Golan Heights Winery Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, Israel

Time for my #FridayCabernetfix . Here’s a beautiful one from Israel.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Nice nose of black currants, blackberries, cherries, vanilla, earth, wood, vegetables, dark coffee, herbs, tobacco leaf, spices, graphite and peppercorn.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, bell pepper, cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, dark chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, earth, black tea and spices.

Long finish with fine tannins and tangy raspberries.

This Israeli Cabernet Sauvignon is always enjoyable. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel and nice complexity. Tastes like a blend of old world and new world.

Needs 3 hours to open up properly and show its tannins and complexity, but good right out of the bottle also.

Wine Enthusiasts 90 points.

This 6 year old is very tasty now, and will age nicely in the next 5 to 7 years.

Grapes are grown at a high elevation and aged for 18 months in French oak barrels. Kosher for Passover.

14.5 % alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$35.

Advertisements

Peju Province Winery Napa Valley Merlot 2015, California

It’s time for #MerlotThursday. Here’s a delightful one.

Deep purple in color with a purplish rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, blueberries, cherries, spices, cedar, licorice, vanilla, light vegetables, dark coffee, herbs, tobacco leaf, spices, earth and black pepper.

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

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, sweet cherries, cedar, leather, earth, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, tobacco, coke, graphite and peppercorn.

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

This is a very enjoyable Merlot from Napa Valley. Fruit forward, rich and big, with a great mouthfeel and nice complexity.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up and shows the tannins (90 minutes).

Drinking very nicely now and will be better in the next 5 years.

I had it all by itself. So delicious.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$40.

George Vigouroux Château de Mercues Cuvée 6666 2015, France

For Malbec World day, here is a nice Malbec from France.

Dark ruby in color with a short purple rim.

On the nose, blueberries, blackcurrants, vanilla, earth, chocolates, dust, spices, herbs, vegetables, black pepper, bell pepper, celery and wet leaves.

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

Dry on the palate with plums, currants, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, spices, dark coffee, pencil lead, vegetables, black pepper, earth, bacon fat, leather, tobacco and green herbs.

Medium finish with soft tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a very enjoyable Malbec from Cahors, France. Showing nice complexity and mouthfeel. Nice, and well balanced.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up (3 hours).

Already enjoyable, but will be better in the next 10 years.

Earthy with a new world feel, and gets earthier as it opens up. Not what I expected from a Malbec from this region at all.

Thank you, Wendy for sharing.

100% Malbec grapes were aged in French oak barrels for 18 months.

15% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$45.

J.V. Fleury Crozes Hermitage Rouge 2015, Northern Rhône, France

Dark purple in color with a short purple rim.

Light nose of blueberries, currants, plums, oak, licorice, spices, espresso, red candy, cola, vegetables, leather, earth, black tea and black pepper.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with plums, currants, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, smoke, tobacco leaf, vegetables, vinaigrette, herbs, spices, dark chocolates, coffee and black pepper.

Long tangy finish with firm tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a young Syrah from Northern Rhône. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel and nice complexity.

Good by itself or with food. Better after 2 hours of airtime when it shows the tannins.

Still young and needs another 5 to 10 years of additional bottle time.

I paired it with cheeses and light appetizers, but it was really good with Brie cheese.

100% Syrah grapes were aged in French oak barrels for 6 months.

13% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$30.

Château La Tour Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan Cru Classé de Graves 1998, Bordeaux, France

A very enjoyable 21 year old, Left Bank Bordeaux, from Pessac Léognan.

Showing black fruits with earth, wet leaves, herbs, oak, spices, chocolates, pencil lead, black pepper, forest floor and tobacco leaf.

Full bodied and bold with medium acidity and nice legs.

Long finish with firm tannins and tangy raspberries.

A great quality wine with good complexity and mouthfeel. I had it blind, and called it right. Missed the vintage by 2 years 😊

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up and shows some tannins and structure (90 minutes).

Very enjoyable now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 15 years.

13% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$80.

Crux Winery Grenache Blanc Russian River Valley 2016 Sonoma County, California

Pale lemon in color with a yellow tint.

Light nose of lemons, citrus, grapefruits, pears, green apples, minerals and white pepper.

Medium-bodied with medium plus acidity, crisp and refreshing.

Dry on the palate with limes, lemon juice, light grapefruits, citrus, green apples, spices, herbs and light vegetables.

Medium plus on the finish with spices and bitter almonds.

This is an interesting white wine from Russian River Valley. Nice and refreshing and feels more like an old world wine than a California white.

Good by itself and better with food like oysters. I paired it with a cheese plate and crackers.

A blend of 90% Grenache Blanc and 10% Viognier. Unfiltered.

13.3% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

$30.

Vineyard 36 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, California

Time for my #FridayCabernetfix.
Here is a beautiful one from Napa Valley.

Deep ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Fruity nose with blueberries, black plums, cherries, vanilla, oak, licorice, spices, earth, chocolates, tobacco, coffee and black pepper.

Full-bodied, soft and smooth, with medium acidity and nice long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, sweet cherries, raisins, vanilla, cedar, licorice, cloves, cola, chocolates, bitter herbs, coffee, peppercorn, vegetables, pencil lead, tobacco and earth.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. Showing nice complexity with a very yummy mouthfeel.

Still young and needs time in the bottle to mature.

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up. After 90 minutes of airtime, it shows more vegetable notes.

Good with food, but also a great sipper. Delicious now, but will be even better in the next 5 to 10 years.

I paired it with cheeses and light appetizers.

Had it all by myself. Sometimes you need to take time for yourself, with a good bottle of wine, right? 😂

A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 17% Merlot. Aged in 33% new French oak barrels.

14.6% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$85.