Covenant Israel Wines Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Israel

It’s time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is tasty one from Israel.

A very pretty color of ruby with a very wide reddish/ brick rim.

Fruity nose with blueberries, blackcurrants, black plums, oak, licorice, earth, cloves, spices, light alcohol, light vanilla, coffee, light vegetables, pencil lead, tobacco and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, cherries, tobacco leaf, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, earth and light vegetables.

Spicy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Israel. Nicely balanced with a nice, soft mouthfeel.

Still very young and would benefit from a few years in the bottle, although it doesn’t drink like a young wine at all. Very interesting and very well put together. Feels like a Bordeaux with a new world twist.

Has good potential to become a great wine in 5 to 7 years. Would be interesting to check it out again then.

Showing nice complexity after 90 minutes of airtime, and good right out of the bottle, as well.

I paired it with cheeses and crackers.

Fermented with indigenous yeast, and aged for 18 months in French oak barrels. Kosher. Not Mevushal.

14.8% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$90.

Flam Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2017, Israel

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Strong nose of blackcurrants, black cherries, plums, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, tobacco, earth, mint, light herbs and black pepper.

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

Dry on the palate with blueberries, cherries, currants, oak, vanilla, dark chocolates, cloves, licorice, herbs, spices, earth, peppercorn and pencil lead.

Spicy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This young Israeli Cabernet Sauvignon is starting to drink nicely now.

Showing nice complexity with a gentle mouthfeel. Nicely balanced and tangy. Tasty, spicy and interesting.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime.

This beautiful Bordeaux blend from Israel would benefit from 3 to 5 years of bottle time.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a delicious Brie cheese.

A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. Kosher and not Mevushal.

14.5% alcohol by volume

92 points.

$60.

Katlav Winery Petit Verdot 2014, Israel

This is a very enjoyable Petit Verdot from Israel.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, vanilla, licorice, vinaigrette, cloves, bitter herbs, spices, earth, wood, wet leaves, dark chocolates, coffee and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and herbs.

Good right out of the bottle, but has a great nose after 3 hours of airtime.

Showing nice complexity with a great mouthfeel. This Single Vineyard has a nice grip on the mouthfeel, which is very enjoyable.

Still drinking nicely, but showing the beginning of the end, so drink up.

100% Petit Verdot grapes from the Judean Hills. Kosher and not Mevushal.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$75.

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.