• The 2021 Kosher rose season is open and I am still underwhelmed – scene 3

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  • Finishing my tasting of Royal Wine’s 2018 French wines in California

    I know some of you are hoping for posts from my trip to France. However, I need to clean-up some missing posts, I have a lot of wine that needed to be posted and now I will do those quickly. After that I will start posting the wines I tasted in France.

    So, back in November 2020, I did a tasting at my home to taste the 2018 wines from Royal, at least the ones that were here in the USA at that time. I will skip much of the text that I wrote then, but I will repost all the 2018 notes, to make it complete. Remember, all my notes have tasting dates on them.

    In a previous post about the most recent French wines (at that time in 2017) that were arriving on the market – I already spoke about pricing and supply, so there is no need to talk that over again in this post.

    While the 2015 and 2016 vintages were ripe, and the 2017 vintage was not ripe at all, the 2018 vintage makes the 2015 ripeness look tame! Now that is a very broad-stroke statement that cannot be used uniformly, but for the most part, go with it!

    I see no reason to repeat what Decanter did – so please read this and I will repeat a few highlights below.

    For a start, the drought came later in 2018,’ says Marchal, pointing out that early July saw less rain in 2016. ‘But when it came in 2018, it was more abrupt, with the green growth stopping across the whole region at pretty much the same time’. He sees it closer to 2009, but with more density to the fruit. … and high alcohols!

    Alcohols will be highest on cooler soils that needed a long time to ripen, so the Côtes, the Satellites, and the cooler parts of St-Emilion have alcohols at 14.5-15%abv and more. I heard of one Cabernet Franc coming in at 16.5%abv, but that is an exception. In earlier-ripening areas, such as Pessac-Léognan and Pomerol, alcohols are likely to be more balanced at 13.5% or 14%abv, as they will have reached full phenolic ripeness earlier.

    ‘Pessac-Léognan did the best perhaps because it’s an early ripening site,’ said Marie-Laurence Porte of Enosens, ‘so they were able to get grapes in before over-concentration. If you had to wait for phenolic ripeness, that is where things could get difficult’.

    The final averages per grape, according to Fabien Faget of Enosens, are Sauvignon Blanc 13.5%abv, Sémillon 12.5%abv, Merlot 14.5%abv, and Cabernet Sauvignon 14%abv’.

    Final comments, disclaimer, and warnings

    These wines are widely available in the USA, so support your local wine stores folks – they need your help! If you live in a wine-drinking desert, like California, support the online/shipping folks on the side of this blog. They are folks I buy from (as always – I NEVER get a bonus/kickback for your purchases)!

    Again, I am just posting the 2018 reds and a couple of other wines that have changed in a good and bad way. My many thanks to Royal Wine for their help in procuring some of these wines. The wine notes follow below – the explanation of my “scores” can be found here:

    2018 Les Marronniers Chablis (M) – Score: 88 (QPR: EVEN)Sadly, as I continue to watch this wine evolve I feel it is not a wine that I will stock up on. This and the 1er Cru, sadly. The reason is that the wine keeps losing acidity as it ages. We opened the wine on Friday afternoon, and even then it had turned, and by Shabbat morning the acidity was far removed from where it was on Friday and that feels further removed from my notes and memories.This wine is made with native yeasts and as little manipulation as possible. The nose on this wine is beautiful with orange blossom, yellow apple, and rosehip, with lemon curd, and yeasty and creamy notes. The mouth was lovely in the past, at this point, it has moved even further. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine is not as acidic as in the past and it is time to drink, sweet Meyer lemon, quince, pie crust, with Anjou pear, and nice peach. The finish is a bit short, with baked pear and apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, some mineral, and now the fruit is showing sweeter. Drink now. (tasted March 2021)

    2018 Les Marronniers Chablis, Premier Cru, Cote de Jouan – Score: 88 (QPR: POOR) Sadly, as I continue to watch this wine evolve I feel it is not a wine that I will stock up on. This and the 1er Cru, sadly. The reason is that the wine keeps losing acidity as it ages. We opened the wine on Friday afternoon, and even then it had turned, and by Shabbat morning the acidity was far removed from where it was on Friday and that feels further removed from my notes and memories.The nose on this wine still shows floral notes, starting with rosehip and yellow flowers, followed by some minerals, slate, blossom water, apple, and smoke. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine is where things have gone wrong, with a bit of weight at this time, yellow apple, some citrus, Asian Pear, nice peach/apricot, Orange pith, hints of nectarines and orange. Sadly, as I state above the acidity slows early and leaves in a few hours, so while I loved the wine at release, it is not for long holding. Drink now. (tasted March 2021)

    Red Wines ordered by Vintage and QPR

    2018 Chateau Le Crock, Saint-Estephe (M) – Score: 93 (QPR: WINNER)The nose on this wine, is deep dark beautiful notes of black and red fruit, with rich salinity, mineral galore, with lovely tar, smoke, and what I crave from French wine – DIRT, DIRT, and more dirt! The nose is lovely, with green notes lurking in the background, and lovely licorice.So, while I have been unhappy with the 2018 vintage so far, this wine returns my hope for the vintage, this wine is better than 2016, and that IS SAYING a lot!This wine is a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc. The 2018 vintage has more Cab in it and it smells blacker than 2016 in many more ways than just that. Lovely wine! The blueberry of the past is gone and all you get is this intense earth, dirt, smoke, along with some shockingly beautiful violet, black and red fruit bonanza, with ripples of minerality through it – bravo and this is the Mevushal version!The mouth on this full-bodied beast is impressive, with rich extraction, like in 2016, deeply concentrated, yet with lovely finesse and elegance, showing a richness that belies its youth, with blackberry, dark, yet controlled, plum, dark raspberry, earth, cherry, smoke, and a mouth draping elegance in the tannin structure that is impressive for its youth, with a lovely plushness, with deep furrows of graphite, saline, and rock. The finish is long, not so green, there is a few green notes, more in the way of tobacco than in the way of foliage, but here the finish is about the dirt, loam, forest floor, smoke, and dark chocolate, with hints of oak, with crazy acidity, leather, all wrapped in roasted herbs that linger long and forever. Bravo!!! This is the best Chateau Le Crock, I have ever tasted, at least in regards to the Mevushal version! Drink from 2025 until 2037. Incredible! (tasted Nov 2020)

    2018 Chateau Royaumont, Grand Vin Bordeaux – Score: 93 (QPR: WINNER)This wine is a blend of 70% Merlot & 30% Cabernet Franc. The nose on this wine is balanced, though a bit ripe, with bright fruit, ripe plum, dark cherry, anise, menthol, tobacco, with green notes from the Cabernet Franc, foliage, smoke, and slightly burnt oak. The mouth on this full-bodied wine is well-balanced, with loads of fruit to start, layered, concentrated, plush, with screaming acid, black raspberry, plum, smoke, oak, rich fruit, nice saline, good dirt, earth, black pepper, with ripe fruit, and loads of mouth draping tannin. The finish is long, ripe, with loads of sweet chewing tobacco, dark chocolate almost milky, with more earth, graphite, and smoke galore. Nice! Drink from 2028 until 2034. (tasted May 2021)

    2018 Chateau Fourcas Dupre, Listrac-Medoc – Score: 92+ (QPR: WINNER)This wine is a blend of 44% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with 10% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The nose on this wine is ripe, scary ripe, but under a blanket of dirt, earth, smoke, more ripe fruit, mushroom, forest floor, and earth, wow! The mouth on this medium-bodied wine is lovely, rich, layered, elegant, but ripe, but the ripeness is balanced well by the acidity, with incredible dirt, along with floral notes, blackberry, currant, plum, and rich salinity, with dark chocolate, smoke, and rich loam, acid galore, and smoke. The finish is long, green, black, and mineral-driven, with loads of scrapping graphite, dirt, and foliage, wow! Bravo!! Drink from 2026 until 2033. (tasted January 2021)

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  • I traveled to Paris amid France’s awakening from its COVID-19 Slumber

    Most who know me would say I am not like the classic common man, I move to the beat of my drum, and it was drumbeat that said I needed to be in France as soon as it opens. It cost me loads of aggravation, more on that below, and it was not at the perfect time either, but it was 100% worth it!

    The insanity started when Gabriel Geller showed me the webpage, in May, that said that France was going to open to American tourism without quarantine, in June, as long as they had been vaccinated. Since I was vaccinated that interested me and I called United. There were flights and they did not look booked up as this was too early for most Americans to jump on the train. I asked for the week of June 14th and it looked good. I booked it but I kept it low-key as it would not be until June 1st that France would say more about it. For the next month, the French site which would define the very protocols for entry into the country would NOT change until 1 day before entry was legal! Still, they had a small link that would go on to describe the stoplight approach and the protocol for each of the three colors, green, orange, red. Now, I do not know about you, but France and the United States do not have orange-colored stoplights! Either way, the protocol stated that if you were vaccinated from a Green country (which the United States was not part of AT THAT time, more on the below) you could show the vaccine card and enter. Even at that time, I wondered why the United States was not a green country given our rates of infection, our vaccination rates, and so on, still countries like Israel, and others were on it. Then there were the Orange countries, among which the United States was one, which stated, that if you were vaccinated you could enter as long as you had a negative test result from a PCR test taken 72 hours in advance of your flight to France.

    So, once France woke up and updated their entry protocols, and made it official, I had only one week to book my tastings, orders, and so on to taste through all the wines I had not yet had the chance to taste. It was a dizzying week of effort, worked around my actual job, which is being a consulting Software Architect for my clients. Thankfully, it was all planned out, though those very plans would change again, nothing new for such a last-minute approach to France.Truly, none of this could have happened if it were not for Ari Cohen and his buddies in France that helped me in my planning, logistics, and all the winemakers and distributors who helped me set up the wine tastings.

    So, as the time approached, I used United’s partner TrustAssure to book my appointment for my PCR test – WARNING NEVER EVER use these IDIOTS! Sorry for spoiling the story! I booked a convenient time and I drove over to it. It was crazy because the address showed one street while the actual location was on another one. Once I finally found it, I was in and out within a matter of minutes. Now, the way TrustAssure works is that they interact and help you find an appointment with a reputable lab or testing center. They show you possible appointment times and locations for these labs in one convenient app. Then they pass along the time for your appointment to the location and charge you the fee. All of this sounds good enough. It is up to the lab to send you the results, not TrustAssure, as TrustAssure is just a middleman to help you find a said appointment.

    Well, let me explain that my flight was Sunday morning and I took my test Thursday night. All good and legal, as that is 72 hours before my flight. Sadly, by Friday afternoon late, I had not yet received my results. By Saturday night, after Shabbat, which is late this time of year, we still had no results! NONE! This now caused me massive aggravation, and sadly my wife as well, as I was freaking out. After a couple of hours of sheer insanity and running around looking for testing that was open at 11 PM, I was ready to give in and call it a massive failure. This is the current issue with COVID-19, testing should available all the time, whether for a job need, athletes, teachers, travelers, etc. If we have drive-in burger joints open all night there should be testing facilities as well. Yes, the comparison to a burger joint is cute at best, but truly the aggravation was massive. I tried calling TrustAssure and I tried calling and going to the test facility, they were all closed, with no way to get hold of anyone my test entered the COVID-19 lab blackhole. To be fair, all of the test facilities are the same, except for a very sparing few, they administer the test, and then they send them out to a much larger testing facility. The results for PCR tests are normally 24 hours or less, nowadays, sadly mine fell into the COVID-19 test black hole of death!

    Finally, my friend told me there was a test facility, 10 minutes away from SFO (San Francisco airport) that could test me last minute and get me results in less than an hour. The facility opened at 6 AM and my flight check-in time was 7:40 AM. So, I barely slept that night, I packed, got everything ready, and headed over to the testing site (CovidClinic) which is a trailer parked in the middle of nowhere, I mean that literally. It is three orange trailers parked in the middle of three acres of an empty and deserted parking lot that used to be part of a park-and-fly lot for those that parked their cars before a flight at SFO. Those companies were affected by the COVID-19 impact on the aviation/airline companies.

    So, I arrived at the CovidClinic, while still trying to call TrustAssure and the test site I took my test at on Thursday and there was finally someone at TrustAssure – they said there was nothing they could do, so I said I want my money back and if this last-ditch effort of a last-minute tests fails, I will sue them for failing to abide by their promises. Thankfully, that would never be needed, I took the test, and then I took another Uber to SFO and I stood by the check-in counter waiting for my results. Within 40 minutes, the negative results arrived and I went to the counter. If I ever need a test again, I would use CovidClinic without hesitation!

    Let me start by now explaining that outside of my lab result blackhole issue, the rest of the international COVID-19 protocols are still not well ironed out. Yes, I understand that it was day 4 of these new protocols, what I mean overall, is that testing and COVID-19 protocols are not new to the airline industry, they have been active for a good year already! The main issue here is that every country does it differently, and so even though Hawaii, which has its stand and protocols on their own, require the same needs to enter their island as many other locals, the protocols for checking this at the counter in SFO was mayhem. Still, after lots of calls, and lots of checks, they allowed me through. Understand that this has been dumped on the shoulders of the airlines, much like all the other validating they do for passports, visas, entry cards, and so on. Who does all this? The airlines and are not compensated. So, when ticket prices go up, remember that the more idiocy and the more one-off rules they drop on entry protocols, the more airlines have to spend money to validate. Now, my flight was not direct, as France is not open directly to California unless you are talking Air France, which I have sworn to never fly again, a different set of stories for a different time. So, my connecting flight was through Newark, United also has Chicago, but at a far less convenient time. Anyway, if United had accepted me and then the Newark-based gate would have denied me who is at fault??? What if United at the Newark would have accepted my papers and then France would have denied me who is at fault? In all the above cases, the answer is United, and the fines are steep! It is for this reason that prices to places like this are higher and they will stay high as long as there are complicated and absurd one-off rules to enter these countries or locales.

    So, after all of that madness, I get on the plane to Newark. At Newark, I go directly to the gate and the line is already 2/3 of the way down the concourse! Why? You guessed it, more protocol checks, people crying, screaming, complaining, and of course, people cutting lines, getting aggravated, and almost no one following the rules of wearing a mask! Classic mayhem all over again. Still, this is understandable on day 4 of these protocols. The behavior of the passengers, while horrible, I guess is also to be expected, but still depressing to see. Here too, the gate personnel were on the phone more than they were checking papers, again, new protocols equal confused gate agents. I am sure that this will all get streamlined soon, once the tests and the COVID-19 vaccination cards are digitized so that many of these headaches can be avoided.

    Finally, we were on our way to Paris, once we landed it was an hour’s wait to get through border entry. The lady at border entry looked at me and asked why are you coming to France? I was not sure what to say, I came to see Paris, she only got louder and angrier. Now, until this point, no one in front of me was getting screamed at! Well, I said I was there to see my family, which all live in or around Paris, The vast majority of my family live in France. She asked me specific names and locations and then let me on through. Now, if you open a country to Americans, with your rules and protocols, and people follow those to the T, what does one gain by the subsequent questions about why you are here? I have lived in fear for the past year-plus of the COVID-19 madness. I have taken it as seriously as anyone around me. Most of my friends are either lax about it or wonder if it ever existed. So, no, I do not take what has happened lightly. But, if you allow US citizens into the country then let us in! If you want us to wear masks and to follow distance rules and so on, great, we will do that, but the added anger gains no one anything. That is my 2 cents. I asked people what was the reason for this strange attitude and the response was that France was still in its crises and that the United States had not reciprocated with opening its borders, so I felt a bit for the border agents’ frustrations with an American who wanted to come to Paris to enjoy life. Maybe, either way, I will expand on many of these points below.

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  • Shiran Winery 2021 Visit

    I often get asked how I choose the wineries that I write about. The answer since COVID at least has been the same – I write about those that invite me to taste. It’s really that simple – I’m easy like that. And so a few weeks ago, I got a text from Eli Shiran asking me to taste through his new releases and here we are.

    A few things to note off the bat, I have known Eli for a number of years. He has attended a number of RCC’s and we have had other dinners and tastings together. I consider him a friend. I think it is important to fully disclose that. I can say honestly though that it really does not impact the way I feel. I have always been up front with Eli about what I like and don’t like about his wines and have expressed that freely on this blog.

    The next thing to note is that his wines and by extension his winemaking have improved year after year. I think that’s something worth noting – so when people look at a group of wines and you see a clear trajectory, you can say hey – I like where this winery is going, it might be worth joining them on that journey, as things are getting better and better. That is certainly the case here IMHO.

    The last thing to note is on the other side of the coin. Something that has NOT been getting better and better with Shiran is the pricing. It is very hard to justify the price tag on a number of wines. I have had this discussion NUMEROUS times over the years with Eli. I understand his position; as a boutique winemaker with limited scale, his costs are higher, and therefore in order to be profitable, he needs to charge more. While I understand the argument, it makes no difference to me as a consumer if a producer’s production costs are higher – if that doesn’t add to the overall quality of the product being produced  so that it is now that much better than anything else on the market.

    For instance, if I develop my own recipe for a cola and source all of the very best ingredients from my local health food store – using the absolute best Madagascar vanilla, hand milled unrefined raw cane sugar, locally sourced hand drawn spring water, etc. and then spend weeks cooking and refining and processing until I have an absolutely incredible bottle of artisanal cola – and it tastes significantly better than Coke – assuming Coke is your baseline standard for cola at an 88 point score and this comes in at a whopping 95! How much is that one liter bottle of artisanal cola worth? Let’s say it’s twice as good as coke – so $2? But – it cost at least $15 to produce! And let’s say you can ramp up and get to some sort of boutique scale and that production cost can come down to $10 – so in order to make a profit, a $20 wholesale price (marketing, transportation, etc.) is about right – and then you have a distributor’s markup and then final retail price – is somewhere at $35. Would anyone pay $35 for that bottle of cola? No. And while exaggerated, that’s my argument against justifying the price of a bottle of wine with the cost of production. Ultimately, it has to be in line with the market for the same product’s quality level or else you are just marketing a label.  Now, there are other arguments for the cost of a specific wine – but ultimately, I need to judge these wines within the quality category they fall – and that is where boutique wineries often fall short. There are other wines of similar quality at (far) more attractive prices.

    Having said all of that, I really DO like some of these wines – and, I think the Israeli prices might even be justifiable in some cases.  So, let’s get things started:

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  • Three more Dampt Freres Chablis – solid wines

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  • Five new kosher Hungarian wines with some QPR potential

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  • Another round of QPR (Quality to Price ratio) Hits and Misses

    It has been a few months since my last QPR (Quality to Price Ratio) post and 10 or more people have been emailing me about the EPIC 2019 terra di Seta Chianti, that I said, I had to pump out another post ASAP!

    Thankfully, no matter how garbage and pain I subject myself to, we are still blessed with quite a few wonderful QPR wines out there. This post includes superstars like Elvi Wines’s new 2017 Clos Mesorah and many others. It goes to show that when wineries reasonably price wines, even 70 dollar wines can be a QPR winner!

    We have quite a lovely set of QPR WINNERS:

    1. 2017 Elvi Wines Clos Mesorah
    2. 2019 Terra di Seta Chianti Classico
    3. 2019 Cantina del Redi Pleos Toscana Sangiovese
    4. 2019 Capcanes Peraj Ha’abib Pinot Noir
    5. 2019 Chateau D’Arveyres Bordeaux Superieur
    6. 2016 Chateau La Clare Grand Vin de Bordeaux
    7. 2018 Vieux Chateau Chambeau Reserve
    8. 2018 Hagafen Cabernet Franc
    9. 2018 Hagafen Cabernet Sauvignon
    10. 2019 Hagafen Riesling, Off-Dry

    There were also a few wines that are a slight step behind with a GREAT or GOOD QPR score:

    1. 2016 La Chenaie du Bourdieu Grand Vin de Bordeaux
    2. 2018 Secret des Chevaliers Grand Reserve
    3. 2020 Bartenura Prosecco Rose
    4. 2019 Golan Heights Winery Riesling
    5. 2020 Sheldrake Point Gewurztraminer
    6. 2020 Unorthodox Sauvignon Blanc
    7. 2016 Hagafen Merlot, Prix, Reserve
    8. 2016 Hagafen Cabernet Sauvignon, Prix, Reserve, MJT
    9. 2018 Hagafen Merlot

    There are a few wines that got a QPR Score of EVEN – meaning expensive or average:

    1. 2019 Hajdu Montepulciano – a nice wine but very expensive
    2. 2019 Domaine du Castel Petit Castel – nice enough but very expensive
    3. 2019 Golan Heights Winery Pinot Noir, Gilgal (Gamla) – not interesting but cheap
    4. 2020 Gendraud Patrice Chablis – nice enough and expensive
    5. 2020 Vitkin Israeli Journey2020 Gush Etzion Sauvignon Blanc2020 Domaine De Panquelaine Coteaux Du Giennois2020 Bat Shlomo Sauvignon Blanc – OK or even nice enough but expensive

    The others are essentially either OK wines that are too expensive, duds or total failures:

    1. 2016 Hagafen Pinot Noir, Prix, Reserve
    2. 2017 Chateau de By, Grand Vin de Bordeaux
    3. 2019 Hajdu Grenache
    4. 2019 Hagafen Don Ernesto’s Ah-Ha!
    5. 2016 Hagafen Melange, Prix, Reserve
    6. 2017 Herzog Quartet
    7. 2019 Flam Classico
    8. 2019 Twin Suns Pinot Noir
    9. 2019 Vanita Nero d’Avola
    10. 2018 Tabor Eco, Red
    11. 2017 Segal Cabernet Sauvignon, Dishon
    12. 2016 Tabor Merlot, Adama
    13. 2017 Tabor Shiraz, Adama
    14. 2018 Matar Stratus
    15. 2018 Matar Cumulus
    16. 2018 Celler de Capcanes Peraj Ha’abib (Mevushal version)
    17. 2020 Shiran Chardonnay
    18. 2017 Hagafen Chardonnay, Prix
    19. 2018 Tabor Eco, White
    20. 2019 Covenant Lavan Chardonnay
    21. 2020 Domaine De Panquelaine Sancerre
    22. 2018 Pascal Bouchard Chablis, Le Classique
    23. 2018 Binyamina Chardonnay, The Chosen
    24. 2019 Chateau le Petit Chaban
    25. 2019 Chateau Mayne Guyon Grand Vin
    26. 2019 Covenant Cabernet Sauvignon

    Some things that made me stand up and take notice (AKA QPR WINNERS):

    The first BIG takeaway for me, was that Hagafen Wine Cellars is back, at least in regards to red wine! I was there to taste some wines with Gabriel Geller and I was impressed by the 2016 and 2018 red wines. There were some misses as well but overall, 2 QPR WINNERS and 3 QPR GOOD to GREAT scores – that is good stuff!!! There is also the very nice, but expensive, 2018 Hagafen Sauvignon Blanc, Prix. It is really fun and while it is oak-driven, it is a nice wine and it just needs some time.

    Terra di Seta Continues to CRUSH it! Two more EPIC wines at QPR WINNER status, we need a super QPR WINNER status! Fear not I am joking. Anyway, the 2019 Terra di Seta Chianti Classico is beautiful, more elegant than previous vintages, but without the sheer power of the 2018 vintage. The 2016 Terra di Seta Chianti Classico, Riserva, is a sheer powerhouse, but one that is far more accessible than previous vintages, this may well be the best in some time!

    Royal has another Italian QPR WINNER with the 2019 Cantina del Redi Pleos Toscana Sangiovese, yes another Sangiovese, and no, it is not better than the TDS and it is a bit more expensive, and it is not Mevushal, so I am not sure how it fits into the Royal portfolio puzzle, but hey, that is not my job to worry about!

    The 2019 Capcanes Pinot Noir is on point a very nice wine – the 2019 vintage, from all over the world, has given us a bounty of choices for Pinot Noir!

    Finally, there are more French QPR WINNERS, like the 2019 Chateau D’Arveyres Bordeaux Superieur. The previous vintages were bad to horrible, but this one returns to its old form. The 2016 Chateau La Clare, Grand Vin de Bordeaux also is very nice, it continues its theme of well-priced Bordeaux wine for a reasonable price, and it is Mevushal. I would happily drink this or 2015 at a restaurant – no questions asked. Finally, the 2018 Vieux Chateau Chambeau Reserve is a nice wine for the price, though it is harder to find, it may be worth the effort.

    Other wines worth of note (AKA QPR GREAT or GOOD):

    I am happy to say there are other solid wines – and many are European. I found some of these at NYC stores (not online) and others online.

    The 2016 La Chenaie du Bourdieu Grand Vin de Bordeaux, is not a new wine for me, I had it at Taieb in 2019 and I was happy to see it here in the USA. Another nice wine was a new one for me, the 2018 Secret des Chevaliers Grand Reserve, a simple enough wine but at the price, it has a SOLID QPR.

    I was shocked to finally find a Prosecco I could taste without physically making me ill. I have had a few in the past, but this one is the best of the bunch, for now. I am talking about the 2020 Bartenura Prosecco Rose, solid if this is your kind of wine. For me, there is no better QPR WINNER or bubbly, for the price, than the Yarden and Gilgal (AKA Gamla) wines.

    Talking about Yarden, the 2019 Golan Heights Winery Riesling is nice, not my cup of tea, but for those with a sweeter tooth than mine – BUY THIS or the Pacifica Riesling.

    The same can be said for the 2020 Sheldrake Point Gewurztraminer. I liked the 2020 Sheldrake Point Riesling and scored it a WINNER, the Gewurztraminer is not as good, but that is fine, this is another wine made for those with a sweeter tooth.

    The shocker for me, in my previous tastings at home, was the 2020 Unorthodox Sauvignon Blanc! Look, I have had their wines for years, and they have all made me unhappy. This is, honestly, the first Unorthodox wines, of any sort, that I have liked. Solid deal.

    The rest of the good to great QPR wines are all Cali. There were three more wines from 2016 and 2018 at Hagafen that I liked but not as much as the ones above. The 2016 Hagafen Merlot, Prix, Reserve, 2016 Hagafen Cabernet Sauvignon, Prix, Reserve, MJT, and 2018 Hagafen Merlot, are nice enough wines. They lack complexity and tug to make me more interested.

    Wines that are either good but too expensive or average (AKA EVEN):

    The only wine I wanted to highlight is the 2019 Hajdu Montepulciano. It is a lovely wine that while I enjoyed it is just too expensive for the value.

    Wines that are either OK but far too expensive or bad wines (AKA BAD):

    I wanted to highlight the 2019 Covenant Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2019 Covenant Chardonnay, Lavan. They are nice enough wines but not like the days of old, and expensive. The same idea can be said for the 2017 Hagafen Chardonnay, Prix.

    There are also, many duds to losers and I will just leave you to peruse the names and scores down below.

    The wine notes follow below – the explanation of my “scores” can be found here:

    2017 Elvi Wines Clos Mesorah – Score: 94 (QPR: WINNER)This is a super elegant, floral, and feminine wine, bravo!! The nose on this wine is beautiful, showing floral notes of violet, white flowers, with blueberry, black fruit, smoke, roasted duck, earth, and loads of smoke, dirt, and loam. The mouth on this full-bodied wine is so elegant, layered, concentrated, earthy, fruity, smoky, and richly extracted, with boysenberry, blackberry, dark cherry, plum, smoke, earth, loam, and lovely sweet cedar, with green notes, sweet tobacco, sweet basil, and lovely acid. The finish is long, green, with draping elegant tannin, sweet smoking tobacco, dark chocolate, white pepper, and anise. Bravo!! Drink from 2025 until 2035. (tasted April 2021)

    2019 Terra di Seta Chianti Classico – Score: 92+ (QPR: WINNER)The nose on this wine is lovely, with ripe notes, which is classic for a Chianti so young, with classic notes of burnt rubber, balsamic vinegar, rich smoke, incredible mineral, dark red fruit, menthol, and roasted animal, with loads of roasted herbs. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine is lovely, richly extracted ripe, and layered, with incredible acidity, this has to be the highest acid we have ever tasted on Terra di Seta wines, the body is lighter than previous vintages, with incredibly ripe fruit, at the start, but the crazy acidity makes it work, with dark plum, rich ripe cherry, menthol galore, with incredible minerality, showing saline, rocks, charcoal, with light tannins, showing beautiful mouthfeel but after a short time the mouthfeel goes thin and the fruit-focus is gone, this is a strange wine indeed! The finish is a bit short, with lovely smoke, mineral, dark chocolate-covered espresso, with more dried herbs, oregano, and dried mint. Drink by 2027. I am surprised by this wine, I will need to see where this goes, for now, I like it, and I will buy more, but it may not be for long holding. OK, so that was the notes after opening the bottle and tasting. The next day – the wine evolved into the classic wine we all take for granted! Now the nose is intoxicating, the ripeness has calmed down greatly, as I expected, but now the nose is dominated by lovely dried porcini mushrooms, dense fruit, menthol, smoke, roasted duck, and soya sauce galore, wow what a nose!! The mouth has evolved beautifully, and while the tannins are still gentler than in previous vintages the wine is lush, plush, and mouth-filling, the hole or shortness is gone, and now it is everything I want in a wine, though the weight has not filled out and I think this is just a lighter wine but the tannins are draping and mouth-filling, elegance is clear and the wine is lovely. This is a wine that can be enjoyed earlier than previous vintages, the minerality on this one is off the charts! 2018 is richer and fuller, while 2019 is more elegant, simply stated. Bravo!! Drink from 2022 until 2029, if you want it now, decant for 5 hours or take a glass, close it and enjoy it the next day. (tasted April 2021)

    2019 Cantina del Redi Pleos Toscana Sangiovese – Score: 91+ (QPR: WINNER)The nose on this wine is classic, dirty, earthy, smoky, with controlled ripe fruit, nice structure and loads of earth, lovely floral notes of rose and violet, and dark fruit in the background. The mouth on this medium to full-bodied wine is ripe, and concentrated with nice extraction, showing nice acidity, rich fruit-focus, with black plum, strawberry, dark raspberry, hints of blackberry, with an intense acid and mineral core, showing richness, with layers of fruit, dirt, earth, charcoal, rosehip, mouth-draping tannin, and lovely structure. The finish is long, dark, with hints of green, mushroom, red and dark fruit, tannin, more floral notes, and earth lingering long, with coffee, and leather. Nice!! Drink until 2026. (tasted March 2021)

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    6 comments on Another round of QPR (Quality to Price ratio) Hits and Misses

  • M & M Importers Current Lineup is Exceptional

    Well, I saved the best for last. If you’ve been following my last couple of posts, after over a year I was finally able to take a trip in to the US to see family. David Raccah of Kosherwinemusings.com arranged his schedule to overlap with mine so we could do a couple of tastings together. I had no expectation of getting to see Ralph Madeb this trip, my schedule was so tight I didn’t even bother trying – but Raccah arranged everything, and we did a lunch with Ralph and a few friends on my way to the airport.

    And what a lunch it was…. Let me start off by saying it is rare that you got a tasting thrown by a winery or distributor where every wine is a hit. Sometimes when writing about these hosted events, you do your best to find what nice things there are to say about certain wines – and even when the wines are all technically OK, there are often wines that are simply not for me. This was one of those rare times when I would have been happy to be served every single wine we had. One wine was better than the next. Let’s just say that the wine I liked least, the base level St. Marguarite, still makes my list of top rosés of the year! A few words about M&M in addition to what I have previously written. What makes this importer special is that M & M didn’t just settle with importing wines that were already in production. Don’t get me wrong – they do that as well – they are the official US importer for IDS, and at this lunch we tasted what I consider to be the very best kosher Burgundy ever produced, and that’s an IDS wine. And, on top of that, they also picked up whatever was left of the Gefen HaShalom wines that didn’t have US distribution – and as you know the 2014 Von Hovel are the best ever produced kosher Rieslings. But that’s not what makes them special. Unlike most importers, they have also become a producer in their own right. Looking for wineries – primarily in Italy – to partner with and produce kosher runs. If this sounds familiar, it’s what both Royal and IDS do so successfully in France. M & M has taken this approach to Italy and has partnered with various wineries to produce some INCREDIBLE wines. Among them, the highest ever rated kosher wine to date the 2016 Brunello di Montalcino, Betina Cuvee Franci from Fabio Tassi, which received a 97 point score from James Suckling and a 96 from Wine Advocate. I tasted a barrel sample last year, which already showed its potential. Sadly that wine was still in transit when I was in NY, but it is headed for both US and Israel and should be there soon.

    When I tasted the Brunello last year, and Ralph started telling me about the various wines that were being produced, I planned a trip to Italy to visit the various wineries that M & M was working with. This trip was to immediately follow my US trip last year and was scheduled for mid- March 2020. Obviously that trip was put off indefinitely on hold, but there are in fact many wines in various stages of production that I am super stoked for including a few wines from Tuscany’s highly rated Domini Castellare di Castellina 2018 vintage – like Baffonero under their Rocca di Frassinello label which is 100% Merlot. Or perhaps even more special the Castellare di Castellina, I Sodi di S. Niccolò, which is their top rated wine – a blend of Sangiovese and Malvasia Nera. There is also a white coming from their Sicilian Gura di Mare label called Tirsat, which is a blend of Chardonnay and Viognier.  From what I understand, these three wines should all be available soon – and there are many, many more. It is ultra-refreshing to have such depth from this excellent region! Kudos to Ralph & David of M & M for making this happen. Now on to the wines from this tasting.

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  • Some of Royal’s 2018 Reds and 2020 Whites and Rosés

    Due to the crazy circumstances this year, all trips were cancelled and therefore it was impossible to taste what was not local. While Royal made an effort to reach out to consumers with a Virtual KFWE, those of us in Israel were out of luck. Some of my colleagues have received samples from Royal – in Israel the situation I think is a bit more complicated. Most of the wines that Royal distributes in the US have different local distribution in Israel. For California wines, only a small subset are sold in Israel and usually we are (at least) one vintage back. For French, Spanish, and Italian Royal wines, Israel and the US are not at all in sync. Sometimes we are VERY behind, sometimes we are ahead. But now we are talking about a very small subset indeed. So it’s been a tough year. So I thought about trying to schedule something at Royal as soon as I booked a flight. As it happens, Raccah was also planning a trip to NY but a week later. I thought things simply wouldn’t work out, but he rescheduled his trip to coincide with mine – and for that I say thanks, buddy! It made the tasting that much more fun. But Raccah had tasted through Cali and France – and I had tasted through most of the Israeli stuff he wanted to taste (though I am way behind on writing that stuff up!)  – so GG set up a little bit of a combo, and we tasted through a fair amount on each side. I am not going to bother writing up the Israeli wines here, this post is super long as it is, and I plan on putting together an overview of the current Israeli releases sometime soon with my friend Alexander Kassel   – but that is for a later series of posts. I will highlight two Israeli standouts though – both were white. In terms of the rest, it’s a mixed bag. 2020 Rosés even from France are really not up to par. So far the 2020 French whites are also – “meh” at best. 2018 French reds are really interesting. They all show very ripe. A few perhaps to the point where they are overripe. But, I am betting on most of these calming down with enough structure to give these wines the time they need to get where they have to without falling apart. Where this tasting went right were the Cali reds. There were some excellent, excellent bottles here, which is so nice to see after the 2017 vintage. I mean some of the very best expressions of Cali CS and even a truly excellent Cali PN. Herzog for the win. Throw in an excellent Elvi Clos Mesorah and the crazy 2018 Cantenac Brown – and we had a wonderful time indeed. My thanks to my friend Gabriel Geller and  Royal wines for hosting this and letting me taste though some wonderful wines -and my thanks to David Raccah of Kosherwinemusings.com who helped set this up and of course makes these tastings that much more interesting.

    Note: There were a few Royal French wines that didn’t make it into the tasting that I had tasted prior or immediately after this trip – I included them here as well and noted that they were tasted in Israel.

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  • An epic tasting of M & M Importers latest imports – QPR WINNERS and the best Kosher Pinots on the market

    I was in NYC for a few days and I had the opportunity to have lunch with Dr. Ralph Madeb, president and CEO of M & M Importers, one of M’s in M & M (I just think Ralph secretly loved M&Ms as a child, but hey). I was joined by GG, Yed, and Avi Davidowitz of Kosher Wine Unfiltered. It was a wonderful tasting that had no duds, just hit after hit, and truly a unique experience, IMHO, as we are finally seeing the power of kosher wine in Italy. Of course, we have been blessed with fantastic wine from terra di Seta for more than a decade now, but our Italian experience has been limited to Chianti. There are other options but they rarely impress me. There was the epic 2010 Barolo and Barbera d’Alba from Florenza, but sadly that was a one-time run (there was more made in 2011 but it never came to the USA).

    There were many more wines than just Italian, the gamut included Provence Rose from IDS, followed by Falesco’s new Ferentano, one of the very few wineries that make a varietal wine from Roscetto, followed by IDS 2018 Clos des d’Argent, which is showing well now! Then came the mind-blowing 2019 Pinot Noirs from IDS 2019 Jean Luc et Paul Aegerter Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru, Les Vallerots, and the 2019 Jean Luc et Paul Aegerter Corton-Vergennes, Grand Cru. There was supposed to also have been a Meursault to match JP Marchand’s 2019 Meursault, but sadly they ran out of fruit. The 1er Cru is on par with the best of the JP Marchand and Lescure, but the Grand Cru takes kosher Pinot Noir to a very new level, one that I am blown away by and I hope this continues!

    The lineup then moved back to Italy with 2019 Terre Alfiere Tuke Nebbiolo, a crazy good QPR WINNER. Followed by another QPR WINNER, the 2018 Irpinia Aglianico. This is what Aglianico should taste like! A beautifully controlled tannic beast with nice fruit, tannin, and incredible floral aromas – BRAVO! The rest of the wines after that were wines I knew, and have written about in the past, so I took no notes. They included the 2005 Valendraud, a monster of a wine but one that is at its peak and is good to go. Following that was the IDS 2018 Jean Luc et Paul Aegerter Gevrey-Chambertin and the 2018 Jean Luc et Paul Aegerter Pommard. Followed by the epic IDS 2015 Virginie de Valendraud and a yet unreleased 2018 Virginie de Valendraud. Then came the IDS 2015 Chateau Labegorce Marguax and the IDS 2017 Chateau Lafon Rochet! Two epic wines that I love! It was finished with the two lovely 2014 and 2015 Von Hovel Rieslings, the Haute Oberemmel and the Saar Riesling, and the crazy QPR WINNER 2019 Pescaja Terre Alfieri Arneis Solei. Thanks to Avi for taking all the pictures!

    There was no wine below 90 and there was my first ever 95+ score since I turned to score with numbers. To say it clearly, the lunch was epic, the wines were epic, and to have the ability to hang out like the times of old, with friends and great wine was a day to remember! My sincerest thanks to Ralph and his partner at M & M Importers for sharing their wonderful wines with us all! The wine notes follow below – the explanation of my “scores” can be found here:

    2020 Chateau Sainte Marguerite, Cuvee Fantastique Rose – Score: 91 (QPR: EVEN)This wine is a blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Cinsault, and 10% Rolle (AKA Vermentino). The nose on this wine is lovely with great notes with peach, mineral, grapefruit, lovely apricot, lemongrass, and green note. The mouth is lovely, acidic, refreshing, with good acidity, nice fruit focus, with a lovely mouthful, showing classic strawberry, raspberry, lemon/lime, more peach, mineral madness, and rich salinity, wow! Lovely! The finish is long, with flint, rock, saline, lemon, tart pink grapefruit, and lemongrass, lovely! Adding in the white wine helped. Drink now. (tasted April 2021)

    2020 Chateau Sainte Marguerite Rose – Score: 90 (QPR: POOR)This wine is a blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Cinsault, and 10% Rolle (AKA Vermentino). The nose on this wine is quite nice, with minerality, lovely strawberry, raspberry, peach, lemon, grapefruit, peach blossom, and lemon blossom. The mouth is correct, enough acid, mineral galore, smoke, flint, and nice fruit focus, but missing in the middle. The finish is long, floral, with flint, green notes, and red fruit, nice! Drink now. (tasted April 2021)

    2018 Famiglia Cotarella (AKA Falesco) Ferentano – Score: 93 (QPR: EVEN)This is Incredible, the nose is lovely with great and unique floral notes, Jasmine, white flowers, beeswax, with intense mineral, vanilla, sweet oak, pineapple, hints of banana, lemon, peach, and green notes. The mouth on this full-bodied wine is rich, layered, and extracted, with nice tannin, lovely acidity, great mineral, flint, peach, lemongrass, pineapple, sweet oak, Asian pear, with a lovely viscous body, rich and beautiful, sweet vanilla, grapefruit, honeysuckle, and honeyed quince, just lovely! The finish is long, green, with tannin, tart lime, lemongrass, sweet mint, with flint, and gun smoke, wow!! Drink until 2026. (tasted April 2021)

    2019 Jean Luc et Paul Aegerter Corton-Vergennes, Grand Cru – Score: 95.5 (QPR: EVEN)The nose on this wine starts with deep mushroom and barnyard aromas, then it goes smoky, showing notes of roasted duck, red fruit, smoke, floral notes, rich saline, dense foliage, and toast. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine is rich, layered, elegant, plush, and concentrated, but not overly extracted, with sheer elegance, loam, dark cherry, currant, plum, sweet raspberry, and dense dark fruit, porcini mushrooms, dirt, smoke, all wrapped in an ethereal package, just incredible!! The finish is long, dark, green, red, and smoky, with coffee, dark chocolate, and leather. Drink from 2029 until 2036. (tasted April 2021)

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