Stoudemire Cellars Capernaum Grand Reserve 2016, Israel

Dark ruby in color with a thin reddish rim.

On the nose blueberries, black plums, black cherries, sweet strawberries, licorice, vanilla, oak, chocolates, earth, dark coffee, light alcohol and pencil lead.

Full bodied with medium plus acidity. Bold yet elegant.

Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cherries, chocolates, tobacco, dark coffee, light cedar, earth, leather, vanilla, licorice, spices, peppercorn and herbs.

Medium on the finish with soft tannins and tangy pomegranates.

This is an interesting Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Israel. Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel. Feels more like a Right Bank Bordeaux, which is very interesting.

Still young, but already approachable, and showing good potential. A good quality wine, that would be nice to revisit in 5 years.

Needs 3 hours to open up properly, and remove some of the acidity.

Tangy and spicy. Rich, elegant and extracted. Very tasty.

Good by itself and better with food. Paired very nicely with Brie cheese.

A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Petit verdot. Aged for 24 months in French Oak barrels. Kosher.

14% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$100.

Tabor Winery Adama Shiraz 2014, Israel

The six-year-old Shiraz from Israel is drinking nicely now. Nicely balanced with a soft mouthfeel. Fruit forward and a bit stinky, right out of the bottle.

Showing red and black fruits with earth, wood, cloves, barnyard, violets, vegetables, herbs, dark coffee and spices.

Needed 2 hours in a decanter to open up properly and remove some of the stinky nose. Reminds me of a French Syrah.

A good everyday wine. Good by itself, and better with food. I paired it with stinky cheeses.

Aged for 12 months in oak barrels. Kosher. Not Mevushal.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

$25.

Carmel Winery Admon Vineyard Malbec 2016, Israel

Dark Inky in color with a short purplish rim.

Strong nose of plums, blackcurrants, blackberries, earth, wood, vanilla, smoke, peppercorn, spices, tobacco, dark chocolates, espresso, light herbs and pencil lead.

Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with black plums, black cherries, black currants, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, earth, tobacco, herbs, bitter vegetables and peppercorn.

Medium finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a very nice Malbec from Israel. This Single Vineyard is spicy with a tangy finish.

This Single Vineyard is nicely balanced and fruit forward, with mild complexity and a nice mouthfeel.

I gave it 3 hours to open up, but it is drinkable right out of the bottle (I usually give Malbecs 3 hours of airtime, Probably a personal preference, though). Showing an aromatic nose, once it opens up, so give it time.

I’ve had the 2014 not too long ago, and it was much better, so it would be worth your while to wait with this for a couple of years.

Good by itself as a sipping wine. I paired it with cheeses and crackers.

100% Malbec grapes are grown in the upper Galilee region at 2,200 feet of elevation. Aged for 15 months in French Oak barrels. Kosher and non Mevushal.

15.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$30.

Netofa Winery Tel Qasser Roussanne 2017, Israel

Golden in color.

Spicy nose with ripen yellow apples, spices, light vanilla, wood, bitter herbs, vegetables, apricots, peppercorn, citrus and lemons.

Full bodied with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with apples, over ripened citrus fruits, lemons, light butter, herbs, limes, spices and black pepper.

Tangy finish with black pepper and limes.

This 3 year old Roussanne from Israel is delicious now. Showing nice complexity with a great buttery mouthfeel.

I had it a year ago, and it is drinking nicer now. Would be nice to see how this evolves in the next year or two. Nicer when it opens up (30 minutes). A good quality wine.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with grape leaves, crackers, cheeses and olives.

100% Roussanne grapes from the Galilee were aged for 10 months in French oak barrels. Kosher.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$32.

Assaf Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2011, Golan Heights, Israel

Ruby in color with a hint of brick.

Spicy nose of peppercorn, blueberries, cherries, sweet raspberries, tobacco, earth, Indian spices, wood, cardamom, light vegetables, cinnamon, vinaigrette, and dark chocolates.

Medium plus in body and elegant with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with black currants, sweet cherries, raspberries, spices, tobacco leaf, graphite, herbs, black pepper, chocolates, black olives, earth and black tea.

Nice length on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.

This 9 year old Cabernet Sauvignon from Israel is delicious now. Easy drinking and elegant with nice complexity.

Still drinking very nicely, although this was probably better a couple of years ago.

Needs 3 hours to open up, but after 4 hours, nice tannins come in with nice structure, so be patient.

A good quality wine. Spicy, tangy, elegant and interesting.

A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 20 months in French and American oak barrels. Grapes are grown in the Golan Heights region.

Thank you Sean for sharing this with me.

I paired it with cheeses, olives and nuts.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$45.

Teperberg Winery Legacy Cabernet Franc 2017, Israel

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Strong fruity nose with blackberries, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, spices, earth, tobacco, coffee, herbs light alcohol, light vegetables and peppercorn.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with black currants, plums, raspberries, cooked cherries, cedar, leather, earth, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, chocolates, light vegetables, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy strawberries.

This is a delicious Cabernet Franc from Israel. Nicely balanced and good by itself or with food. Tangy, interesting, spicy and attractive. Rich and elegant.

Showing nice complexity at this point, and will age nicely in the next five to seven years.

Needs 90 minutes to open up properly, but good right out of the bottle as well. After 2 hours of airtime, more red fruits come in, and dominate both the palate and the nose.

I paired it with cheeses and crackers. Delicious.

Grapes grow in the Judean Hills region, and fermented on their own yeast. Aged for 18 months in Oak barrels. Kosher and non Mevushal.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$68.

Binyamina Wines Ha’Shomer Marselan Reserve 2017, Galilee, Israel

Dark ruby in color with a wide and cloudy reddish rim.

Strong nose of blueberries, black currants, plums, licorice, oak, spices, dark coffee, black pepper, earth, herbs, light alcohol, wet leaves and black tea.

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

Dry on the palate with plums, black currants, coffee, oak, earth, tobacco leaf, green vegetables, spices, black tea, bitter herbs and black pepper.

Medium plus on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a nice surprise coming from Israel. This Marselan is earthy and interesting. Very tangy, spicy and engaging. The aromatic nose makes it fun to smell on for a while.

Needs an hour to open up properly to bring out the tannins, and show good structure. Much better after 3 hours of airtime, so be patient. Would be interesting to see how it evolves in the next couple of years.

The Marselan grape variety is a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache, and I like both. Interesting stuff.

Good by itself and better with food. I paired it with Brie cheese and olives. Would pair nicely with game meats or lamb dishes.

100% Marselan grapes from the Galilee region, were aged in French oak barrels for 16 months. Kosher. Mevushal.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$25.

Netofa Winery Tel Qasser White 2017, Israel

This 3 year old Roussanne from Israel is very interesting. Drinking very nicely now with a feel of an older white from Southern France.

Dark golden in color.

Showing over ripen citrus fruits, apples, honey, limes, earth, herbs, vanilla, toasted oak, light alcohol, spices and black pepper.

Spicy finish with black pepper and limes.

A good quality wine. I really enjoyed the nose here.

Much better after 90 minutes of airtime, so be patient.

I paired it with cheeses and crackers by the pool.

100% Roussanne grapes are grown in the Galilee region. Aged for 10 months in French oak barrels. Kosher. Not Mevushal.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$32.

Tzora Vineyards Or 2015, Judean Hills, Israel

This is a fabulous sweet Gewürztraminer from Israel. Showing a great aromatic nose, and delicious on the palate.

Sweet and nicely balanced with enough acidity for the sugars.

Showing citrus, honeydew, tropical fruits, stewed lemons, apples, honeysuckle, kiwifruit, guava and spices.

This 5 year old is showing great complexity with a buttery mouthfeel. A great dessert wine and so easy to drink. Too bad it’s only 375 ml 😊

Would continue to age nicely in the next 5 to 7 years.

I’ve had it before, as a young wine, and it is so much better now, with some age.

100% Gewürztraminer grapes, made in the ice wine style. Kosher. Non Mevushal.

12% alcohol by volume.

95 points.

$35.

Tzuba Estate Winery Metzuda 2016, Judean Hills, Israel

For #kosherwineSunday and Cabernet Sauvignon Day, here is a nice one from Israel.

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

On the nose cherries, red currants, oak, tobacco, vanilla, licorice, spices, dark coffee, pencil lead, earth, vegetables, peppercorn, bitter herbs and light barnyard.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity long legs.

Dry on the palate with black currants, black plums, chocolates, wood, spices, light vanilla, green vegetables, tobacco leaf, earth, cocoa, dark roast coffee, herbs and peppercorn.

Medium length on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very enjoyable Cabernet Sauvignon blend from the Judean Hills region in Israel. Showing nice complexity with a soft mouthfeel. Spicy and feels more like a Syrah dominant, at this point.

This new world wine shows a lot of old-world characteristics, which makes it interesting.

Good right out of the bottle, but better after 1 hour in a decanter, and will benefit from a few more years in the bottle.

Good by itself and better with food. I paired it with a Canadian Camembert cheese.

A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 5% Syrah. Aged in French oak barrels for 18 months. Kosher.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$30.