Zwebner Estate Vineyard Judean Mountains 35.6.18 Red 2017, Bethlehem
#KosherWineSunday
Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with cherries, black plums, currants, raspberries, light oak, spices, chocolates, licorice, coffee, tobacco leaf, herbs, earth, peppercorn and black tea.
Tangy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 6 year old red blend from the Judean Mountains in Israel, is showing nice complexity with a soft mouthfeel. Elegant and spicy.
Fruit forward right out of the bottle, and even better after an hour of airtime.
This Single Vineyard is good by itself or with food. A great sipping wine.
I Had the 2015 a few years ago, and it is very consistent. Delicious stuff.
A blend of Grenache, Carignan and Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. Kosher.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$50. — 5 months ago
An “intermezzo” as we prepared for the reds flights. This was served blind. The 1978 shows really young for its age. Most at the table, including myself, were convinced that this was classified growth Bordeaux with maybe 20-30 years of age. However at least one of us thought it was Napa…and whoa. The color was dark and handsome though there was some sediment (to expected). The fruit was bright but I felt it was secondary to the dried leaf tobacco, earth and leather notes. There was good acid too. Tannins have integrated. Lots of wows when this was revealed while the Napa holdouts gave a smile. Bravo. This could easily live well for another 10 or so years. — 10 months ago
Inky in color with a short purplish rim.
Strong nose with black fruits, cedar, licorice, chocolates, light vegetables, wild flowers and peppercorn.
Full-bodied and smooth, with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with blackberries, black cherries, currants, cedar, vanilla, spices, espresso, cola, herbs, licorice, dark chocolates, light earth and peppercorn.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This young Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Napa Valley is already delicious.
Rich and engaging. Powerful and dark. Still a little unforgiving. Spicy and fruit forward.
Much earthier on the nose than on the palate. Only after 2.5 hours it balances out, so be patient.
Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years, and has good potential to become a 94+ point wine. Would be nice to revisit it in 5 years.
I Had a few vintages of this wine and it is very consistent.
Good by itself as a sipping wine or with food. Will pair nicely with a big piece of steak.
A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot and 5% Malbec. Grapes were handpicked and aged for 18 months in mostly French oak barrels.
14.2% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$95. — 2 months ago
#AgedWineTuesday
Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish/ brick rim.
Beautiful nose of black fruits, cedar, chocolates, herbs, tobacco leaf and cola.
Full-bodied and elegant with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, mint, vanilla, spices, licorice, espresso, cola, light herbs, eucalyptus, light earth, tobacco leaf, dark chocolates and peppercorn.
Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 20 year old Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is drinking beautifully now. Showing a gorgeous nose, that I kept on smelling for a while.
Feels much younger than it actually is, complex and well balanced.
Good right out of the bottle with grippy tannins, and better after a couple of hours in the decanter.
Peaking now and good by itself or with food. Will continue to drink nicely in the next 5 years.
A gorgeous wine. I love these older Napa Bordeaux blends.
A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. Aged in new American oak barrels for 22 months. Unfiltered and unfined.
13.8% alcohol by volume.
94 points.
$225. — 6 months ago
#AgedWineTuesday
Dark ruby in color with a wide brick rim.
Medium plus in body with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with a nice mouthfeel.
Showing black fruits with cedar, vanilla, leather, spices, earth, chocolates, tobacco, coffee, cola, licorice and peppercorn.
This is a great sipping wine. Delicious with great balance and complexity. Very fruity, rich and extracted.
Good right out of the bottle, and good by itself or with food.
I've had many different vintages of this Cabernet, and it is always delicious.
Will pair nicely with a big piece of steak.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
93 points.
$45 (current vintage). — a year ago
Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim and medium intensity.
Full bodied with medium acidity.
Dry on the palate with nice complexity and a soft mouthfeel.
Showing black and red fruits with tobacco, cedar, vanilla, leather, earth, chocolates, tobacco, spices and peppercorn.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.
This is a delicious Tempranillo from Rioja. Nicely balanced and still very young, although it is a 6-year-old wine.
I had the 2011 a couple of years ago and loved it too.
Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years. Has good potential to become a 94+ point wine.
Good right out of the bottle, and good by itself or with food.
A blend of 91% Tempranillo and 9% Graciano. Aged in new French oak barrels for 25 months. Made only in special vintages, a few times per decade.
14% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$65. — a year ago
A pretty color of ruby, with a wide brick/ reddish rim.
Full bodied and elegant.
Dry on the palate with medium acidity.
Showing red currants, plums, cherries, wood, spices, coffee, dark chocolates, earth, tobacco leaf, herbs and black pepper.
Medium finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.
This 15 year old Rioja Reserva is drinking very nicely now. Showing nice complexity at this point.
Still young and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.
Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. A very tasty aged Rioja, and a good food wine.
Robert Parker 95 points.
I Had this vintage a year ago, and it feels pretty much the same.
A blend of 75% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha, 5% Mazuelo and 5% Graciano. Aged in used American oak barrels for 6 years.
13% alcohol by volume.
91 points.
$55. — 4 months ago
Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of three days. Best on Day 3. The 2011 “Bosconia” pours a ruby color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of sour cherry, dill, leather, dried earth and gentle warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium++ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long, elegant and leans towards the bitter side of the spectrum. Good on its own but I think these really excel with food. I’ve probably covered this before in previous TN’s but the wines of LdH might not be for everyone but I find them to be truly special and while there tends to be quite a bit of variation, they are always full of soul. Drink now with patience and through 2036. — 4 months ago
Kukeri Wines Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, Napa Valley, California
It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.
Dark inky in color with a short purplish rim.
Light nose with blue and black fruits, oak, herbs, dark chocolates and coffee.
Full-bodied and smooth, with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, black cherries, cedar, licorice, light cola, coffee, peppercorn, dark chocolates, earth and tobacco leaf.
Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.
This young Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is starting to drink nicely, but needs a few years in the bottle to mature properly.
Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. Fruit forward and elegant. Chewy and opulent.
Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years. Has good potential to become 94+ point wine. Would be nice to revisit it in 5 years.
Rich and complex, but easy drinking, and a good quality wine. Spicy and tangy.
I've had a few vintages of this wine, and it is very consistent.
Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime.
Good by itself or with food, and will pair nicely with a nice piece of steak.
A blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot. Aged in (40% new) American and French oak barrels for 15 months. A tiny production of only 3 barrels.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
92 points.
$80. — 6 months ago
"Odedi"
Deep ruby in color, almost Inky, with a short reddish rim.
Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.
Very dry on the palate with nice complexity.
Showing blueberries, plums, cooked cherries, black currants, light cedar, dark coffee, chocolates, earth, peppercorn, pencil lead, tobacco leaf, light vegetables and bitter herbs.
Short, tangy finish with fine grained tannins and pomegranates.
This 8 year old Rioja Reserva is still young and very dry, but already drinkable.
Lacking a bit of fruits on the palate, but the nose is gorgeous, once it opens up. The nose is more interesting than the palate at this point.
Needs a few hours to open up properly, so take your time.
Will continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 10 years. Would be interesting to try it again in 5 years.
A good food wine that will pair nicely with a nice piece of steak.
A blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 7% Mazuelo and 3% Graciano.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
90 points.
$50. — a month ago