That time of the month crept up on us again: Wine Blogging Wednesday! Our host this month is the Cork Dork, who chose the theme “Fine Kosher Wines” for WBW #56 in honor of Passover. Basically, our assignment was to find any decent Kosher wine and report back by April 15, Tax Day! You can read all the details here. Now, up to this point, my experience with Kosher wine was limited to an affair or two with some Manischevitz! I enlisted the help of my friend Loweeel who kindly ordered and took delivery of the wine for me as I was a touch concerned about ordering it and actually being home to accept it then drink it in time for WBW with our vacation being this week!
Loweeel chose the 2005 Galil Mountain Yiron for me for this WBW. I have no idea where he got it, but with shipping and all it came to just shy of $23, had a real cork closure, and clocked in at 14.5% alcohol by volume. The wine hails from Galilee and is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 4% Syrah, and 2% Petit Verdot. This is the 3rd wine I’ve ever had from Israel.
I first noted how aromatic this wine was. I poured it into glasses about an hour before we were going to drink it, and I think it really benefited from the air time. On the nose I found blueberries, blackberries, spice, anise, dusty chocolate, oak, flowery perfume, strawberry, and black fruit. The nose kept developing as I drank. In the mouth I got flavors of blackberry, tart fruit, raspberry, black fruit, black plum, black cherry, pepper, and a bit of spice.
As opposed to the nose, the mouth showed almost all fruit, and none of the chocolate and anise I found on the nose. The wine had some tannins to spare, so it’s likely this would be drinking very well in a few years, though it was very good right now! I’d easily recommend this one.
Many thanks to Cork Dork for hosting and for picking a theme that once again got me out of my comfort zone. I always enjoy trying new wines, which is part of the appeal of WBW to me! As always, a virtual tip of the hat to Lenn of Lenndevours, our founding father.
Wannabe Wino Wine Blog 
Score 89.(From Rogov’s guide to Israeli Wines by Daniel Rogov).
You know what to do. : )
Sorry, dhonig, your score is WAY off for the current vintage. See here — http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=22974&p=197186&hilit=yiron#p197069
“Galil Mountain, Yiron, 2005: A Bordeaux-plus wine—that is to say, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, plus 4% Syrah. Full-bodied and concentrated but simultaneously soft and elegant, with generous cassis and black fruits, with velvety tannins and reflecting its 16 months in French oak with gently spicy and dusty wood, all of which lead to a super-long finish. Perhaps the best to date from the winery. Approachable and thoroughly enjoyable now but best 2010–2015. Score 93. K”
Ok…so I’m holding off on this, based on thinking the new vintage rated higher than an 89…..or is there an 89 from one critic and a 93 from another?
Did you happen to get that from KosherWine.com? Check out http://www.myKerem.com for some good tips on kosher wine selection.