Aligote Winery Kakun 2014, Israel

This is a wonderful red blend from Israel. Showing black fruits with cedar, tobacco, chocolates, coffee, earth, cola, vanilla, licorice, alcohol, peppercorn and vinaigrette.

Full bodied and smooth with medium minus acidity and long legs.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This 7 year old is peaking now. Smooth, soft, rich and extracted. Feels like a Napa Cabernet with an old world touch.

I gave it a hour decant, but that was the wrong thing to do. Was better right out of the bottle.

Thank you Elvira and David for sharing this with me.

A blend of Petit Verdot and Syrah. Aged for 18 months in oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

Or Haganuz Winery Namura Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Israel

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Israel. Rich, extracted and spicy. Showing nice complexity with a great mouthfeel.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, cooked cherries, dried figs, tobacco, Mediterranean spices, cedar, vanilla, licorice, cloves, vegetables, herbs, coffee, cola, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 7 year old is good right out of the bottle. Peaking now and will be good in the next 3 years. Tasty by itself or with food.

Nice to see how it evolves with airtime. Right out of the bottle it is very much in a Napa Cabernet style, but it gets much earthier with air, and changes into an Old World style wine (2 hours).

Tangy and interesting enough to drink by itself. Just Delicious.

Aged in French Oak barrels for 24 months. Kosher and vegan. A small production of only 4,000 bottles.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$60.

Nana Estate Winery Osher Syrah 2015, Israel

Deep purple in color with a wide reddish rim.

Very flowery nose of blueberries, sweet strawberries, plums, violets, light wood, dark chocolates, spices and black pepper.

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

Dry on the palate with blueberries, cherries, plums, light wood, licorice, earth, spices, leather, tobacco, espresso, light cola and peppercorn.

Spicy long finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is such a nice Syrah from Israel. Nicely balanced, tangy and fruit forward. Showing a soft mouthfeel with nice complexity.

Elegant and enjoyable by itself or with food. As it opens up, earth and vegetable notes show up.

I coravined it almost 3 years ago and really enjoyed it, but figured it needs a few years to mature in the bottle. Now it is drinking wonderfully right out of the bottle, which wasn’t the case then.

Nice to see that this time, the coravin worked for this long, although I’ve had many others that didn’t last, even after a few months.

I paired it with a few different Brie cheeses and nuts.

A blend of 96% Syrah, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petit verdot. Aged for 21 months in French Oak barrels.

15.1% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$55.

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.