Freddy R. Troya

9.2

Makphelah Cabernet–Merlot 2020 – Judean Hills, Israel 🇮🇱

Overview
A structured red blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon · 30% Merlot showing a more polished, progressive expression of the Judean Hills. Cabernet drives the backbone with depth, structure, and dark fruit intensity, while Merlot softens the frame with texture and approachability. Already climbing into its prime drinking window, this wine opens beautifully with air, gaining clarity, integration, and finesse over the first hour. A confident, well-balanced blend that balances power with refinement rather than brute force.

Aromas & Flavors
Ripe black cherry, blackberry, and dark plum layered with subtle vanilla, baking spice, and light cedar from oak aging. Hints of graphite, warm earth, and gentle savory tones add complexity. The fruit remains deep and focused while staying clean and polished rather than jammy or heavy.

Mouthfeel
Medium-to-full bodied with a firm yet silky structure. Polished tannins provide grip without roughness. Smooth texture through the mid-palate with steady acidity keeping the wine lifted and energetic. Evolves nicely in the glass, becoming more expressive and harmonious with oxygen. Long, balanced finish driven by dark fruit and subtle spice.

Food Pairings
Grilled lamb chops or rosemary-roasted chicken. Beef kebabs, shawarma, or braised short ribs. Mushroom risotto or lentil-based Mediterranean dishes. Aged hard cheeses or semi-firm cow’s milk cheeses. Excellent with savory, protein-driven meals that highlight the wine’s structure and depth.

🍷 Personal Pick
This is the kind of blend I love seeing from the Judean Hills, confident, expressive, and already finding its rhythm. It opens up beautifully with air, showing polish, balance, and layered depth rather than raw power. A wine that rewards patience in the glass and feels quietly serious without losing drinkability.

Did You Know?
High-elevation vineyards in the Judean Hills benefit from warm days and cool nights, helping Cabernet Sauvignon retain structure and freshness while Merlot contributes texture and roundness. This climatic balance allows blends like this to age gracefully while remaining approachable earlier than many Old World Cabernet-driven wines. — 3 days ago

Lauren Ruvolo

9.2

A bit lighter than your standard Cali cab, but still a confident wine that will stand up to a thick NY strip. Cherry wood, mild spice, light leather. — 4 years ago

with John

Shay A

9.3

This was my contribution for a big white wine theme, where all bottles were served blind.

Placed in the exact middle of the lineup, I considered this as my wine but wasn’t fully confident. Similar to the 2016 Belle Cote I opened earlier this year, I’m somewhat nicely surprised that this is as beautifully balanced as it is. Some of these wines have a reputation for “large and in charge”, but this was supremely balanced, toeing the line between Sonoma and white burgundy with richness. Aromatically it revealed sugar frosted stone fruits, white peach, caramel dipped golden delicious apples and baking spices. It has a beautifully textured palate that is almost creamy before snapping back with good acidity. Added notes on the palate of powdered lemon bar, floral honeysuckle, and whipped lemon cream. This will age effortlessly for another 7-10yrs, but it sure is giving now. — 5 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

Truncated family party notes. This wine was so relaxed and comfortable in its skin. Deep flavors. Soft, luxurious texture. Vines this old are so quietly confident they don’t feel the need to try to impress anyone. I hope I reach this state someday. — a year ago

with Dan, Douglas and 2 others

Mathew

9.3

Cherry and pepper with tannic bite upon opening which relaxed into a confident and mature subtle rounded earthiness. — 2 years ago

Mike Lev

9.3

Really nice, the layers of apple, pear, lemons balanced with floral notes and clove and a very present minerality. Confident and vibrant. — 4 years ago

Ira Schwartz

9.4

When I went to open this wine for a friend who contributed to my wine education during the early years he immediately said, "Not until it was at least a decade on .” I shrugged my shoulders and buried it. I understand now. I had concerns as there was something floating around in the bottle. In the mouth it felt 3-D but never heavy. Flavors of watermelon , peach , red berries, and flavors quite frankly I had never experienced in a wine or could identify. At times it showed like a cocktail one would get on the beach , at other times like a complex sour ale. I feel confident in its youth it had a higher level of sweetness but like a great Riesling it perfectly integrated. A lingering juicy finish. I realize this wine would not be for everyone but for me one of my most memorable wine experiences and what I love about wine.. Honestly, my score is irrelevant. — 5 years ago

Jan de Weerd

9.1

If a wine does not meet your (high) expectations, is it a disappointment?? 🤔. Yeah, everything is relative. This six year old Gran Malbec was still super tight. Sharp, spicy oak tannins (lots of new French oak?) kept anything possibly underneath totally hidden. Although some greener notes came through early on and again later after about 2-3 hours of opening. So, yeah. Not balanced, very intense, limited lingering and single note. Agung will help for sure but not confident if this wine will ever fully shine. But don’t be down on Pulenta. Fantastic winery. We will visit this fall (their Spring) as Spoken Wines. Talking about Spoken Wines, have you seen our latest video story of Hartenberg?? And their incredible commitment to regenerative viticulture, lead by… cows!! Beautifully explained and demonstrated right in front of you by Wilhelm Joubert, the viticulturist. Check it out. And don’t miss the surprise at the end 😁. www.spokenwines.com — a year ago

with Tammy

Ely Cohn

9.3

Dense, chewy, meaty Santa Maria Pinot I enjoyed getting to know over three consistent days. Thick and throat coating like cough syrup, raw and confident. Pours an oily murky browned ruby with aromas deep to penetrate the nasal brain barrier.

Kirsch level cherry depth. Sour and bright in the mouth. Green stems and dried cedar, with cinnamon mocha accents. Yum. — 3 years ago

Shay A

9.2

I’m between a 91-92 (same as I was for the Brut Reserve). After going through 6 of these and 6 brut reserve over the last year, I feel confident in the longevity of these Blanc de Blanc champagnes.

For a Blanc de Blanc, this shows plenty of yeasty/toasty notes with fleshy characteristics. Sea salted flaky honey buttered biscuits with lemon scone and honeysuckle aromatics. While the palate is similar, the finish is so drastically different than the rest of this champagne…almost too tart. Palate profile is rich with yellow fruits, kiss of nougat, and some classical limestone. The finish is just crazy underripe and again, tart. Razor sharp acidity. I think this is a champagne that benefits from time, whereas the Brut reserve is perfectly fine to consume now. — 5 years ago