Golan Heights Winery
Yarden Odem Vineyard Chardonnay
Golan Heights, Galilee, Israel
2013 vintage. At La La Beach, Tel Aviv. I specifically choose the Chardonnay which had only seen 7 months in oak, as opposed to the more expensive Yarden Chardonnay on the menu that had seen 15 months in oak. The reason is that Israeli wines seem to be stuck in a past era of catering to the perceived American palette of (for white wines) new oak, vanilla, butter, high alcohol and even higher extraction. Such a shame, as it robs many Israeli wines of any sense of individuality or terroir, where the wine maker is the key determinant of the style of the wine. This wine therefore was the best of two evils, still showing huge extraction, butter / vanilla essence, out of balance oak extraction that dominated the fruit and a tropical fruit character that is extremely ripe, but no doubt far more drinkable than the 15 month oak matured Chardonnay I chose to pass up. Underneath all of that vinicultural clothing the fruit was trying to express itself but never quite made it. Shame. Had the wine maker toned down the tools of his trade, there was undoubtedly a fairly decent wine underneath. Where are the Israeli wine makers who understand that tastes have changed and that we are now in an era of minimal wine making? If there are any out there, please come forward and show yourself! NB: the underlying cause of this malaise is probably due to the fact that there is a vibrant wine culture in Israel that consumes the vast majority of local wines. Any unsold (kosher) wines have an almost unlimited market among the diaspora Jewish community that craves kosher wines. As a result, you don't have to work that hard to sell your wine.
2013 vintage. At La La Beach, Tel Aviv. I specifically choose the Chardonnay which had only seen 7 months in oak, as opposed to the more expensive Yarden Chardonnay on the menu that had seen 15 months in oak. The reason is that Israeli wines seem to be stuck in a past era of catering to the perceived American palette of (for white wines) new oak, vanilla, butter, high alcohol and even higher extraction. Such a shame, as it robs many Israeli wines of any sense of individuality or terroir, where the wine maker is the key determinant of the style of the wine. This wine therefore was the best of two evils, still showing huge extraction, butter / vanilla essence, out of balance oak extraction that dominated the fruit and a tropical fruit character that is extremely ripe, but no doubt far more drinkable than the 15 month oak matured Chardonnay I chose to pass up. Underneath all of that vinicultural clothing the fruit was trying to express itself but never quite made it. Shame. Had the wine maker toned down the tools of his trade, there was undoubtedly a fairly decent wine underneath. Where are the Israeli wine makers who understand that tastes have changed and that we are now in an era of minimal wine making? If there are any out there, please come forward and show yourself! NB: the underlying cause of this malaise is probably due to the fact that there is a vibrant wine culture in Israel that consumes the vast majority of local wines. Any unsold (kosher) wines have an almost unlimited market among the diaspora Jewish community that craves kosher wines. As a result, you don't have to work that hard to sell your wine.
Aug 28th, 2015
Yellow straw in color.
Nose of fresh corn, the same in the mouth, very disappointing.
Just buy the the standard Chardonnay.
Yellow straw in color.
Nose of fresh corn, the same in the mouth, very disappointing.
Just buy the the standard Chardonnay.
