Parshat Vayikra: The Yearly Wine Review
This Year’s Wine Review is sponsored in honour of Alex Jaffe – The Wine Review’s #1 Fan.
Now that we are zeroing in on Pesach, it’s time for The Rabbi Nightingale Yearly Wine Review where I offer you, the reader, my adventures in wine in my very limited and truly unprofessional experience that is surpassed by many.
Let’s start with the best wine I had all year. It was at my Shabbat table not long ago and there was a collective “Whoa” by Karen, my son Matty and everyone else that Friday night when we broke open Alexander Reserve Cabernet Franc 2019 Galil $50. It was bold, bold, bold. Like Pow! Between your eyes bold. But in a good way.
Alexander is a small boutique winery in Central Israel that doesn’t get much press. But whenever I have had any of their wines, they are great – as in Alexander The Great. I cannot even remember where or when I purchased this wine but I kept it around for a few years which only made it better from its original 24 months in the barrels. But here’s the catch: Good Luck trying to find a bottle. For the life of me, I don’t see them here in the US. I brought a couple bottles back with me from a recent Israel trip. If you find one, grab it. You will be happy you did.
And now onto a bit of a wine scam I encountered this year. On that recent aforementioned trip to Israel we went to a restaurant in Herzliya; Karen’s mom lives there. Lechem Basar usually has a nice selection of wines but this time is was a bit limited, maybe because 2022 is a Shemittah year and some super-kosher places stay away from that vintage. The hostess suggested Meron Shishis 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon from Meron Winery which I never heard of. It was not cheap, 390 Shekel ($130) which I seldom spend on a bottle, even in a restaurant, but she insisted they have an agreement with the owner and it is discounted. I Googled and indeed they were offering it for 100 Shekel less than the winery, so I figured, what the heck, I’m on vacation, let’s live large. Was it a good wine? Yes, good but not great and no I would not look to buy more of it.
But this is what got me. When I turned the bottle to read the description it said, “Bottle number 0001 from 1000”. Wow, I thought that was kind of cool. I got the very first bottle of this limited run of wine. I even told the hostess that maybe she should save the bottle, but she didn’t seem too interested. And then I discovered why. When I left, I looked at a couple of other bottles on display to see if they were numbered 0002, 0003, etc. And guess what? They were all numbered 0001! Yeah, everyone gets bottle 0001 of 1000. Maybe the winery didn’t want to spend the extra money for the more complex labeling method. Oh well, it was still a decent wine.
Ok, let’s move onto some wines you can actually purchase. Years ago, Gilgal Cabernet Sauvignon was my go-to wine and always reasonably priced. But I had moved on and didn’t have it for a few years. I rediscovered it at my nephew, Joe’s wedding in London in December and had forgotten how good it is. Joe’s new father-in-law, who is more of a whisky guy (and also a former Aish Rabbi no less), had an endless supply of Magnum size (1.5 litre) bottles at the wedding. Because it is not Mevushal and can only be served by Jews (let’s just leave that alone for now), he also had an army of young men manning the bottles the whole night. It was quite a scene. At any rate, like I said, I forgot how solid and tasty this wine is. And at about $20 a bottle it is probably the best bang for your buck. Its sister wine, Gilgal Red Blend 2023 – same price – is almost as good since it is 85% Cab. (But do check the year on the Red Blend, because other vintages are mostly Merlot and not as good.) Also, this wine is called Gamla in Israel and the UK, for some reason having to do with naming rights.
Speaking of price, because the Shekel is so strong these days, you can pick up older stock Israeli wines for the same or even cheaper price than you would find in Israel. About a year ago, it was between 3.6–3.8 Shekels to the dollar, now it’s closer to 3.1. Which means future wines from Israel might be pricier.
Elvi Siblings by Mesorah – Spain $55. This is one of those wines I was sold on because of the back story – which is sometimes more interesting than the wine. It is a collaboration by siblings, David and Leah Cohen of Elvi Wines. It is designed as a more approachable, fresh, and “young” alternative to the premium, complex Clos Mesorah. It was ok. Seemed overpriced. But then again, I thought their flagship Clos Mesorah was also very average when I wrote about in 2021.
Pavillon de Leoville Poyferre Saint-Julien France. Had this wine at a fancy engagement party at the fancy Bal Harbour Chabad one late Sunday morning. Maybe the time of day affected my feelings about it. I seldom drink wine at noon but I wanted to sample it. Didn’t think it was anything special and did not even finish the glass. So I was quite shocked to find out afterwards that it goes for $75 a bottle. Yikes! Had I know that I wouldn’t have poured the remainder in the plants. Just goes to show you that I am completely clueless when it comes to French wines.
Shirah COALITION California $50. I don’t have this wine often but when I do, I love it. (I am starting to sound like a Dos Equis commercial.) It has an entertaining label which is written in a 1880’s Western script, very wordy and clever: Shirah Wine & Co in association with The United Grapes of Appellations, under service of the COALITION of Excellence (bothe of quality and craftsmanship) Delivere unto you this vintage of the highest qualities. Rejoice for “The Coalition” has once again undergone the arduous task of comingling varied varietals with their own pugnacious personalities into one, unified, blend of astounding character. Believe it or not, it is a very accurate account of the wine as it is a blend of Montepulciano 30%, Tempranillo 26%, Carignan 26%, and Zinfandel 12% – yeah a bunch of varietals you hardly ever hear of and off the beaten path of Cabernet Sauvignon. Highly recommend.
Broad Brush Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley $70 is not cheap but another excellent wine from California that, like COALITION, was introduced to me by my son, Yoni. With a sumptuous texture, intricate black and red fruit aromas, and a lingering, seductive finish, Broad Brush reveals new layers of complexity with each sip, making it an ideal companion for fine dining and special occasions. Yes, for that price, you want to save it for special occasions. I have had it only once but there is a bottle of it on my wine rack and will have it when Yoni returns.
Matar Cumulus $40 and Matar Stratus $35 Golan Heights I always mix these two wines up because their bottle shape and labels are almost identical. The former is the Cab/Merlot/Cab Franc blend while the latter is Shiraz. They are both good but for some reason (thick heavy bottle perhaps) I had higher expectations and we all know what happens when we have high expectations – disappointment follows. So don’t go in with any preconceived ideas and you will most likely enjoy them. Also, this week their winery was struck by shrapnel of an Iranian missile. So maybe buy a bottle in support.
Juenesse Reserve California $20. Oy. Tzippy sent me a pic of this wine that she and her hubby said was horrible. She mistakenly thought I said it was good. Nope, I never said anything of the sort. The Reserve has a different label, but yeah, stay away. “I guess I will use it for cooking.”
I know, I haven’t mentioned any whites. I can’t say I tried many new whites but keep going back to my all-time favourites: Rimapere Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand $23 is my #1, followed by the ever refreshing Peraj Petita Spain $17. Also a big fan of the Pacifica Viognier Evan Collection Rattlesnake Hills which was a steal at $13 from Elk Wines but I am not seeing this wine around anymore. I also really like the Adir Grenache Blanc Israel $34, moreso than their Sauvignon Blanc $34 which is also nice.
And finally, it is always really cool to have a Magnum – double sized 1.5L – bottle for special occasions like Pesach or Thanksgiving. But they tend to be quite pricey. Best buy in Magnums that I found for a mere $85 is Tura Mountain Heights Cabernet Sauvignon at Elk Wines elkwine.com. Aged for 22 months, this is a solid very good wine at a great price that comes in very impressive casing. My other shop with good prices is Kosher Wine World kosherwineworld.com. Both places are local and deliver for free or very cheap.
LeChaim and Chag Samayach.
Spent my days with a woman unkind
Smoked my stuff and drank
All my wine
Made up my mind to make a new start
Going to California with an achin’
In my heart
-Led Zeppelin
