Finally we get to my last post of my trip this past May to France with my friend David Raccah of Kosher Wine Musings. I am sorry this is so late – but family and work obligations simply did not let me get to this any sooner.

I think we can finally put a pin in the 2022 vintage (of course there will be a couple of outliers that get released next year – but whatever). It was certainly an interesting vintage. Some REALLY nice wines out there – but you need to give them their due. This isn’t 2020 where everything is approachable as is. But when given time, these wines really do show incredibly well overall. For 2023, it seems much more of a mixed bag based on the wines we have tasted to date. One thing which we can say for sure, there seems to be much less produced in 2023 (and 2024). I assume the kosher market is finally feeling what the rest of the world has been experiencing – a massive slowdown in consumption. We will see how this plays out with the various producers on our next  trip in the winter, but my bet is that there will be much less wine in vintages 23/24/25.

In terms of this post, we did taste a number of Rosés (– yes – again apologies that these are so late) – with only two really being noteworthy. We also tasted a number of whites – the best of which David brought in for me especially to taste – the Alex Rubin Arinto – a really special bottle that I wish I had access to. In terms of the reds, I included two wines that were tasted outside of the hotel (one at IDS and one in Israel – but I wanted to include it with the rest of my miscellaneous 22s).On the red side – there were some really nice finds, with fourteen of them scoring a 91 or above – though for France, it is really only the ‘22s that were showing well. So with all said and done, we tasted forty-two wines this time in the hotel and I threw in two more as a bonus for a total of 44 in this post. Less than usual for a “hotel post” – and like I said, I expect this trend to continue. Here are my notes:

Rosés

2024 Elvi Wines, Vina Encina, Rosada, La Mancha – Mevushal – 13% abv – This is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon based Rosé.  This wine is nice enough with strawberry and peach as the primary notes. The acid here has been clearly corrected, which for me is always something which stands out negatively, but as opposed to the white, this one was not overdone – and the final product is nice enough. 88

2024 Capcanes, Peraj Petita, Rosado, Monsant – 13.5% abv – This wine has a bubble gum nose with some citrus. In the mouth, you get more of the same – with clear acid correction again – and unfortunately there is no finish – other than the acid. That’s basically all you get – just some bubble gum and cotton candy & over acidification. 84

2024 Terra di Seta, Meshi, Rosato, Toscano – 13% abv – This wine is made of 100% Sangiovese. On the nose, you get distinct notes of compost. I think this bottle must be off.  In the mouth, you get the same notes, with acid and saline that drop off immediately (I guess thankfully). I honestly can’t tell if this is bad wine or just a bad bottle, I’ll assume the latter. As TdS is an excellent winery. NA

N.V. Elysee Palace, Rosé, Gris du Sud, Pays d’Oc – Mevushal – 13% abv – On the nose, you get really horrible, cooked notes. In the mouth, a little better with acid and cooked green fruit. The acid – and everything else dies off in the glass. 74

N.V. Eclat de Diamant, Rosé, Gris du Sud, Pays d’Oc – 13% abv – Mevushal – On the nose, you get some nice strawberry and maybe some mineral. In the mouth, you get the same as the nose with stewed strawberry and mineral with decent acidity – but no real finish. 85

N.V. Summer Ice, Rosé, Pays d’Oc – Mevushal  – 13% abv – This is made of 100% Grenache. This is a beach wine – and it tastes it. On the nose, you get classic cotton, candy and that’s exactly what you get in the mouth with cotton candy, strawberry, some stone fruit behind it, with some clear residual sugar here. This is an off-dry rosé perfect for the beach and fans of the genre. 87

2022 Chevalier De Marmorieres, Rosé, Vin de France – 13% abv – Mevushal – Not sure why we tasted this or if they sent the wrong vintage – but obviously this wine is dead, though it wasn’t bad when we tasted it on release a couple of years ago. NA

2024 Cave D’Esclans, Whispering Angel, Côtes de Provence- 13% abv – The nose here is muted with some red fruit and citrus. In the mouth, you get some excellent funk, strawberry, flint, and a hint of citrus. Overall, this is a really nice straight simple rose – light and perfect for the summer. 91

2024 Château Sainte Roseline, Cru Classé, Rosé, Lampe de Méduse, Côtes de Provence – 13% abv – This wine has a really nice nose with funk, smoke, red fruit, and some citrus. In the mouth, you get strawberry, raspberry, smokey mineral, citrus, and with a really nice mouthfeel. The acid is nice and balancing. This is really good stuff. 91.5

2024 Château Sainte Roseline, Roseline Prestige, Rosé, Côtes de Provence – 13% abv – On the nose, you get some muted red fruit and floral notes. In the mouth, you get strawberry, raspberry, and some grapefruit and pith. The acid is nice. The finish is short when served cold, but gets better when it warms up a little (that’s not something you are looking for in a Rosé)  – this wine is solid, though nothing that is going to blow you away. 89

Whites

2024 Elvi Wines, Vina Encina, Blanco, La Mancha – Mevushal – 12.5% abv – On the nose, you get standard tropical sweet notes. In the mouth, the wine feels acid corrected – and perhaps overcorrected – as there is no fruit present– what you taste is just acid and saline with a lemon twist. That’s it. This one is a pass for me. 80

2024 Elvi Wines, Herenza, White, Alella– 12.5% abv – The nose here is nice and bright. Funk and grapefruit take centerstage. In the mouth, the wine presents nicely with those funk and grapefruit notes repeating with a healthy hit of saline. I wish it had a bit more fruit – but as the wine warms, you DO get a little more (some stone fruit and some lime) and a bit more texture as well. So don’t drink this one too cold. 90.5

2024 Capcanes, Peraj Petita, Blanc, Montsant– 12.5% abv – This is 100% Grenache Blanc. On the nose, you get nice lime, yellow flowers, and that’s about it. In the mouth you get more of the same with some nice saline. Simple, but nice. 89

2023 Chevalier De Marmorieres, Blanc, Vin de France – 12.5% abv – This wine is really nice especially considering its price. Simple and nice. On the nose, you get lemon, honey dew, and some grapefruit. The mouth is pretty much the same with some funk thrown in for good measure. Nice acid. Really good stuff! 91+

N.V. R de Romy, Chardonnay, Pays d’Oc – 13.5% abv – Mevushal – this wine is not good. On the nose, you get cooked apple, some lemon, and grapefruit. In the mouth, you get the same with a burnt sugar sort of really bitter taste. That’s it. 79

2023 La Chablisienne, Cuvée Casher, Chablis – Mevushal – 13% abv – Slightly viscous water. With some air, you get some acid added to a touch of apple. That’s it. 79

2023 Alex Rubin, Arinto, Monterey, California – 12.8% abv – On the nose, you get REALLY nice intense funk – followed by yellow flowers and some nice nuttiness. In the mouth, you get those floral notes, some excellent saline, toasted almond, funk, lemon, and a hint of apricot. There is a really nice mouthfeel here – with some weight, that the acid just cuts through in a satisfying way. This wine is a stunner. Excellent stuff. 92.5

Reds – Italy & Spain

2023 Elvi Wines, Vina Encina, Cabernet Sauvignon, La Mancha – Mevushal  – 14%  – No change since my last notes. 83

2024 Elvi Wines, Vina Encina, Tinto, La Mancha – 14% – Mevushal – On the nose you get cherry lifesavers – that’s about it. In the mouth, you get crazy ripe cherry, ripe green notes, with a hollow middle. Plenty of tannin there, not done poorly in that respect, but this wine is not for me. 82

2022 Elvi Wines, Adar, Ribera del Jucar – 13% – Mevushal  – Classic Adar nose – nice umami, soy, roasted meat, red fruit, smoke, and some vanilla from oak. My mouth is watering. In the mouth – classic Adar again, perhaps a touch darker than the nose. We get blackberry, raspberry, black plum, soy, and roasted meat. The finish is long and becomes riper, but the acidity really works through the finish, so the wine remains balanced. This is a truly great mevushal QPR option.  91

2022 Elvi Wines, Herenza, Crianza, Rioja – 14% – The nose here is full of umami, smoke, some roasted meat, ripe black fruit, and coffee, all wrapped up in dill – which is really the prevalent note – but the wine smells fresh despite the oak and ripe notes. This bottle took a while to open, but when it finally came around, we had blackberry and black cherry, with smoke and some mushroom. I do feel that the wine will improve over the course of the next year or so.  The acid here is really nice and balances out the fruit; the tannin is nice and firm. The finish is long – and here is where the oak really comes out, with fresh dill, vanilla and a bit more coffee. Overall this is a very nice bottle. 90.5

2021 Elvi Wines, Herenza, Crianza, Collection, Rioja -Mevushal – 14% abv – On the nose, you get the typical American oak influence with heavy dill, cherry, and some smoke. In the mouth, the wine drinks a bit heavy with the nose repeating. I think that the heaviness is due to there simply not being enough acid to balance out the ripeness. Having said that, it doesn’t necessarily drink as lacking acid. What can I say, the wine is fine, but it doesn’t speak to me. 89

2023 Capcanes, Peraj Ha’abib, Montsant – 15% abv – On the nose, you get really strong tar, charcoal, and roasted meat – and those notes really cover the ripe black fruit that sort of lurks in the background. In the mouth, really the same with good acid – you get the meat, blackberry, black plum, maybe some blueberry, tar, charcoal, dill and other herb, smoke and some very nice rich earth.  Despite the ripe profile, the wine is balanced as the acid really does the yeoman’s job here of cutting through the rich ripe profile.  Overall, this is a  well-done wine, though a little heavy. Still very well made. 92

2023 Terra di Seta, Chianti Classico – 14.5% abv – Ripe cherry on the nose, some smoke and soy, and then some odd green notes. In the mouth a TON of acid – followed by raspberry, blackberry, black cherry, and smoke.  The acid is what saves it here. Nice wine but a little one-dimensional – and perhaps I was expecting a little more from this, based on prior vintages. 89.5

2021 Terra di Seta, Chianti Classico, Riserva – 15% abv – Much richer on the nose compared to the previous bottle, with a really nice core of dark red and black fruit, rich loamy earth, smoke, and lots of umami. The mouth is truly impressive here and comes at you in concentrated layers – slightly darker than the nose – with black cherry, blackberry, black plum, smoke loam, and some really nice tar which actually brightens the wine. The finish is long with more of that rich fruit, lots of mushroom, and rich earth.  All around a MUCH better wine. The length is there, the acid, the tannin. Just excellent stuff. 92.5

2021 Terra di Seta, Chianti Classico, Gran Selezione, Assai – 15% abv – Being the same vintage as the previous wine, I really expected this to be riper on the nose, but while ripe, it shows less intense with the fruit followed by roasted meat, smoke, and umami. Nice though nothing over the top. In the mouth, while providing more depth than the 2023 Classico, this wine still lacks the complexity, depth and CONTROL that I crave and quite frankly is found in the Riserva. We get tons of blueberry, sweet raspberry, blackberry, strawberry, and smoke – with tons of oak influence. The finish is long, with what I can only describe as blueberry infused cappuccino. A bit odd, but not bad.  90+

2021 Terra di Seta, Guiduccio, Toscana – 14.5% abv – 50% Sangiovesse, 25% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot is what make up this wine. The nose here has earthy dark rich fruit – in fact it is VERY fruity. In the mouth though, this wine is screaming acid – to the point of being painful at first– but this wine has the bones to be great, as the acid DOES calm down. Truth is, you really need most of that as the fruit is rich here, with black cherry, black plum, blackberry, rich earth, smoke, and some anise notes.  The ripeness in the mouth is really masked by the acid. The finish is long with really nice earthiness, far more black fruit, and leather. Overall, this is really nice complex wine with loads of potential. 93+

2022 Elvi Wines, El26, Priorat – 15% abv – This wine is a blend of 90% Grenache and 10% Carignan. The nose is just great. Perfect. Exactly what you want. Rich yet tart fruit, tons of mineral, earth, mushroom, with underlying funk. The fruit is so rich, yet you can smell the tart acid running through it.  Killer. In the mouth, Wow. This is a big but beautifully balanced elegant wine. The fruit, while coming in at 15%,  you don’t feel the ripeness. It is beautifully balanced. You get blackberry, black plum, tons of rich earth, mushroom, roasted meat, great mineral, and some smoke. The acid, the tannin – all in harmony here. Nothing overpowering anything else.  The finish is long with controlled oak – vanilla and dill  –  cherry, strawberry, more mineral, and more earth.  Less ripe than last vintage – even more balanced and elegant. Wow. 95

Reds – France

2023 JP Marchand, Aloxe-Corton, Sous Chaillots – 13% abv – Nose of pomegranate cranberry, nice floral notes, and smoke. Ripe but nice. In the mouth, you get very ripe red fruit with pomegranate, cranberry, raspberry, really nice acid there to balance it out. The tannin is on the soft side – but present. Good stuff. The finish is nice and earthy with even more red fruit, smoke, and some fresh herb. Overall, a nice effort. 91.5

2022 L’Enclos de Zeide, Cuvée Boisée, Bordeaux Supérieur – 13% abv – This wine is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. On the nose, you get tons of green and medicinal notes, followed by a bit of red fruit. This wine is better in the mouth – there are no overt green notes – you do get some vague red fruit, a bit of acid and tannin and not much else. At least it’s not offensive. 84

2023 Château Puygueraud, Francs-Côtes de Bordeaux – 14.5% abv – On opening, on the nose you can’t escape the notes of stewed and dried fruit, and on day two, you have some cabbage notes that have unfortunately developed. In the mouth, you get more of that with raisin and prune leading the way. There is a healthy amount of tannin. The acid is there, but not enough to really balance out the crazy dried and stewed fruit. It’s an odd wine that I simply do not enjoy at all. On day three though, the wine finally tuns around and the odd cabbage and stewed notes are gone and the acid is more assertive. You get notes of blackberry, black cherry, and black plum primarily. The tannin is nice and mouth coating here. The finish is long with nice earth and some smoke. The wine now gets a solid 89.5.

2022 Château Haut Condissas, Prestige, Medoc – 13.5% abv – This is a classic wine. On the nose, you really couldn’t get more than this. It’s classic Medoc. Beautiful red and even black fruit but with some balancing green notes that do not work against the wine but balance it out. In the mouth, you get raspberry, cherry, blackberry, plum, basil, bramble,  and some smoke. The acid works in harmony here and is perfectly balanced and the tannin is fine and mouthcoating. The finish is long with the mouth just extending and playing itself through. This is a really nice bottle of wine! 94+

2022 Pavillon de Leoville Poyferre, Saint Julien – 14% abv – VERY similar to the mevushal version we tasted a few months back. You can cut and paste the notes here – there is perhaps a bit less oak in the mouth. But overall – I think most would be hard pressed to tell them apart. While I would appreciate more acid to cut through the crazy brooding fruit, the wine works overall. 91.5

2022 Vieux Château Chambeau, Reserve, Lussac Saint-Émilion – Mevushal – Bottom line, you get another relatively ripe rich wine wine – but it has some brightness and pop that balances out, making it really successful. On the nose, you get black and red fruit, some floral notes, with some nice tar lurking in the background. In the mouth, the wine presents ripe, and maybe a bit simple but very balanced with dark cherry, blackberry, raspberry, with very nice mineral. The acid is really nice here. Only issue is that there isn’t a tremendous amount of depth or complexity – but as a mevushal option, this is a really nice bottle. 91

2023 Château Roc de Boissac, Puisseguin Saint-Émilion – 14% abv – On the nose, you get red fruit, chocolate, and nice tart brightness. In the mouth, you get really ripe red fruit, raspberry, cherry, some herb, and other green notes. The acid here really keeps things super lively. The finish is medium plus with some nice earthiness, tar, more herb, and juicy raspberry. Overall this is a really nice wine! On day two, it has gotten a bit riper – still has nice acidity to balance – but it drops to a 90.5

2022 Château Tour Baladoz, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé – 13.5% abv – Heads up – this wine takes time to open and develop. It starts off very closed and shows flat. But over the three days, we saw this one open up and really develop. On the nose you get black and red fruit, some brightness, saline, mineral, and nice herb. In the mouth, overall a nice profile with raspberry, blackberry, black olives, lots of sweet herb. The acid is nice. The tannin is mouth coating and really assertive. The finish is long with nice herb, more mineral, forest floor, and some smoke. In the end, this is one to watch. 93

2022 Château Haut Brisson, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru – 14.5% abv –  Another wine that took a really long time to fully develop. This wine is really nice on the nose. You get good mineral, nice red and black fruit (like all of 2022), and some tar.  In the mouth, you get raspberry, plum, blackberry and mineral. There is some good acid and nice structure with the tannin coating the mouth. The finish is long with nice ripe fruit, good mineral and rich earth.  93

2023 Tempo D’ Angelus, Bordeaux – 13.5% abv – I rarely comment on the look of a wine – but this has no density at all. In the glass, one could mistake it for PN. On the nose, you get a tinny green thin profile. The mouth is super closed and really not there. Honestly, we gave this wine plenty of time and it really didn’t progress. In the mouth, it is fuller than I thought it would be based on the color and nose. But really it’s just flat and sort of green. I couldn’t give this more than an 85.

2022 Carillon D’Angelus, Saint Émilion – 14% abv – Another wine that requires patience. This one was a bit of a roller coaster. Started nice – took a crazy ripe/sweet turn and then finally came into its own. On the nose, you get the typical ripe red and black fruit, great mineral, rich earth, and tar. There is great fruit focus and a tartness that really keeps things bright. In the mouth, as noted above – be careful – it starts off closed, then goes sweet – and only then balances out – but when it does, it’s really very nice. Yes – it remains very ripe, but it has the acidity to make it work. You get black plum, blackberry, blackcurrant, sweet dill, smoke, and some milk chocolate. The acid here is what really saves the wine – and it does the heavy lifting. You end up with a balanced end result. The finish is long and ripe – with more black fruit, sweet dill, milk chocolate, mineral, and tobacco – but really nice acid. 93

2022 Château du Courneau, Margaux – 13% abv – On the nose, we have green and red fruit, nice earth, and that’s about it. In the mouth, it shows a bit darker with blackberry, raspberry, some green notes, tobacco, and milk chocolate. The acid does the job and there is plenty tannin to make it interesting.  The finish is long and green primarily, with nice earth and smoke. Ultimately, this wine is not my thing – not enough complexity and a little too green. But nothing offensive. 89

2022 Château Lafitte, Côtes de Bourdeau – Mevushal – 13% abv – On the nose, this wine shows red and blue fruit, some green notes and smoke. In the mouth, you get really ripe raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, and cherry, some herb and that’s about it. The acid is OK, but more would be better. The tannin sort of hits you and then dies off. Overall this one is a miss for me. 86

2022 Relais de La Dominique, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru – 15.5% abv – The nose here is extremely ripe. There is candied blackberry, toasted herb, tar, milk chocolate, oak, smoke, and really nice mineral. Complex – but VERY ripe. In the mouth, you get a hit of milk chocolate, and heavy blackberry, black plum, tar, and mineral. There is nice mouth-coating tannin and there is considerable acid, though that doesn’t show until a few days into this wine. Once it opens up, though, it actually drinks balanced. Another issue that dissipates with time is heat – you feel that 15.5% when you first open the bottle. But that subsides.  The finish is long and dominated by candied fruit, tar, and milk chocolate, but that is balanced out by the acid – and there is also nice tar, roasted meat, which comes out to play after a few days. You end up with a really nice wine – but like a few of these, it just needs time. 93+

2017 Le Petit Trianon, Saint Émilion – 13% abv – We tasted this wine blind during our visit to IDS – it is not an IDS wine, and so I am including it here. On the nose, all you get is tinny green fruit. If there was jalapeno, I would guess this is a ’21 – but while green it doesn’t really show like a ’21. In the mouth, you get exactly what you would expect – thin green wine. Surprised that this was a Trianon. I guess there is a reason IDS passed on their second wine. It is NOT good. 80

2022 Château Lynch Moussas, Grand Cru Classe en 1855, Pauillac – 13.5%abv – This wine was tasted in Israel but really belongs with this last batch of ‘22’s, so I am including it here. This is yet another wine that requires time – on day one, the wine showed downright sweet on the nose and overripe in the mouth – though with nice structure. But after three days or so, the wine becomes balanced and overall, really nice. On the nose, you get the recurring theme of ripe red and black fruit, tobacco, and some sweet cedar. In the mouth, you get raspberry, plum, blackberry, blackcurrant, anise, lead pencil, and tobacco. The acid here is generous and the tannin is mouth-draping. The finish is long with sweet cedar, tobacco, more fruit and some mineral. Once this wine came around, it was impressive! 93+