Cabernet Sauvignon

This is from the Regusci vineyard.  It is a step up from the regular Napa bottling.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim but inky at the core.  The nose is tight despite being open for a while.  Cassis, blueberries, a bit of anise with some air.  Also some sandalwood.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Slightly sweet fruit.  Cassis, black cherries intertwined with anise and spice.  A long and persistent finish.  Very tannic right now, this should need about seven to ten years to get to peak but if drinking sooner, a few hours in a decanter.  Certainly some upside here with cellaring.  Drinkin

Purple /ruby in color, purple at the core.  The nose is interesting with cassis, spice and slight mint.  On the palate, this has a juicy texture.  Thick tannins at the moment but those should ease after the first five years.  Nice cassis over a dry earthy dirt.  Good balance.  Long finish.  This is reasonably priced (on Napa Cab terms).  It needs a few years and then should be good for at least a decade.  It is great on its own, but give it  air now.  As a food match, it needs big foods or time.  

This is the second wine of Domaine Castel.  It is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot.  Purple in color.  The nose has cassis, plums, chocolate and slight black olives.  Nice texture.  On the palate, sour black cherries, some black raspberries over char and earth.  Medium tannins.  This needs a couple of years to sort itself out and then should be good for a decade.  A nice choice for roasted meats, fowl and veggies.  

Impressive showing for this wine.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis and slight olives.  Great texture.  On the palate, black raspberries, black cherries.  Sweet tannins.  Nice finish.  This is young and could improve a bit with a few years in the cellar.  It will drink well for at least a decade after that.  It will go well with brisket, burgers or roasted meats and fowl.  

This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis, cherries, slight chocolate, char and spice.  On the palate, this is soft, accessible and easy drinking.  Layers of black cherries, cassis and char.  Light tannins.  Medium finish.  This probably should be consumed over the next five years.  It will go great with burgers, ribs or pasta.  

This is the best Israeli wine I have had.  It is a blend  of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petite Verdot.  Purple in color with a thin ruby line at the rim.  The nose is very nice with spice, black raspberries and tobacco.  With air, some milk chocolate comes out.  On the palate this has a lovely texture.  Medium tannins.  Black raspberry fruits, cherries with a forest floor base.  Great balance.  Long finish.  This seems just a touch young but is drinking very well.  Probably about five to seven years from peak and should be good for another ten to twenty a

This is a second wine of Chateau Musar.   It is a blend of Cinsault (50%), Grenache (35%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (15%). Purple in color, ruby at the rim with some browning.  Dusty with black cherries on the nose.  The palate has a nice texture.  Black cherry fruit with a dry earthiness.  Tannic.  This has a nice complexity that indicates there is some upside to this wine.  It should improve a bit and be good for the next seven to ten years.  It should go well with stews or burgers or even pastas.  

The Yatir Forest is on the edge of the Negev desert in southern Israel.  I have had this wine before and thought it was labelled Negev but this 2012 vintage is labelled Judean Hills.  I am not sure where the boundaries of the wine regions are.  According to the label, this is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Petite Verdot, and 9% Tannat.  Inky purple in color.  The nose has cassis, plums, char and baking spices.  On the palate, this is more boysenberry with black cherries over a gravelly char.  Slight tannins.  Nice finish.  This took some time to open and then kept opening all evening.  It seem

Purple in color, shimmering bright.  The nose has some volatile acidity along with cassis and a slight earthiness.  Nice texture.  Slightly tart and slightly bitter cherry fruit.  A bit of chocolate on the finish.  This is a solid, easy quaffing wine.  It is probably best drunk in the next few years.  it should  work well with medium bodied foods like pizza, pasta or burgers.  

Chateau Musar is one of the great wineries of the world.  Add to that the idea of making wine in Lebanon and its even more remarkable.  This wine is outstanding.