 2023
Galilee – Golan Heights Winery, Israel 🇮🇱

Overview
A dry, terroir-driven Chardonnay from the elevated vineyards of the Galilee and Golan Heights, where altitude and cooler temperatures preserve freshness and minerality. This is a restrained, modern expression, focused more on clarity and balance than overt oak influence, allowing site and fruit purity to take center stage.

Aromas & Flavors
Clean and expressive with notes of tropical fruit layered over subtle orchard tones. Pineapple and ripe mango lead, followed by baked pear, green sliced apple, and a light citrus peel accent. Mineral undertones add definition and keep the fruit in check.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a refreshing line through the palate. The texture is smooth yet energetic, finishing dry and clean with lingering fruit and mineral tension.

Food Pairings (Kosher-friendly)
Grilled or roasted fish, herb-roasted chicken, vegetable couscous, quinoa salads, or kosher cheeses such as aged gouda or manchego-style alternatives. Also excellent with Mediterranean mezze or simple olive-oil–driven dishes.

Verdict
A well-made, honest Chardonnay that delivers freshness, balance, and a clear sense of place. Not flashy or heavily oaked, but dependable and expressive, an easy recommendation for those who enjoy mineral-driven, food-friendly whites.

Did You Know?
Yarden sources fruit from some of Israel’s highest-elevation vineyards, where cooler nights help maintain acidity, key to the wine’s freshness and structure.

🍷 Personal Pick Highlight
I appreciate the purity here. Clean, mineral, and refreshing, with just enough fruit weight to stay engaging. A solid kosher, non-mevushal Chardonnay that respects both terroir and balance. — 6 months ago

Bruce Leboff

9.3

Lovely with ripe acidity and very long finish. Tough grape to work with. Lovely to drink — 4 years ago

with David

Bruce Leboff

8.9

Drinking well. Expressing its best at its age. Enjoyable wine for a Friday night ! — 5 years ago

with Allan and David

"Odedi"

8.9

It's time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here's a nice one from Israel.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Nose of cherries, blueberries, wood, earth, vanilla, licorice, spices, espresso, pencil lead, vegetables, herbs and black pepper.

Full bodied and soft with medium plus acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blueberries, cherries, wood, licorice, light vanilla, light vegetables, dark coffee, herbs, tobacco leaf, spices, graphite and black pepper.

Medium plus in finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a nice surprise. I've had this wine for the last 4 vintages, and this is the best one yet. Easy drinking with mild complexity and a nice mouthfeel. Feels like a blend of new and old world wine.

Good by itself or with food. Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up ( 30 minutes). After an hour of airtime, tannins show up.

Drinking very nicely already, even by itself.

A blend of 36% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah, 12% Petit Verdot and 9% Cabernet Franc.

Grapes are grown in the Judean Hills at 2,000 feet elevation, and aged for 10 months in oak barrels. Kosher. Not Mevushal.

14% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$35. — 6 years ago

Ellen Clifford

8.9

In my quest to compare old v new world kicking it off with olld world. I was worried this would be an oak bomb based on some previous vintages but there is restraint here. Golden vanilla and somehow green on the nose. The palate is bordering on rich but not. Cool climate fun that is balanced by baking spice and sass. I like this. If you want kosher for Passover (albeit not mevushal) this is for you. I’m neither of those things but finding it a pleasant Chard that flirts with oak just enough to keep enjoying. — 7 years ago

ESF

9.2

better than the 2021, more dense extracted generous, this had a decade or more to unfurl... 2021 was Old World - this was New World, a more in your face CA Napa Cab style, outstanding QPR — 5 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.5

The Cave – Red Blend – 2020
Galilee, Israel 🇮🇱

Overview
A powerful Bordeaux-inspired blend composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, and 9% Petit Verdot, sourced from high-elevation vineyards in the Upper Galilee. Aged 24 months in French oak inside the historic Carmel Mountain cave, a naturally cool, humidity-stable cellar that shapes the wine’s depth and structure. Mevushal / Kosher for Passover.

Aromas & Flavors
Dark mulberries, black plum, and blackberry compote meet cedar, mahogany wood, espresso, and subtle graphite. The Petit Verdot adds an herbal-floral edge, giving the wine both muscle and nuance.

Mouthfeel
Full-bodied with firm, assertive tannins and a deep, wood-toned intensity. Concentrated, layered, and long, with an oaky spine that lingers on the finish.

Food Pairings
Braised lamb shoulder, smoky short ribs, aged Gouda, slow-roasted brisket, or charred portobello mushrooms.

Verdict
One of Israel’s most characterful red blends, bold, structured, and cellar-worthy. The interplay of fruit density, mineral tension, and pronounced oak makes this a standout Mevushal wine for those who appreciate power and polish. Cheers!

Did You Know?
The Cave winery ages its wines in a 250-year-old man-carved cave in Carmel Mountain, originally quarried in the 18th century and repurposed in the 19th century as a brandy cellar. Its natural insulation provides ideal conditions for long élevage, giving these wines their signature depth and aging potential. — 7 months ago

ESF

9.1

continue my run of fantastic Israeli wines: reminiscent of St Emilion - inky deep dark wafting generously of blackberry & plum, ripe rich decadent, vanilla & licorice, earthy, bell pepper, graphite, clay - very classy cut w/harmoniously integrated tannins on palate, paired well with/ribeye - really delivers for price point — 7 months ago

Roman Ochocki

9.0

Very good merlot. Low acidity, medium tannins. Very oaky with a sweet vanilla, dark fruits, but with a dark chocolate finish, maybe with a pepper. Still: one of my favorite labels. — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

9.2

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Strong nose of blackcurrants, black cherries, plums, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, tobacco, earth, mint, light herbs and black pepper.

Full bodied and elegant with medium plus acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blueberries, cherries, currants, oak, vanilla, dark chocolates, cloves, licorice, herbs, spices, earth, peppercorn and pencil lead.

Spicy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This young Israeli Cabernet Sauvignon is starting to drink nicely now.

Showing nice complexity with a gentle mouthfeel. Nicely balanced and tangy. Tasty, spicy and interesting.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime.

This beautiful Bordeaux blend from Israel would benefit from 3 to 5 years of bottle time.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a delicious Brie cheese.

A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. Kosher and not Mevushal.

14.5% alcohol by volume

92 points.

$60. — 6 years ago

Joe Weinberger

8.9

First time trying a wine from Israel. This was pretty nice—lots of autolytic notes and it was nice to try one that was vintage dated and with some bottle age. — 6 years ago

Hamilton Schwartz

9.2

Passover 2019 — 7 years ago