9/99. Bought locally, Mar-94 for $18.
Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon, the flagship wine of the Golan Wineries, is by far the best commercially available Israeli wine.
This here was last of 15 bottles I have had from this vintage.
COLOR: Deep purple-red with additional violet hues. Moderately sedimented at the bottom.
NOSE: Very nice mixture of ripe black fruits and wood elements. Rich, deep and pure, though not exceedingly complex.
TASTE: Simply fantastic. Mouthfilling sweetish prune-like flavors. Velvety smooth. Intensely concentrated with plenty of winyness, lots of flavors, and soft receding tannins.
LENGTH: Only medium-long but very nice aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied, meaty wine. Totally integrated and harmonious. Superb balance between fruit and wood, though lacks somewhat in acidity and grip (very common in Israeli wines).
OVERALL: Superb (maybe even more...)! At its absolute peak now but will not stay there long.

MARK: 18/20.

BUY MORE? Yes.

Reach Me? yak@yakshaya.com

Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.