It's been a really long time since I did a standard review formal review. That's not to say that I haven't shared my opinion on dozens of wines - but as readers know, I won't give a wine a grade unless I can spend some quality time with it alone and give it the requisite … Continue reading 2017 Lueria Roussanne
Tasting Notes
2017 Barkan Beta Series Riesling
This is the last of the Barkan Beta Series initial releases that I am tasting. You can find the previous installments here and here. I was really looking forward to this bottle as a friend of mine had already had it and liked it - in fact he liked it more than the other 2 … Continue reading 2017 Barkan Beta Series Riesling
2017 Psagot Cabernet Franc
As I've written before, when wineries change winemakers there is often an internal conflict between giving the winemaker free reign to make wines as he/she sees fit and creating a wine that fits in with the profile of previous vintages of the same bottle - especially when the previous vintages have been successful. Often times … Continue reading 2017 Psagot Cabernet Franc
2017 Barkan Beta Series Colombard
This is the second of the three new Barkan Beta Series releases that I am tasting. You can read more about the series and my notes on the Rose here. Going into this, I didn't know what to expect. My experience with Colombard is usually as part of Gewurtz based off-dry blends - I would … Continue reading 2017 Barkan Beta Series Colombard
2017 Carmel 2 Vats Rosé
As any reader of this blog knows, I am a fan of most of Carmels' releases (outside of the Selected and Private Collection lines). I think they are usually well made and well priced - with some wines being outright QPR kings in their categories. Once such wine is the Carmel 4 Vats (a tasting … Continue reading 2017 Carmel 2 Vats Rosé
2016 Hajdu Clarksburg Teraldego
This might be the first time that I am writing about a Hajdu wine on this blog so a bit of an introduction is necessary. Jonathan Hajdu is the winemaker at Covenant Wines of California - that is his day job and he does it really well. On the side he also runs his own … Continue reading 2016 Hajdu Clarksburg Teraldego
2017 Barkan Reserve Pink Muscat Rosé
After tasting the Barkan Beta Series Rosé I felt sort of hopeful that things were indeed in turnaround at Barkan which is currently the number 1 wine producer (sales wise) in Israel. Sure, conceptually I knew that the more established lines within the Barkan brand would need to take more minor shifts forward. Still, as Rosés typically … Continue reading 2017 Barkan Reserve Pink Muscat Rosé
2017 Barkan Beta Series Vin Gris
Good things come to those who wait. Many of us have been waiting for quite some time for Barkan to return to its former heights of the aughts, with some having given up all hope. But a little over a year ago a amidst a bit of a shakeup in the local wine scene, … Continue reading 2017 Barkan Beta Series Vin Gris
2015 Avidan Nebbiolo
A friend of mine was caught driving in Tel Aviv during the recent torrential downpours. Rather than fight his way through traffic, he pulled over at the first wine store he found and decided to pass the time more enjoyably. As he weaved through the aisles, he came across a few that he had not … Continue reading 2015 Avidan Nebbiolo
2016 Flam Classico
Most years, I really enjoy the Flam Classico. Usually it is a well made wine that can hold for a number of years and is complex enough to remain interesting and approachable enough even on release for causal drinkers to enjoy. It 's not cheap - the price is usually 80-90 shekels a bottle, but … Continue reading 2016 Flam Classico