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Reviews by
Joshua London(131)
Page 1
 Gan Eden Syrah '00
Vintage 2000
Gan Eden’s first Syrah is a real powerhouse of a wine. It is drinking seductively well now, although I think it will age nicely for five or six years yet. It has a deep, deep ruby color, with heavy but not overpowering tannins. It is medium to full bodied, complex, balanced, with white and black pepper notes, very intense fruit—something like cherry, black cherry, currant, and blackberry, with a luxurious spiciness, and definite hints of toasty oak. The finish is a little mild, but distinctive. The wine is perfect for a hearty fleishig Shabbos meal!
Gan Eden Late Harvest Gewurztraminer '00
Vintage 2000
A wine so beautiful I wish I could capture its essence in poetic form! Perfectly golden yellow in color, this sweet, refreshing, delicate, aromatic wine is perfectly balanced with hints of grapefruit, apricot and even subtle notes of pear and honey. Although a dessert wine, it drinks perfectly well on its own, and will compliment a variety of lighter dishes. Absolutely delicious!
 Gan Eden Chardonnay C'est Bouilli!
Vintage Not Specified
This medium bodied, charming non-vintage Chardonnay is distinctive and very pleasant—it doesn’t taste like a mevushal wine at all (it’s name is French for “It’s Boiled!”). Indeed, the wine even displays some of the characteristics typical of the superior Gan Eden vintage Chardonnays (like the 2000 Chard.), such as high acidity, and bright fruit flavors. This wine is very versatile, goes well with many fish and dairy dishes, heavy salads, cold cuts, and lighter poultry dishes. As a not too expensive mevushal California white wine, it would add a nice touch of class and distinction to social functions (or other occasions where a mevushal wine is needed).
Gan Eden Black Muscat
Vintage 1998
This semi-dry to sweet Kiddush-style wine is a million times better than any Concord grape kiddush wine I’ve ever tasted—although that might not be saying very much. It is, however, perfect for those who prefer a more traditional Kiddush wine but hope to expand their tastes. This light to medium bodied wine is very rich, well balanced and wonderfully distinctive. The wine has a racy cherry and strawberry background with definite notes of raspberry and flowers. This wine should go very well with a variety of desserts or dark chocolate, but is also amazingly good with cold chicken, and lighter, cold meat dishes. This wine is easily the best kosher Black Muscat on the market.
Gan Eden Cabernet Sauvignon '00
Vintage 2000
Made of 100% Cabernet grapes from several California vineyards, this lovely and quirky wine has plenty of plum, cherry, and currant, with traces of pepper, black olives, cloves, and with hints of oak in the background. It is a supple, medium to light bodied wine, full flavored, balanced, with light tannins, and drinking very well now. This will compliment most meat and heavier poultry dishes.
 Ramon Cardova Rioja
Vintage 2001
A simple, light to medium bodied, lightly wooded and lightly spiced wine with aromas and flavors of currant, cedar, and a touch of tar and damp soil. A Pleasant inexpensive wine that is easy to pair with food. Drink now.
Tierra Salvaje Tempranillo
Vintage 2001
This medium bodied, balanced wine has smooth but firm tannins and appealing flavors and aromas of black cherries, licorice, plumbs, herbs, and a certain underlying earthy quality. This wine is very pleasant, should drink well from now through 2005, and, given the price, is incredibly good value for money.
Yarden Blanc de Blancs
Vintage 1997
This straw colored sparkling wine is vibrant and complex with distinct floral, apple, peach, and lemon notes, all layered with hints of vanilla, yeast, and toast. This wonderful wine has long lasting, concentrated bubbles and an impressive finish. Although good for celebrations, the wine is excellent as an aperitif, and pairs well with sushi, delicate poultry dishes, or any dish with a light creamy sauce. It is also very good with chopped liver.
Capcanes Peraj Ha'abib
Vintage 2000
Exquisite! This deep, deep, dark purple and tremendously full bodied wine is a blend of 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Garnacha, 20% Tempranillo and 20% Carinena grapes. Rich, elegant, subtle, and beautiful, this wine opens slowly (that is, it needs to breath in the glass a bit) then reveals a cavernous, multi-layered structure of aromas and flavors with various minerals and fruits, including currants, cassis, ripe plums, cherries, subtle black cherries, blackberries, ripe plums, mocha, vanilla, licorice, toast, and roasted coffee beans. This stupendous wine a lingering finish that really echoes beautifully on the palate. This wine is EXECPTIONAL in every which way! The wine is drinking very well now, but will get much better with five to eight years of proper ageing (although it should hold up for at least 10 years).
Galil Mountain Yiron
Vintage 2000
This deep red medium to full bodied wine is an enticing blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. This supple wine has generous but not overpowering tannins that are nicely integrated into the aromas and flavors of plum, black cherry, dark chocolate, dried herbs, and all with a general background of vanilla and oak. There is also a sublte but distinctive earthy/grassy aspect to the wine... Very nice indeed. This moderately complex wine has a long finish and, given the price, is terrific bang for your buck.
 Hagafen Syrah
Vintage 1999
This purplish, medium bodied, red wine has excellent balance and a marvelous structure. Made from 100% Syrah grapes grown in the heart of the Napa Valley (from the great Page Nord Vineyard), this earthy wine's mellow integrated tannins smoothly blend and balance with aromas and flavors of black pepper, herbs, spice, cherry, anise, plum, wild berries, blackberry, and toasty vanilla oak. As it opens in the glass, the wine also has hints of nutmeg, clove, and even a tinge of licorice. The wine has a long and pleasing finish that showcases a bit more toasty oak and chewy tannins. This beautiful and delicious wine is drinking exceedingly well now, and should stay at its peak for another year or so.
Hagafen Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage 1999
This Cabernet Sauvignon is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon blended with 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Syrah, aged for twenty months in small oak barrels. The result is a classic, structured, and elegant Napa Valley Cabernet with distinct notes of chocolate, red currant, cherry-berry fruit, balanced by earthy and herbal flavors, with a very delicate overlay of vanilla and oak. The silky tannins make this a rich, dense, and chewy wine. It is drinking very well now, but can age for a few years longer. This wine will drink very well with steaks, briskets, and virtually all hearty meat dishes.
 Hagafen Merlot Napa Valley
Vintage 1998
The 1998 Merlot is 90% Merlot blended with 5% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. This delicious wine is medium bodied, with pretty good balance between soft but present tannins, fruit flavors (black cherry, wild berries, red and black currants), and oak. The wine also has distinct notes of pepper. The wine is at its peak now, and will drink well for another year or two.
 Abarbanel Beaujolais Villages
Vintage 2002
This wine, like all the wines in the region, is made entirely from Gamay grapes, and so must be drunk young (within two years, often much less, of bottling). This wine is light ruby red in color, and VERY light bodied—too much so, in fact. Still, this wine is typical of Gamay wines from Beaujolais in that it retains a simple but vivacious quality of freshly picked fruits, making it just lively enough to still be enjoyable as a very simple, fruity, semi-dry to sweet wine. It should be served lightly chilled. Drink now.
Chateau Grand Noyer Lalande De Pomerol
Vintage 1997
Deep garnet with a dark brick hue in color, this medium to full bodied wine is fully mature, and is drinking exceptionally well now (it should survive another year or two if cellared properly). The wine features appealing plum, currant, berry and cherry fruits, nicely supported by the lovely, mellowed tannins. Drink now through 2005.
Herzog Special Reserve Russian River Chardonnay
Vintage 2000
This is a crisp, medium to full bodied, fruity, pale golden colored Chardonnay. The wine is rich, subtle, and extremely good. Lush and mouth-filling, the wine is generously/ heavily oaked, giving the wine a creamy, buttery, texture. With hints of smoky oak and plenty of vanilla in the background, and notes of green apple, pear, fig, and tropical fruit in the foreground, the wine is balanced and elegant. It is drinking well now, and should continue to do so for a few years yet.
Weinstock Contour
Vintage 1999
This is an amazing wine. Although a California Chenin Blanc (it is 90% Chenin Blanc and 10% Chardonnay), this golden straw colored medium bodied wine is remarkably reminiscent of the Loire Valley white wines of France, particularly a nice crisp, sturdy Vouvray. When first poured, the wine has a faint eucalyptus like smell. Swish the wine around in your glass a bit and the fruit aromas become perceptible. After a few minutes of fresh air, however, the wine really comes to life, charging forward with peach, green apples, citrus, melons, vanilla, and even some light mineral notes. Swish the wine around your glass a bit more, and a whole parade of different fruit notes dance out to you. The wine also has an appealing and slightly subdued hint of distant smoke. The wine
Tzora Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage 2002
Tzora, Stone Ridge, 2002: This garnet colored, medium bodied blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot presents a pleasurable assortment of aromas and flavors of smoke, light spices, plum, currant, and blackberries, with a hint of tobacco, nuts, and a distant whiff of "Starbucks" in the finish. The wine has soft tannins and a somewhat simple, though appealing, structure. This is very nice, and definitely worth a try. Drink now through the next two to three years.
Tio Pepe Dry Sherry
Vintage Not Specified
This bright, very pale straw colored light white wine exhibits brilliant aromas of bread/yeast, straw, green olives, almonds, fruit, and brine. The flavors of this very dry wine are an immensely pleasurable mixture of almonds, walnuts, fruits, olive oil, salty crackers, and Granny Smith apples. Tio Pepe has a lovely long and smooth finish that is bone-dry, refreshing, a little tangy, and a tad herbaceous. It is an excellent aperitif, seriously wets the appetite, and is my preferred wine to serve between fish and meat on Shabbos. Not for all tastes, but an excellent and enjoyable wine. Should be drunk young and well chilled -- keep it in the fridge and drink it up within a week or so after opening.
Kolobarra Hills Chardonnay
Vintage 2002
Bright, simple, and tasty, this Chardonnay exhibits some classic aromas and flavors of green apples and citrus fruits, as well as a touch of pineapple, peach and melon. Nothing too complex, but enjoyable and easy to drink. This wine is particularly good as an introduction to drier white wines. Drink now.
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