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

Steve Rura

9.1

Great summer food rosé. Tastes like a Bandol. A little oily, with layers of dry fruit. About as full as I’ve tried for a rosé. With portobello and roasted farm veggies in tomato sauce and ricotta. Plus orzo and summer greens with peaches and cornbread croutons. — 2 years ago

Daniel Schniepp

9.0

On the nose, crushed strawberry, dusty orange peel, saw dust, brandied cherry and portobello mushroom. Soft grippy tannin, medium bright acidity and a long finish. What a find. Decant for 30minutes 👌 — 5 years ago

with Greg

David Kline

9.2

Black violet; dense. Peppery raisin and blackberry scented, it exhibits hints of licorice black olive tapenade, portobello, and grilled rosemary and baked dark rye.
Dried blackberry, dried cranberry, raisin-black currant with intense extraction. Rich and powerful at this price point. The pepper re-emerges, and black plum, fine graphite, black olive and oregano, thyme, and lovely tannins that flow texturally throughout. Intense, with a long long finish.


— 7 years ago

with Courtney

Ryan Bee

9.1

I’m not a Pinot lover but this one tasted elegant. Had a great pairing with a portobello mushroom salad. Highly recommend this wine. — 8 years ago

Devin Bostick

8.9

Raspberry, chalk, portobello smell, tastes minerally, JAL sort of leaves a tannin quick that sits, light and goes quickly leaving its essence, mushroom - cremini taste, creamy body with chalk and mineral — 8 years ago

Meredith McGuire

9.3

Light-to-medium body; near-perfect acidity that goes beautifully with stuffed portobello mushrooms (spinach & ricotta stuffing). Nice, firm tannins and ripe cherries with anise, with the oak coming through at the end. A little earthy in a pleasant way pairs nicely with mushrooms. Would be GORGEOUS with mushroom risotto and asparagus. I imagine it would be beautiful with red meat, too. #pairwithfood — 8 months ago

Paula Strebig

8.9

Deep burgundy, moderate legs, medium body. (First half of the bottle) Subtle Raspberry with hints of pipe tobacco on the nose. Smooth, easy sipping, mild red fruit with smooth tannins on the finish. I want to think there is a touch of spiciness on the finish but I suspect it is the mouth feel of the tannins and not a spicy flavor. (Grilled top sirloin, cheese stuffed portobello mushrooms, broccoli with queso sauce - another lovely dinner on the lanai!) Great label! — a year ago

with Tim

R. S. Douglass

9.0

Very nice! Enjoyed at 1/2 price at Cafe Normandie, Annapolis, MD. Goes great with crab-stuffed portobello . 😀 — 5 years ago

Jazmina

8.9

Nose: compote with pear, plum and strawberry underlying a strong earthy note. Tannins have a strong finish with an acidity that is equally as present. The palate has cherry, the cooked pear and bright plum with portobello and earth. — 6 years ago

with Ross

Michael Flynn

9.2

As usual with Mi Sueno, excellent wine, wonderful match with rare roasted flank steak as well as with Portobello mushroom for the vargetarisns in the family. — 7 years ago

Scott Cowan

8.9

Cherry jam nose. The heat wafts up with the vanilla scented jam too, and remains in nice, not over-powering, ways through first sip - mid-palate - finish such that I think the stated 14.1% alcohol under-states the actual case. I’m drinking this 2017 vintage Feb 12-13 2019 and it tastes good now with promise of tasting very good, with some potential complexity in a few years. Just now, this wine packs a punch well above it’s weight class: $18 at Berkeley Bowl. It’s far below the quality of top Paso cabs but it’s far below their sticker prices too... so, hey, why not enjoy this as a more than serviceable table wine for hearty and even some spicy fare now, cellar several bottles to taste 1-5(+ ?) later as a cheap investment that could pay off huge? One can always pull out the Justin Isosceles Reserve and Tablas Creek bad boys for special Paso-wine occasions. I do miss a longer finish ... but tiny hints of licorice, shiitake+hedgehog and maybe also portobello mushrooms, and slightly larger suggestions of smoke plus some leather lead me to believe The Fableist is working on some delicious stories to tell in coming years — and will then, perhaps, linger longer on the finish. Yeah, I do think the yummy plummy jam will give way to more flavors in time — and if this hunch/hope/faith proves true, Ill increase the rating a fair amount over 9.0 for some tip-top QPR. — 7 years ago

Bret Patterson

9.4

Textbook Cabernet with great structure. Savory notes of portobello, smoke, and bacon lead with lingering fruit notes of black currant. — 8 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.1

Charles Krug – Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
Napa Valley, California – USA 🇺🇸

Overview
The 2017 vintage of their Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is crafted primarily from estate fruit across valley-floor vineyards, showing an approachable and structured style. This wine is a classic Cabernet Sauvignon with small supporting portions of Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc to round it out.

Aromas & Flavors
Black cherry, plum, and blackberry are joined by subtle layers of cedar, tobacco, and baking spice. Hints of mocha and graphite emerge as the wine opens, bringing complexity without overshadowing the ripe fruit core.

Mouthfeel
Medium to full-bodied, with polished tannins and a backbone of balanced acidity. The mid-palate is rich and velvety, while the finish lingers with dark fruit, oak spice, and a whisper of minerality.

Winemaking Notes
Aged 18 months in French oak (about 35% new), this wine is a balance of tradition and modern winemaking. Charles Krug continues to champion elegance over excess, and the 2017 vintage shows restraint despite Napa’s warm growing conditions.

Food Pairing
Pairs beautifully with grilled ribeye, beef short ribs, or roasted portobello mushrooms. Aged gouda or firm sheep’s milk cheeses also complement its depth and structure.

Verdict
A polished, reliable Napa Cabernet that honors Charles Krug’s heritage while delivering a style accessible to today’s wine drinkers. The 2017 is drinking beautifully now, with enough structure to cellar for a few more years. — 9 months ago

David Kline

9.6

2005. Portobello, loamy soil, blackberry, black cherry, violets, oyster shell, black peppercorn, grilled beef on the nose. Black and red currant, slight grapiness, cedar bark, pencil, black olive, wheat toast, fine tabac, clove, red cherry. Pointy in places, but really holding together in terms of age.


#2005bordeaux #léovillelascases #grandvindebordeaux #grandvindeléovilledemarquisdelascases #stjulien #stjulienmedoc #medoc #domainesdelon #appellationsaintjuliencontrolée #deuxièmecrus #leftbankbordeaux — 4 years ago

Charles Rosenfeld

8.9

Looking for another Pinot Grigio and saw this with a great rating. Opened 2020 for sipping with friends in Texas and everyone complimented the wine. It is crisp, refreshing and aroma that suggests peach and melon with touch of honeysuckle as noted elsewhere. It will be a part of my collection for daily enjoyment! By the way, went well with grilled portobello and cheese sandwich. — 5 years ago

Jake Hajer

9.1

Aromatic! Bacon back, rosemary, parsley, dank, portobello. Palate of blackberries and menthol. — 6 years ago

Michael Flynn

9.0

Brought back from the winery. Lovely nose , big rasberry, blueberry finish. Excellent with roast chicken and portobello with tomatoe, roast potato and broccolinni — 7 years ago

Jake Hajer

9.3

Aged perfectly. Roses, portobello mushrooms, dusty raspberry, moss, leather. Aromatic. French oak, musty cellar. Wet tobacco. One of Melka's first wines. Gorgeous. — 8 years ago

Sharon B

9.2

Delicious blend of Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc & Petit Verdot. Went well with my Italian stuffed portobello mushrooms. — 8 years ago