Yatir Winery Forest 2015, Israel

Dark ruby in color with a purplish rim.

Earthy nose with black currants, plums, bell pepper, cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, vegetables, green herbs, mint, tobacco and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity. Smooth with long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black plums, black cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, spices, pencil lead, tobacco leaf, vegetables, light bell pepper, black pepper, dark coffee and dark chocolates.

Long finish with fine tannins and tangy raspberries.

This Israeli Bordeaux blend is drinking very nicely now, although it is very young.

Showing a great mouthfeel with nice complexity. Nicely balanced and good by itself or with food.

Needs 3 hours to open up properly and show tannins and complexity. Will age nicely in the next 5 to 7 years.

Reminds me of a right Bank Bordeaux. Has high alcohol but not noticeable at all.

Tasty an interesting.

I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Petit Verdot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Grapes are grown at around 2600 feet elevation, and aged for 15 months in French oak barrels, 30% new. Kosher.

15% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$80.

Advertisements

Flam Winery Classico 2016, Judean Hills, Israel

This Israeli Cabernet Sauvignon based blend, is always enjoyable. Nicely balanced with mild complexity and a soft mouthfeel. Shows black and red fruits, vegetables, earth, wood, cloves, chocolates, spices and peppercorn.

Tangy finish with soft tannins.

Needs 90 minutes to open up properly, and will be better in a year or two.

A blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 8% Syrah and 10% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 10 months in French and American oak barrels.

I paired it with cheeses and the sunset.

14% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

$30.

Poggi Wines Twin Palms Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 Napa Valley, California

Time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a delightful and unique Napa Cabernet.

Ruby in color with a wide reddish rim and medium plus intensity.

Fruity nose with cherries, black plums, sweet strawberries, licorice, light vanilla, oak, spices, light vegetables, pencil lead and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with sweet raspberries, cherries, oak, light vanilla, spices, vegetables, earth, leather, tobacco leaf, graphites, herbs and peppercorn.

Long finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very nice Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. Not a typical Napa Cabernet, and very enjoyable. Balanced with mild complexity.

Easy to drink, soft and smooth with mostly red fruits. Not as fruit forward, in your face, kind of red wine, as I expected from a Napa Cabernet, but rather a soft red wine with lots of elegance. Feels like a graceful right bank Bordeaux.

Needs 90 minutes to open up properly and remove some of the acidity.

Would age nicely in the next 5 to 10 years and bring in some more complexity. I would want to try this in two to three years to see how it evolves, as I see it might be a little young right now.

I paired it with cheeses and crackers.

A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon,
6% Merlot, and 4% Cab Franc. Aged for 22 Months in 100% French Oak
(50% New).

14.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$75.

Château La Vieille Bergerac Rouge Quercus Pecharmant 2015, France

It’s Thursday and it’s time for #MerlotThursday. Here is a nice French Merlot blend.

Dark ruby in color with a dirty purplish rim.

Strong nose of black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, dried figs, tobacco, vegetables, earth, vanilla, licorice, spices, dark chocolates, peppercorn, dust and vinaigrette.

Full bodied and bold with medium plus acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with plums, cherries, blueberries, wood, cloves, vanilla, spices, espresso, cola, light vegetables, leather, earth, peppercorn, pencil lead, spices and bitter herbs.

Medium plus on the finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a nice surprise. A bold French blend with nice complexity and a great mouthfeel. Still young, from a great vintage, and 5 years in the bottle will make it better. Too bad we didn’t have enough patience… 😃

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up and shows some tannins and structure.

Thank you, Eric, for sharing this with me.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$30.

Silver Oak Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, Napa Valley, California

To welcome the New Year property, here’s a 16 year old iconic Cabernet Sauvignon.

Happy New Year to all 🍷

Dark ruby in color with a short brick rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, blueberries, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, leather, spices, earth, wet leaves, herbs, peppercorn, pencil lead, tobacco, coffee and dark chocolates.

Medium plus in body, smooth and elegant, with medium acidity and nice legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, vanilla, cedar, leather, chocolates, tobacco, licorice, black pepper, spices, pencil lead, bitter herbs, vegetables, earth, leaves and tobacco leaf.

Medium finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This iconic Bordeaux blend from Napa is very unique and special. Showing great complexity with a nice and soft mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle and better after 2 hours of airtime. Good by itself as a drinking wine. A good wine to sip on and talk about.

I had it blind and it really reminds me of a Left Bank Bordeaux. Fruity and earthy at the same time. Mellow and easy drinking. Enjoyable, tasty, smooth and elegant.

I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

14.2% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$150.

Domaine Clarence Dillon Le Clarence de Haut Brion Pessac Léognan 2012 Bordeaux, France

It’s time for my Friday’s Cabernet fix. Here is a youngster from Pessac Léognan in Bordeaux.

A beautiful color of dark ruby with a wide reddish/ brick rim.

Pronounced nose of blueberries, black currants, plums, cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, leather, earth, forest floor, dark chocolates, light bell pepper, barnyard, bitter vegetables, river rocks and black pepper.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with plums, cherries, currants, blueberries, wood, light vanilla, earth, pencil lead, wet leaves, forest floor, smoke, green vegetables, herbs, spices and black pepper.

Medium plus on the finish with medium minus tannins and tangy raspberries.

This left bank Bordeaux is already drinking very nicely now, although still young. Showing nice balance and elegance with nice texture. The nose is really special, and I kept on smelling on it for a long time.

Needs a couple of hours to open up properly. Still very earthy with lots of vegetable notes. The tangy ending makes it interesting.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with cheeses and crackers.

Good now and will be better in the next 15 years.

A good price/ value for a not so good vintage, as it is less than half the price of the 2010 vintage.

Wine Advocate 90 points.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$120.

Austin Reece Fine Wines Calculated Risk Napa Valley Red Blend 2015, California

Time for Merlot Thursday! This time it is a Merlot based Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley.

Dark ruby in color with a wide purplish rim.

Very fruity on the nose with blackberries, black cherries, figs, raisins, wood, vanilla, licorice, cloves, chocolates, spices, dust, earth, peppercorn, light alcohol and pencil lead.

Full bodied, smooth and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and extremely fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, black cherries, oak, earth, vanilla, spices, pencil lead, peppercorn, tobacco, coffee and chocolates.

Long finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very nice Red Blend from Napa Valley. Fit the expectations very well. Fruit forward with nice balance, mild complexity and the tangy finish makes it interesting.

Might need a year or two in the bottle to chill down as it might be too fruity for some right now.

Good right out of the bottle. Good by itself as a sipping wine or with food. I paired it with Cheeses, crackers and olives.

A blend of 72% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc.

14.3% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$55.