Israel

• Judean Hills
• Galilee

This is a Dessert wine from Israel (500ml bottle).  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has honey, pears and slight caramel.  Viscous.  Slightly sweet.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this has a big texture.  Plenty of honey and pears with some Crème brûlée but enough acidity to balance it.  Long finish.  This would make a nice end to a Passover Seder along side some less sweet Mandel Bread.  Drink over the next ten years.  

Inky purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is tight at first but opens to show cassis, slight spice and a nice earthiness.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is very smooth with some complexity.  Flavors of cassis with some forest floor and earthiness.  Good finish.  This is nice on its own but probably better with food.  Beef ribs would be a nice choice.  Drink over the next three to five years.  A very good value.

This is a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot, and 4% Syrah.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has big black cherry fruit with some raspberries and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this drinks easy.  Black cherry fruit with some depth.  Also some spice notes.  Good finish.  This is nice on its own and would work nicely at the Seder table.  Drink over the next three to five years. 

During 2022, this winery sourced its grapes from Spain.  Ruby/purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has a bit of an "aquarium" note but that mostly blows off leaving cherries, some black cherries and spice.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  Cleaner on the palate.  Flavors of cherries and black cherries with a bit of earthiness.  Good finish.  The should drink well for three to five more years.  A very nice value in kosher wines.  It will probably be better with food.  It would work well with chopped or "mock" liver.  

This is the third label in the Castel red wine offerings.  It is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Syrah aged in stainless steel.  Purple in color, shimmering bright.  The nose is complex with a nice earthiness.  Notes of cassis, black cherries, plums and slight chocolate.  On the palate, this is ripe/slightly sweet.  Flavors of cassis, cherries and black cherries.  Nice finish.  This drinks easy and should work well with food.  Drink over the next five years.  Nice value.

At a recent tasting of Kosher wines from Israel, this was the runaway first place wine.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, coffee, cherries and spice.  Full bodied.  Lovely texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, there is plenty of depth.  Flavors of cherries, black cherries and spice.  Good finish.  This should drink well for another five to eight years.  It is nice on its own and will work well with food.  It would go well with roasted chicken.  

This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Carignan and Marselan from northern Israel.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with attic dust, cassis, black cherries, char and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is drinking well.  Lots of black cherry fruit with some spice and char.  Good finish.  This should drink well over the next three to five years.  It is nice on its own but would be better with food.  It will work well with braised meat dishes.  

This is a proprietary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Verdot and Merlot from Israel.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is deep and complex with cassis, black raspberries, char, moist earthiness, and spice.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Nice balance.  On the palate, this has ripe black cherry fruit along with plums, spice, slight chocolate and char.  Long finish.  This is tasty and drinks easily on its own and will work well with many foods.  It should be a natural with Brisket (the Jewish kind).  It is Kosher.  Drink over the next three to five years.  

This is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Shiraz, 12% Tanat, 11% Malbec, 7% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc from Israel.  It is certified Kosher.  Purple in color with a thin ruby rim.  The nose is nice with cassis, black cherries, plums, spice and slight chocolate.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, nice black cherry fruit with some cassis and spice.  Long finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue for the next few years.  It is nice on its own but will work well with food.  A good wine to serve with Roasted Chicken.