4/2000. Bought locally, May-98 for $27.
Bustan is a relatively new Israeli boutique winery. This is my first taste of their Cabernet Sauvignon. Their '95 Merlot which I tasted a couple of years ago was quite nice.
COLOR: Dark violet-red with slight clearing around the rim.
NOSE: Pronounced Cabernet dark fruit. Neither deep and complex nor simple or superficial. Reasonably concentrated nose that shows however much too much oak elements.
TASTE: Not a big wine though fruity and tasty. Again, overoaked for its structure but with good winyness, pleasing fruit and overall appealing flavors.
LENGTH: Medium-length, pleasant aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium bodied, good fruit, reasonably complex flavors and overly oaked, Soft tannins but somewhat short in acidity. I wouldn't call it unbalanced, though it is certainly not a well-balanced wine.
OVERALL: Good. Certainly better than most Israeli wines but not up to the level of Yarden, Castel or Yair Margalit (when they are good).

MARK: 16/20.

BUY MORE? Maybe.

Reach Me? yak@yakshaya.com

Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.