I have tried to visit Elvi a few times over the years – always combining it with work travel – but it has never worked out. Each time I was in Spain for work, the Cohen family was not available. So when in the course of planning this year’s trips with my friend David Raccah (of kosherwinemusing.com) Elvi came up as a possibility, I was thrilled – and thankfully the timing worked out for all involved.

I have written about Elvi before – so no reason to review the history here. I do want to provide a couple of updates about exciting things happening there though. First – the wineries are expanding. And yes, I said wineries. Why? Because for each of the regions that Elvi produces in, they produce in a winery on the estate. So for instance, even though they are only about five minutes from each other, Elvi maintains two separate wineries – one for EL26 (Priorat) and one for Clos Mesorah (Monsant). Herenza is made on estate in Rioja, which I unfortunately did not get a chance to visit this time around – but next time for sure! Let’s start with EL26 – the vineyards there have been greatly expanded and will include in the near future a forest vineyard – where, rather than clearing a forest and planting a vineyard, a section of the forest was left intact, and the vineyard will be planted within. In addition, the physical winery itself, named “La Saltadora,” is massive and encompasses a beautiful tasting room as well as a wine bar – all of which should formally launch in January or February of 2025. With the vineyard growth there is talk of finally letting the “EL line expand – both ways – perhaps and “EL24” – for everyday drinking and an “EL52” as an even more premium label (think Clos Mesorah Sublim but for the El line) – but this is all very preliminary. On the Clos Mesorah side, they have bought out their neighbors’ vineyards and have been able to replant. I would say the vineyards are at least four times as large as they were originally. Some of this fruit is just coming online now, though it is not all ready just yet. But this is why you can see the expansion of the Clos Mesorah line – first with the Grenaxta and continuing with a new Sublim release and also on the other side of the spectrum for this year will be the new Siblings label – more on that below. In any event, the point is that there are big things happening in terms of the vineyards and wineries themselves.

The second big update is on the personnel level. When I first got know the Elvi brand (wow – looking back, I think that was about 2012 or so in Israel) Moises was the face of the brand. Now while Moises was very involved in the vineyards with vineyard management and the whole biodynamic philosophy that Elvi adopted, what I came to learn was that he was NOT the winemaker, but rather his wife Ana was. Ana though rarely travelled and so until now I had a never had the pleasure of meeting her – but she is fascinating! She is wholly self-taught. (The Cohen’s purchased the estate as an outgrowth of Moises’ consulting work with various wineries in Spain. Ana then decided to teach herself winemaking in hopes of producing some wine for the family (as the Clos Mesorah’s label states – it was originally designated as the family wine….) And from there, things just took off. So I have to say it was an honor and a pleasure meeting Ana and sharing her wines and food. Just a stellar experience. But the update is in the next generation. As many of us who follow Elvi know, Moises and Ana’s son David has taken on the role that Moises filled previously and is now the public facing persona of the brand. You can find David promoting the wines and brands in every major kosher market and a big part of the current growth and success of the winery is due to his active involvement. The only downside is that I get to see Moises much less than I did a decade ago. But the news is on the other side of the business. Moises and Ana’s daughter Leah has moved into the assistant winemaker role at the winery. This is after having completed her Bachelor’s degree in Oenology & Viticulture at Universitat Rovira i Virgili (the first University in Spain to offer a full degree program in Oenology!), her Masters from the  University of Rioja in  Wine Technology, Management & Innovation, doing internships  in each local that the family produces (Rioja, La Mancha, Alella, Montsant, and Priorat) in addition to Santa Rita winery in the Maipo Valley, Chile and an internship at Chateau Mont Redon in Chateauneuf du Pape, Côte du Rhone! On top of that, she sits on the regional tasting panel of both Monsant and Priorat (all of that and she is only 23!) – super impressive! When you think about it, the second generation really completes the skillset required to manage a modern winery. While Moises brought the vineyard management and farming techniques side with him, Ana then moved the circle further by bringing the most important element of winemaking. David then brought in the required business knowledge to grow the business, and Leah now brings in the technical know how from a winemaking perspective to take on the massive growth, while keeping the quality at the level that the Elvi clientele have come to expect from their established brands and expanding those brands with new wines targeted at different segments. And as mentioned, there are a LOT of new wines in the pipeline. All in all, it’s a very exciting time at Elvi.

Before I move on to the wines, I really do have to take a second to describe our stay. First, and anyone who has met them even for a short time will agree, the Cohen family is just awesome. Each and every member. The sweetest most generous people you could dream of. They opened their winery and their home to us for a couple of days and couldn’t have been more gracious. David and I had lunch with Moises prior to touring the grounds and then again with the family after the tasting, which lasted until close to midnight. Really, just super warm and friendly with excellent food and even better conversation. The only downside was that David was in the US, so we missed him – but Ana, Moises and Leah were all just great. The wineries themselves are stunning, both the Clos Mesorah winery with its beautiful and one-of-a-kind barrel room, as well as the new La Saltadora, which is shaping up to be something absolutely stunning – being built with incredible attention to detail. Of course we can’t not talk about the vineyards themselves. It is clear that these are Moises’ pride and joy. Such care has gone into maintaining these vineyards and replanting the new ones – it’s hard to really put into words without actually being there. But take my word – and what you can tell from the picture – the vineyards and the wineries are absolutely stunning. It’s simply criminal for a lover of kosher wine to be in Spain and not try to arrange a visit. The amount of labor (and capital) and love required to put that all together is immense – but the payoff is in the product. And speaking of that….

Let’s get to the wines. Usually when tasting wines at a winery, the winemaker guides the tasting and presents them from lightest to fullest body – or lowest quality to highest, or grouped by variety, etc. While presenting the wines Ana had a very specific journey she wanted to take through, and so I will list them here in the order they were served:

NV Elvi Wines, Cava – 12% abv – This wine is a typical cava blend of Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarel·lo.  On the nose, you get a hit of just ripe stone fruit, with some nice smokiness, a bit of lemon, and green apple. The mouth of this sparkling wine is really pleasing texturally. The bubbles are small, almost giving it a creamy feel, and then you have the funk and richness present, with nice nectarine, green apple, and lemon, and again a bit of smokiness. I really wish this were sold in Israel. The Cava we get there is trash. This is a gem – and reasonably priced! Great way to start! 91

2023 Elvi Wines, Vina Encina, Blanco, La Mancha – 13% abv – Mevushal – This wine is 100% Sauvignon Blanc. David and I tasted this back in May – and the notes are overall the same, though it did show slightly better here. The wine was served a bit colder here, and I am sure that contributed to it. 87

2022 Elvi Wines, Vina Encina, Rosado, La Mancha – 14.5% abv – Mevushal – Why are we drinking a 2022? Because there was no 2023, as the crop was destroyed by hail.  Despite it being two years old, the acidity hasn’t deteriorated at all – which is impressive for a mevushal rosé of this age. Having said that, overall, the wine is simple. Made of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, you get ripe strawberry, some peach, and some red grapefruit. It is a bit heavy for me, but fine. 87

2022 Elvi Wines, Clos Mesorah, Monsant – 15% abv – The new vintage is made up of 60% Grenache, 20% Carignan, and 20% Syrah. The nose is fresh and pops, with acid followed by intense ripe black and blue fruit, some toasted black pepper, white pepper, really nice roasted meat, and umami. Really, really nice and complex. The mouth builds on the nose with ripe blueberry, blackberry and raspberry, rich earth, more umami, and black pepper. The acidity is bright and fully balances the dense fruit, while the fine tannin is assertive without being over aggressive. The finish is long and a bit more mineral driven, with nice blueberry, more umami, some smoke, and some lead. This one is a keeper and IMHO a clear step up over ’21. 94

2021 Elvi Wines, Clos Mesorah, Monsant – 14.5% abv – We tasted this most recently in May, after tasting in November – the wine was much more in line with my November notes. 93+

2022 Elvi Wines, Clos Mesorah, Garnatxa, Monsant – 15% abv – This is a new release – 100% Grenache varietal wine from the Clos Mesorah vineyard. Very little of this was made and so expect it to be hard to find. But let me tell you, it is well worth seeking out and laying your hands on if you can. On the nose, you have overwhelming ripe yet tart red raspberry, cinnamon, and other warm baking spice (clove, nutmeg) and beautiful mineral and earth. When we retasted the next day, the nose had developed even further, and there were really nice notes of violet that added to the mix, and the cinnamon and spice came even more to the front. Really beautiful and complex. In the mouth, you take a sip, and it screams GRENACHE! I don’t know of another varietal Grenache release that so epitomized the grape. So of course you are going to get incredible raspberry, all of those baking spices, incredible umami and mushroom, mineral and lovely earth. But, on top of that you have INCREDIBLE acidity that is just off the charts. You can’t help but drinking more. It totally elevates this wine – which in the wrong hands could be a disaster. But this is elegant! Really all of the characteristics of Grenache – with full ripeness, but with none of the heat which can often ruin varietal Grenache, in my opinion. The tannin here is mouth- coating and further shows its elegance. This is a masterpiece. By far the best varietal Grenache I have ever had. The finish is super long with more acid, more tannin, more raspberry – but also beautiful smoke, mineral and more umami goodness. WOW! This might be the best wine that Elvi has ever produced. SUPER impressive. 95+

2018 Elvi Wines, Clos Mesorah, Sublim, Monsant – 16% abv –This is the second release of the Sublim, the first being the 2016. I have to say, this wine is a totally different animal. In fact, this wine is unlike any other Clos Mesorah that has come before. The style is totally different. First, there is HEAVY oak influence here – especially on the nose. You get a crazy amount of very ripe and dense red and black fruit with a ton of oaky vanilla and dill with sweet baking spice, rich chocolate, and more oak. The mouth here is FULL and heavy; It’s 16% and you feel it. The saving grace is the acidity, which cuts through the richness, but it was scary just how ripe it was. Built to go the long haul for sure – but stylistically unlike any Clos Mesorah I had tasted before. We were relatively early in the tasting, and I decided to come back to the wine after it had had a few hours to air out. This made a HUGE difference. Now, instead of feeling almost syrupy, there was a hell of a lot more balance – almost amazingly so. But the real breakthrough happened when we retasted the next morning. The nose, while still showing all of the notes from last night, now felt much more controlled, and instead of hitting you over the head with a sledgehammer, you are able to really appreciate the complexity, with much of the overt oak integrating into the rest of the nose. In the mouth, a similar story. Yes, you still have dense red and black fruit with blackberry, raspberry and dark red and black cherry, milk chocolate, and all of the cinnamon and baking spice, but presenting much more elegantly along with nice minerality. Again, the acidity really works to reign in this wine, and the tannin just shows you that this is a wine to store. The finish is long – and again, with plenty of oak at this stage, with sweet dill, vanilla, cinnamon, some smoke, and more chocolate. But you sort of feel the progression. Ultimately this has all of the building blocks of an incredible wine that is built for aging. It is simply young. I mean when we talk about “baby fat” in a wine, this is a textbook case. I would love to have been able to sit with this bottle over a week, but that was not in the cards (in hindsight, I should have asked to take the bottle and at least tasted one more time before we left, but what can you do?). I would say the wine right now is somewhere at a 93-94 – but it will certainly shed the baby fat and go higher still – so I will split the difference for now, knowing its potential. Also, just to be clear – with some air, this wine is stellar even now. And there is a segment of the drinking public that will actually prefer it this way, as opposed to giving this wine the time and respect it deserves. So no matter which way you go, if you get your hands on it, you are going to be happy. 93.5

2022 Elvi Wines, Siblings by Mesorah, Monsant – 15% abv – Mevushal – This is a new series conceived and produced by – you guessed it, the Cohen siblings – Leah and David. The goal with this series is to produce wines from the family’s acclaimed vineyards but targeted to both a younger clientele that might want something more approachable, as well as those dining in restaurants who would love to have the profile and quality of a Clos Mesorah but need it to be mevushal and of course ready to drink. The plan currently is to cycle through the various properties and produce wines in this vein – so this year it is Siblings by Mesorah – next year it might be Siblings by EL26 or something like that. While this wine is finished, the labeling is still not final (at the time of our tasting, the wine was called Territorio Siblings as evidenced by the picture. The name above reflects the name at the time of posting, but until it’s released, I guess it can still change). The wine absolutely hits the mark it was aiming for. It comes off as a more accessible version of Clos Mesorah. A blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Carignan sourced from the Clos Mesorah vineyard, on the nose you get dark tart red, ripe blue and red and black fruit, nice earth, some soy, and mushroom. In the mouth, you get ripe blueberry, blackberry, a hint of raspberry, and again some soy. The acid here is really nice and makes the wine feel fresh and bright and the tannin is assertive without being overwhelming. The finish is long with more blueberry and raspberry, rich earth, soy, and some nice mineral. Really nice. I am not sure of the pricing here, but I think it is targeted at the mid-range as opposed to the premium market ($40-45?). Making it accessible at restaurants as well where it will of course be marked up. Super reasonable and I think this would be an obvious choice for anyone needing to provide high quality wine for a simcha without breaking the bank. 92+

2022 Elvi Wines, Herenza, Rioja – 13.5% abv – Mevushal – I always love when a new vintage of Herenza Semi comes out. This is a wine that I drink at least once every couple of weeks if not more, and so I like to give it the attention it deserves, which is true of Tempranillo in general. Any well-made Tempranillo is going to appeal to me. It simply one of my favorite grapes! Having said that, not all Tempranillos are created equal. While some (even those not made by Elvi are excellent) – others (like  three wines currently out in Israel made by Bodegas Lozano) are not worth your time when such excellent alternatives exist (not sure if I will ever get around to posting those – I have simply too much backlog and I would need to do a massive post to clear it all out of the last years random tasting notes – maybe, when I have time). In any event, the “Semi” as it is known (as it doesn’t meet the Crianza specification, but is aged and does not really confirm to what people would stylistically expect from a Joven wine either – and so it is a Semi-Crianza even though no such classification exists). For 2022, we have mostly red fruit on the nose, with a bit of blue behind it, followed by some more American oak influence then in previous years – as you already get some dill and other herbs as well as some nice earth. In the mouth, you get nice juicy red raspberry, toasted herbs, a bit of menthol, and some oaky woodiness. The acid is nice and balancing, the tannin is well integrated but will provide enough backbone to hold for a couple of years (though there won’t be a need). The finish is long and mostly herbal with more dill and some smoke and, of course, more red fruit. Overall, very nice indeed. 91.5

2021 Elvi Wines, Herenza, Rioja – 14% abv – Mevushal – Wow – it looks like I never posted my notes on this one. Nice to be able to taste the two vintages side by side. I actually prefer the ’21 slightly, though the notes are pretty similar – there is less overt oak present, so it presents a bit cleaner with more fruit showing through than in ’22 IMHO – but we are splitting hairs here. On the nose, you get nice red and blue fruit, some nice herb, some mushroom, smoke, and some rich earth. In the mouth, you get good red fruit – mostly raspberry with some blackberry mixed in, really nice rich earth, nice toasted herbs and a fair amount of mineral. The acid is nice and balancing and the tannin, as always, is soft but assertive enough to hold the wine for a couple of years – though this wine is softer than ’22 – and perhaps won’t go as long – I guess that’s the downside of less oak. Still, I prefer this profile. The finish is long with more toasted herbs, more berry fruit and smoke. 92

2020 Elvi Wines, Herenza, Crianza, Rioja – 14% abv – So happy we tasted this wine! We tasted this last exactly a year ago in November 2023 – and it did NOT show well. The wine is totally different now. Just to be clear, the previous bottle was not damaged. I think the wine has simply developed. On the nose, you now get ripe red and black fruit, some good umami, nice earth, and a bit of smoking tobacco. Above all, it smells fresh and much lighter – I assume some of the oak has finally integrated. In the mouth, while you still get the oak – the acid finally shines through providing balance – with ripe red raspberry, blackberry and black plum, and then the more integrated oak driven vanilla, (though just a bit) , sweet herb and smoking tobacco. So all of the bits are now playing together – the wine just feels balanced finally. The finish is long and nice with tobacco, coffee, chocolate, a bit of herb and some black fruit with some mushroom and earth behind. What a difference a year makes! Really nice stuff. 92

2021 Elvi Wines, Herenza, Crianza, Rioja – 14% abv – Nice to be able to taste the two vintages side by side. This wine started off super closed and really needed time to open This is a darker wine. Almost no red fruit – much more to the black side, coffee, nice toast, smoke, and earth. But it really does take its time opening up. In the mouth – yes, much darker – black plum, blackberry, and black cherry with a nice amount of smokiness and some umami. The acid is really nice here and balances out the ripe profile, so the wine does not feel heavy, and the tannin here is nice without being in your face. I was wondering where the oak went – and then we have the finish – and you do get some vanilla there with some overt oak and some more black fruit, smoke, and nice earth. But the acid really does balance it out overall – and I think the darker profile here helps offset the oak as well, so it feels like a more natural fit at this stage than the ’20 did – but that’s just guess. In any event, this is a very nice wine! 92.5

2020 Elvi Wines, Herenza, Crianza Collection, Rioja – 13.5% abv – Mevushal –This wine showed slightly better than when we had it a year ago. Like its non-mevushal brother, the acid comes through a bit more. But other than that, the wine is unchanged. What can I say, this is a wine that doesn’t do it for me. But it bumps up a point. 86

2019 Elvi Wines, Herenza, Reserva, Rioja – 14.5% abv – So blessed to be able to taste so much excellent Tempranillo in one night. This new vintage overall is in line with the 2018, but there are some key differences at this stage at least. The nose starts off nearly impenetrable. But eventually, overall, it has the profile of the Reserva we have come to expect, with one notable thing missing – mushroom! This has been a mainstay of the Reserva, and while David swore he got some, I did not. Still very nice with nice red fruit, good spice, nice umami, and earth – but no mushroom. In the mouth, you get a super impressive and complex wine. Really nice tart red raspberry, red plum, sweet baking spice (cinnamon, cloves), which eventually turn into some smokiness. There is a nice line of saline that runs through this wine from about the middle through the finish, which just elevates things here. The acid here really does the job –It is a profile that screams for acid – and the wine delivers. The acid with the saline has me going back to this wine over and over. The tannin here is mouth coating and should help hold this wine for the next long while. David and I got into an interesting discussion about what the optimum time is to drink the Reserva. The 2014 is showing much more dill now than it did earlier. I think that this is a natural development for the wine. It is a byproduct of the American Oak. It does not bother me, and so I am still slowly drinking through my 2014’s – ten full years after vintage. I think for those who are afraid of that, the sweet spot might be eight years. In any event, the finish is long and complex with more sweet spice, herb, chocolate, saline, and some umami. Again – the only thing missing here is the mushroom – but I do think that we are drinking this VERY early. David can detect it in the background – and his palate is more sensitive than mine. So I have high hopes for how this wine is going to develop. 94 (with potential to go up from there)

2018 Elvi Wines, Herenza, Reserva, Rioja – 14.5% abv – This wine has not changed at all since the last time I tasted it in November. I loved it then; I loved it when I first tasted it a couple of years back at KFWE London on release; and I love it now. One of the best releases of the Reserva to date (if not he best). 94+

2023 Elvi Wines, Herenza, Alella – 13% abv –This wine shows almost exactly the way it did in May – with the only difference being more gooseberry on the nose, though thankfully (for me) not in the mouth. The other difference, which does bump it up a half point, is that the acidity does show through a bit better. Would still like a little more, but this is nice. Otherwise, the notes are identical. 91.5

2021 Elvi Wines, EL26, Priorat – 14.5% abv –Our one and only EL26 for this outing. As always, the wine is a mix of Grenache and Carignan (60/40).  On the nose, you get tons of mushroom and umami, really nice intense mineral, and rich earth – wow – a big bounce back from the 2020, which underperformed. The structure is really great with incredible acid up front and mouth coating grippy tannins. Firing on all cylinders. In the mouth, we get a mineral driven monster of a wine, with blackberry, black plum, some tart raspberry, cherry, loads of mushroom, earth, and some grilled meat. A powerhouse. Have I mentioned the acid and tannin? The finish is long and layered with ripe red fruit, smoke toasted herb, more mushroom, some vanilla and cinnamon, mounds of rich earth and more mushroom and mineral. IMHO, this is as good of an EL26 as we have ever gotten. Really excellent. 94.5

2023 Elvi Wines, Vina Encina, Cabernet Sauvignon, La Mancha – 14% abv – Mevushal – OK. Take a breath. Very hard to transition from the beautiful wines we tasted above to this. But transition we did. I am not a fan. The wine presents overly floral and grapey on the nose and basically repeats in the mouth. I know they are under pressure to produce Cab. And even more so mevushal. I know this is what the people want. But it’s just not for me. 83

2021 Elvi Wines, Vina Encina, Tinto, La Mancha – 13.5% abv – Mevushal – So maybe it’s my preference of Tempranillo (this wine is 100% Temp.) to CS. Maybe it’s the vintage in La Mancha. I don’t know. But this was serviceable. Yes – it’s also fruity – and remarkably it’s also floral (not sure from where – maybe that is a La Mancha thing) – but you get discernable notes of raspberry, some sweet herb, some black plum. In the mouth, you get more of the same with some smoke. The finish is nice too with more of the same. Listen – my biggest problem with this wine is that there is no need for it. Elvi is making the Herenza (above) and Adar (below) – both 100% Tempranillo, both Mevushal, both MUCH better.  In any event, this one gets an 86

2019 Elvi Wines, Adar, Ribera del Júcar – 13.5% abv – Mevushal – So interesting to taste this wine after having tasted the Vina Encina Tinto and the Herenza Semi.  Listen – this wine is great. It hasn’t changed at all since my last tasting in May. Good stuff. Great everyday bottle. 91

As I mentioned above, the tasting lasted until very late. We popped back to the house and had a light dinner and then crashed. The next morning, Moises, David, and I visited the neighboring town of Miravet for some morning coffee. Another beautiful place right off the river. Really – people NEED to be visiting Elvi. Besides being incredible inside and out, they are surrounded by nature and beauty all around! We then headed back to the winery to retaste some of the wines and then said our goodbyes.

That evening we went to Xerta, which has the distinction of being the only Michelin starred restaurant to offer a kosher menu (one night a month – usually the first Wednesday of the month). The menu was fully fish based which I am sure made it easier. Some of the dishes we successful, others less so. I’ll post pics here – but while I am happy we went (I mean for now, it really is one of a kind) – it is not something that you NEED to do when visiting Spain.

On our last day in Spain we spent most of the time visiting some of the Gaudi houses (absolutely phenomenal, as well as the Joan Miró museum (a total sicko, but worth visiting if you like art). We tried to visit the Great Synagogue of Barcelona, but apparently it is only open to visitors if you book in advance (something we did not know) – maybe next time. All in all, this was a wonderful trip.

My thanks as always to my friend David Raccah who takes on much of the logistical efforts in planning these trips and is of course a lot of fun to hang with.

Really special thanks to the entire Cohen family for opening up your home, guest house, vineyards, and wineries to us – and spending so much of your time sharing your wines. It was truly an unforgettable experience.  Next time we will have to do Rioja!