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Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon Special Edition, Barkan Cabernet Sauvignon Superieur, Covenant Cabernet Sauvignon, and Yarden El-Rom Cabernet Sauvignon

November 16, 2008 by winemusings

I have been saving up my Cabernets for a special night with friends.  This past weekend I decided that it was time to open my Cabernets.  So we started the meal with a roasted butternut squash and onion soup.  I made it up myself and I am quite happy with it - though I am constantly tweaking it.  The recipe is quite simple really.  Roast a pair of butternut squash along with some red onions in an oven.  Then sauté onions and carrots in a Dutch oven.  Once they are soft, add in Cinnamon, Cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic, and all spice.  Then throw in the roasted vegetables and puree’ the whole mess.  Cook the soup for 30 or more minutes and then throw in a can of chickpeas for 10 minutes and bingo, you have soup!  We followed the soup up with my Sweet and Sour Brisket, white rice, Roasted Green Bean Salad (From Molie Katzen’s Classic Cooking Cookbook), and a nice sauté of onions, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes.  The soup and the later three worked out great for the vegetarians, while the brisket was just fine for us carnivores.

The evening started with 2 new wines from the Four Gates Winery that were barrel samples and as such I am holding judgment until they are officially released.  Parenthetically, they look to be real winners and ones that may be some of the more oaked Four Gates Wines I have tested yet.  But again, we must wait till they are released.  They were paired with the Roasted Butternut Squash soup - which was a hit and one that I am always pleasantly surprised about.  I had forgotten about it and my wife was the one who suggested it for this evening - a nice choice.

Following the soup and Four Gates Wines, we started the procession of Cabernets.  They are listed below in drinking order and paired nicely with the brisket.  The only issue I could say is that this brisket is sweet and sour, and as such, it takes a certain wine to cut through the noise.  Three of the four Cabernets had no problem, but keep that in mind when pairing a sweet and sour dish with a wine.  In hindsight, I would not have served my brisket, but something like a Burgundy Beef (Beef Bourguignon) or a Roast instead.  That said the wines were enjoyed by all, but the majority of the table liked the wines in this order: Covenant, Yarden, Herzog, Barkan.  The Barkan and Herzog had a harder time matching up against the brisket, with the Barkan being the weakest.

The wine notes follow below:

Baron Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon, Special Edition, Chalk Hill 2000 - Score: B+
Beware this note is valid ONLY for the first 30 minutes or so after the bottle is opened. Initially the cloudy and brooding garnet colored with an orange halo wine has a nose of chocolate, tobacco, blackberry, and oak. Wild and beautiful. The mouth of this palate coating full bodied wine carries the blackberry, and has cassis. The mid palate is acidic with lovely integrated tannins. The finish is long with oak, acid, more integrated tannins and chocolate. The bad news is that after 30 or 40 minutes the wine loses the chocolate, coffee, blackberry, and turns into a full bodied wine with almost no character - which is a shame. Drink this now and drink as soon as the bottle is opened.

Barkan Cabernet Sauvignon Superieur 2003 - Score: A-
The nose on this blue to purple garnet colored wine was hot initially, but blew off with air. There were aromas of tobacco, black cherry, and blackberry. The mouth of this full bodied wine followed the nose with blackberry, black cherry and mint. The wine is far from smooth and the tannins have still yet to balance nicely into the wine. The mid palate was chock full of tannin and acidity. The finish was medium long with chocolate and oak. Not a really complex wine, though large enough to satisfy many a drinker.

Covenant Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 - Score: A
I have had this wine a few times now and in different settings. Once was a few years ago, soon after release - big mistake. Once was a year ago and with a ton of air time. This time we also gave it air. Well, the results were all over the place. The initial time a few years ago, was way too early. Far too tannic, no life, almost bland. Last year was nice, but still pretty dormant. Finally, this past time, I could see what made Robert Parker and other stand up and take notice.

The nose on this garnet red wine is crazy loaded with cassis, raspberry, and tobacco. The mouth of this full bodied and coating/velvety wine has intense layers of cassis, blackberry and a slight hint of vegetal flavors. The mid palate is where this wine takes off - it is still acidic in nature, which gives it structure, and a fair bit of tannin as well. From there the oak overtakes the palate in a impressive, while not overpowering manner, and flows into a long and complicated finish of fig, tobacco and chocolate. Quite a nice showing and this gives me confidence to wait another year to open my next bottle of this vintage.

Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon El Rom 2001 - Score: A
This is one of the best wines I have tasted from Israel. The nose on this brilliant and deep garnet to black colored wine was a bit hot and simple out of the chute. However, as time progressed the nose turned to heavy layers of blackberry, cassis, tobacco, and oak. The mouth on this wine was also a bit slow out of the bottle, but that changed within an hour. The mouth was complex and multi layered. This is no simple wine, it hits you in waves. The mouth on this full bodied wine is rich and coating with blackberry, eucalyptus, and almost jam like - but not in a chewy annoying way - more in a rich and cultured manner. The mid palate follows off the first set of layers and is where the structure comes in. The structure is built on tannin, acidity, and lush layers of vegetal flavors. The finish is crazy long and is filled with chocolate, tobacco, and sweet wood. This is really quite a fine wine and one that is not yet peaked at all, though quite enjoyable now as well.

Château Le Crock 2002 - Score: B+
The nose on this dark garnet colored wine starts slow. Initially, it is hot with black cherry, blackberry, and oak. As time progresses the nose wakes up and the heat blows off. The nose then changes to a strong aroma of blackberry, chocolate, and coffee - very nice. The mouth is full bodied and very velvety - a truly full bodied and mouth coating experience. The blackberry carries over to the mouth along with some red fruit. The mid palate is still tannic with no heat and a nice spice. The finish is the real flaw - it is not so long but carries the chocolate and leather like qualities - albeit a short distance.

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Ramon Cardova Rioja and Roasted Chicken

November 7, 2008 by winemusings

We had a quiet weekend planned, so I roasted a small chicken by simply placing a rub of; garlic, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, and cumin over the chicken and let it rest over night.  The next morning, I sliced onions and red potatoes and placed them under the whole chicken and we roasted it for 1 and a half hours.  My wife did her, always appreciated, red pepper flake roasted chicken.  The chicken(s) were quite lovely later that evening, and the potatoes and onions went along with them quite nicely, to boot.

To match up with the roasted chicken, I took out a Rioja to match the rub on the chicken.

The wine notes follow below:

Ramon Cardova Rioja 2004 - Score: B+
The nose on this bright-colored ruby red wine is filled with cranberry, cloves, coffee. The mouth of this medium bodied wine is soft and starts with fresh raspberry and cherry. The middle is spicy, with integrated tannins. The finish is long with leather, coffee, and vanilla accompaniment.

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Four Gates Pinot Noir N.V. and Roasted Chicken

October 31, 2008 by winemusings

It was a quiet and lovely weekend - which is always appreciated, once and a while, this time of year.  For dinner my wife whipped up a platter of breaded chicken that is really quite special.  She uses almond meal as the batter and a bunch of other secrets that I cannot disclose without the proper written consent of my wife :-). To match up with the roasted chicken, I took out a Pinot Noir and we really enjoyed it to its fullest.

The wine notes follow below:

Four Gates Pinot Noir N.V. - Score: A-
The nose on this bright ruby colored wine is packed with cherry, mint, raspberry, and sweet oak. The mouth on this medium bodied Pinot is luscious almost velvety. The cherry, cassis, and cranberry hit you right away. The layers of fruit come at you in waves after that. The mid palate almost rolls right off the waves with acidity and mint. The finish is long with vanilla and cherry.


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Yarden Pinot Noir, Ramon Cardova Rioja and Parve Meat Sauce

October 24, 2008 by winemusings

Well after a having meat for almost every meal over the holidays, it was a unanimous agreement to go with something lighter.  I love making parve meat sauce.  It is really quite simple, you start with a ton of onions sliced thinly and sauté them over medium heat.  Once they are nice and golden you deglaze with some acidic red wine and then add in tomato sauce, sugar, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.  Once the sauce is built, drop in the Yves or LightLife soy meat and you are good to go.  Throw it on top of some whole wheat spaghetti, and you have a winner.

To go with this fun and easy dish I had a couple of bottles of wine as we had some friends over and I thought it would be fun to try these out.

The wine notes follow below:

Yarden Pinot Noir 2004 - Score: A-
In putting this wine into light against a white surface, you will see that the color is warm garnet, with a slight tinge of orange.  The wine has a fair amount of viscosity, which makes sense given its 14.5% alcohol.  The nose on this wine is redolent with raspberry, cherry, earthy notes, and figs.  The interesting thing is that there is no heat (the term used to denote a slight flaw that is based upon alcohol) in the nose at all - which is really nice!  The mouth on this medium to full bodied wine starts with figs and red cherry.  The mid palate is a complex and wonderful mixture of soft integrated tannins, spice, and anise.  The finish is long, with fresh figs and smoked wood.  We really liked this Pinot, and see it having a place in our cellars in the future as well.

Ramon Cardova Rioja 2005 - Score: B
This wine is one a bit young yet, a lively wine, looking for a story to tell. The nose on this bright-colored ruby red wine is filled with cranberry, cloves, coffee, and wood. The nose starts off hot, but blows off over time. The mouth of this medium bodied wine is soft and starts with fresh raspberry and cherry. The middle is spicy, with integrated tannins and wood. The finish is long with wood, coffee, and vanilla accompaniment.

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Chateau Tour Des Agasseaux and Four Gates Cabernet Franc

October 20, 2008 by winemusings

We were invited over to a friend’s of ours house and I brought over a bottle of Saint-Emilion wine.  I was really hopeful that the wine would have a good showing, but alas it was not meant to be.  Still the evening was awesome.  Our friend as usual made food to die for.  There was poached fish, lamb stew, roast, and tons of sides.  The food was the star of the evening and we really thank her as always for such a warm and friendly home.

The wine notes follow below:

Chateau Tour Des Agasseaux Lussac Saint-Emilion 2001 - Score: B+
The nose on this garnet colored wine is active with cassis, cherry, and a nice dollop of wood.  The velvety mouth on this medium to full bodied wine starts with cassis and plums.  The mid palate is the problem - it is MIA, really not there.  Actually it is a hole and that is its flaw.  The finish is long with spice, mint, tobacco, and wood flavors.  The loss of the mid palate is a real shame as I was looking forward to better showing by this wine.

Four Gates Cabernet Franc N.V. (Original Release 1997 & 1998 Vintages) - Score: A-
WOW!  Just a bit of background.  Four Gates has released two N.V. Cabernet Sauvignon vintages in a row.  So, to distinguish between the use the cork.  A long 2+ inch cork is the telltale sign of the original release (97+98), while a shorter cork is congruent with the later N.V. release.  The nose on this garnet and orange tinged wine, is more akin to a Cabernet as is much of the wine’s current attitudes, and is filled with cassis, cherry, and oak.  The mouth on this medium to full bodied wine is still electric and velvety with blackberry, raspberry, and cherry flavors.  The mid palate has nicely integrated tannins, while the finish is nice with cherry and vanilla.  Quite a nice showing for a wine of this age.

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Tekiah Tempranillo Reserve, Four Gates Chardonnay, and Rothberg Cellars Shiraz

October 18, 2008 by winemusings

This weekend saw us spending a glorious pair of days at our friend’s home.  They are as always the consummate hosts, and we truly enjoyed it.  The meals were divine and I brought over a few bottles to share.  The first is a little known bottle from a company called Tekiah and it was enjoyable.  As always the Four Gates Chard was the star.  The Rothberg Shiraz was OK, but too simple a wimpy for my tastes.

The wine notes follow below:

Tekiah Reserva Tempranillo 2007 - Score: B

The nose on this ruby colored wine is filled with spice and cherry.  The mouth on this light to medium wine is really just cherry and more cherry.  The mid palate is a bit spicy with no tannins to be found.  The finish is accompanied with spice and a touch of coffee.

Rothberg Cellars Shiraz 2004 - Score: B

The nose on this garnet colored wine was strong with cherry and raspberry notes.  The mouth on this medium bodied wine is still tight and young.  It has notes of raspberry and plum.  The mid palate is really quite plain.  The finish is average long and has nice notes of sweet wood and a hint of spice.

Four Gates Chardonnay 2000 - Score: A

Not much has changed with this one since I last blogged it.  I have a few left, but I say it has hit its peak - drink up and be happy.

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Brisket, Hagafen Zinfandel 2004, and Hagafen Zinfandel Moskowite Ranch Block 61 Reserve 2004

September 30, 2008 by winemusings

It was our turn to run the Rosh Hashana seder with all those simanim.  Being of North African descent my parents would prepare a different set of symbolic treats than most do, and we prepare them in a classically Tunisian manner.  That would be to steep the vegetables into egg, followed by honey, followed by oil, then flour, and finally - for the final step - they dropped it into a pot of boiling oil!  You see the Tunisians see life as a combination of oil, oil, and more oil.  The recipe for Tunisian meatballs (termed boulettes) is meatballs fried in oil - you have got to love tradition.  Well we could not really hack that - sorry to break with tradition here.  So we came up with a nice and sweet (pun intended) alternative.  The simanim are eaten in this order:

  1. Dates or Figs - no extra preparation
  2. Black Eyed Peas or Fava Beans - boiled and served plain
    1. Note: Black Eyed Peas, Cumin, and Olive Oil mixed together are a classical Middle Eastern food and are really awesome.  However, these beans are served plain as we want a sweet year, not a cuminy one!
  3. Leeks - prepared as described below
  4. Spinach - prepared by creating a sweet parve spinach casserole and cutting pieces out and serving them to each person.
  5. Butternut Squash - prepared as described below
  6. Pomegranate - opened ahead of time and served the seeds
  7. Sweet Apple - again simple assortment of sweet apples served on plate
  8. Fish Head - always a big hit on our table (that was stated tongue and cheek).  Still the idea is to eat some of the fish head, so we find some edible part from the end of the head.  We have known friends of ours that would eat the eyes, but that would always gross out the whole table.  I have often wondered if they did it more for affect then actual gastronomical enjoyment.

So to get around the deep fried vegetables, we came up with a new technique.  Simply cut the vegetables up, and place them on a cookie sheet.  Then pour honey over them and broil them for 15 or so minutes.  It needs to be slightly charred and then the food is perfect.  This is served cold, so no need to worry about drying them out when reheated.  Far healthier I think, and really quite yummy!

After the simanim we served roasted lemon garlic Tilapia.  Then we served one of my favorite meals - Sweet and Sour braised brisket.  I have described it before and what makes this so good is the fact that I cool it before cutting it over night.  This gives the gelatin in the meat time to re-congeal and really get yummy.  However, cutting hard gelatin is really HARD work, so be ready to pay for the good stuff.  But when reheated the meat is tender and awesome.

To match the brisket I took out two wines that had been sitting in waiting for a couple of years.  The wait was worth it.  They were just absolutely exquisite and paired fantastically with the sweet and sour meat.  Ernie did himself proud with these two Zinfandel wines.

The wine notes follow below:

Hagafen Zinfandel Moskowite Ranch Block 61 Reserve 2004 - Score: A-
Only one word describes this wine - wild! Yep, this is one crazy wine and one that places on a roller coaster and does not let you off till the wine has long left your mouth. The nose on this dark garnet to black colored wine is filled with blackberry, dates, currants, and wood. The mouth on this full bodied wine starts with blackberry and continues with raspberry into the mid palate which is where the roller coaster starts its twists and turns. The super extracted flavors of spice, wood, and a hint of tar, hit you along with the now integrated tannins. The finish is super long with pepper, oak, more extraction, and a nice dollop of chocolate, to finish it off. This is a wine that could have sat a bit more, but was super enjoyable and worth getting still.

Hagafen Zinfandel 2004 - Score: B+
This is a bit easier on the palate then its block 61 sibling. The nose on this garnet colored wine has aromas of chocolate, raspberry, black cherry, and figs. The mouth on this medium to full bodied wine is filled with blackberry and dark cherry. The mid palate has nice integrated tannins and lush with fruit flavors. The finish is long with leather, pepper, and cocoa. This is a real nice wine and it ready to drink now.

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Rosh Hashanah Dinner and Katlav Merlot 2005

September 29, 2008 by winemusings

First night Rosh Hashanah found us at a good friend’s house.  We were served some lovely simanim that were both sweet and had really nice texture.  We had some nice white table wine with the appetizers, followed by festive meal.  There was Parve lasagna (parve cheese - really nice), salmon, and gobs of awesome side dishes.  I brought over a Katlav Merlot 2005, while others brought over a Segal wine, whose name, unfortunately escapes my memory.

The Katlav Merlot was way more than the food could handle, but still a nice showing for the wine.  The food was out of this world, I just need to remember to bring white or lighter red wines to dinner out sometimes.

The wine notes follow below:
Katlav Merlot 2005 - Score: B+
The nose on this dark garnet to black colored wine is filled with black cherry, blackberry, mint, and wood. The mouth on this medium body to full body wine starts with blackberry and cherry. The mid palate is filled with heavy extraction, which is quite surprising for this wine, as many had it as a well rounded wine. The finish is a bit more extraction followed by vanilla and black cherry into a long and satisfying finish. I think this wine is far better than people have scored it.

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Tagine Leftovers, Goose Bay Pinot Noir 2005, and Lagavulin 16 yr

September 21, 2008 by winemusings

Well, my nephew and friend are in town (as he studies towards his PhD) and they came on by for dinner.  We openly told them that we were in leftover mode still, but that the food was killer good (unbiased of course).  It was a great time we started off with some Four Gates Chardonnay 2002 (that I had chilling in the fridge), and continued on with the Tagine from Friday, along with a lovely Goose Bay Pinot Noir 2005.  I have strong feelings towards the 2005 version.  It has more pepper and life in it than the 2006 edition.  Of course that is still subjective.  However, the conversation and warmness was just great!  It was a night that we truly enjoyed.  We topped the night off with one of my favorite scotches; Lagavulin 16 Year and a few slices of chocolate cake!

The wine notes follow below:

2005 Goose Bay Pinot Noir - Score: A-
I really love this vintage. The nose on this light ruby colored wine is rushing with cherry, strawberry, and cloves. The mouth on this medium bodied wine is fresh and alive with raspberry, strawberry, and some cherry. The mid palate has hints of cloves while the finish is spicy and long. A real treat. I like this vintage more than the 2006, because of the spicy finish and the perceived fuller body. The wine opens up as it lies in your glass - the finish gets more pronounced as time goes on - very nice.

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Katlav Cabernet, Ella Valley VC Cabernet, Zemora Castra Red, and Tagine

September 19, 2008 by winemusings

Tajine Pot

Tagine Pot

This past weekend I decided it was time to go out and make some food that was not quite run of the mill.  On my last trip to Israel I went to a Moroccan Restaurant and fell in love with Tagine (there seems to be a discussion about the correct spelling of Tagine or is it Tajine :-), either way the food tastes great!).  So I started searching for recipes to how to make a Tagine.  Well the official manner is with a Tagine itself used to slow cook or braise stews.  The beauty of the Tagine is the evaporative and condensing powers it beholds.  You see the genius behind this earthenware pot is in its tight seal and its tepee cover.  The tight seal means none of the flavors or good stuff evaporates outside of the pot.  Meanwhile inside the pot crazy stuff is going on.  The meat, fruit, and spices are percolating away and getting denser and richer and flavors are melding into the liquid which is evaporating under the oven’s heat.  But because of its ingenious cover, the liquid that evaporates and does not leave the well sealed pot, condenses and further adds flavors to the overall dish.  The sad thing is that most of us do not have one of these killer pots, or one big enough to feed 12 people.  So I went with my Le Creuset knockoff from Lodge, which did the trick.  The dish came out fantastic and was really a hit.  Of course with all that spice packed food, one needs wine that will stand up to the intense flavors.  So I had a few wines that have been sitting in the cellar waiting for their time on the table.  All of them hail from Israel and they were fun to drink, but No A’s today, my friends.  One wine scored an A- but no knockout.  Still they were enjoyable and kept up with the meal, which was the most important thing.

On an aside two of the wines traveled with me from Israel (the Castra Red and the Katlav Cabernet).  You remember my visit to the Katlav Winery and my visit to the Zemora Winery on my previous trip to Israel.  The good news is that you do not need to go to Israel and schlep one back.  The Katlav Cab and Merlot are available here in the US - it is imported by Abarbanel (who is really not stepping up - but that is a different topic for another time).  Do a quick Google on Katlav Cabernet and you will find many reputable shops that carry the wine (along with the far better Merlot).  The Zemora wine is not currently exported to the USA - but the winery is supposedly being sold, so I have no more information at this time.

The wine notes follow below:
2004 Zemora Castra Red - Score: B+
This wine is a blend of 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 3% Shiraz and 2% Petit Verdot. The nose on this inky black wine is very Syrah like (which is strange given that the wine is so low in Syrah) Blackberry, cassis, mint, and wood. The mouth on this full bodied wine is layered, starting with cassis and blackberry, but mixed with some tart cherry and blueberry. The mid palate is a tannic and green, the finish is nice but dominated by wood and acid

2002 Ella Valley Vineyard’s Choice Cabernet Sauvignon - Score: A-
The nose on this black colored wine has blackberry, cloves, plum, and wood notes. The mouth on this soft full bodied wine is filled with blackberry, cassis, and wood. The mid palate is lush and balanced with caressing tannins. The finish is long with wood, tobacco, and hints of chocolate. This soft and full bodied wine is another example of the 2002 curse. It is a wine whose fruit is going fast and one that is well balanced without an overpowering wood presence.

2005 Katlav Cabernet Sauvignon - Score: B+
This nose on this deep garnet colored wine is filled with blackberry, cloves, and spicy wood. The mouth on this medium bodied wine has notes of blackberry and plum. The mid palate is acidic and herbal. The finish is filled with oak, oak, and more oak. The spicy oak overpowers the finish and I think takes away from an otherwise decent wine.

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