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Castel 'C' Chardonnay 1998 E. Ben-Zaken

8/2000. Acquired from the winery Apr-2000.
This is the first commercially available Chardonnay made by Eli Ben-Zaken of the Castel winery in Israel
COLOR: Deep golden color. Looks opulent and viscous.
NOSE: Very nice nose that is a mixture of white fruit, minerals and medium-heavy oak notes. Deep and concentrated, but not of the tropical-fruit type. Could be mistaken for a very decent white Burgundy.
TASTE: Mouth-filling and expensive on the palate. More minerally than fruity with good texture and focus. Not unlike a nice village Meursault (though not a Premiere Cru as it lacks the typical buttery fatness). Good acidity - often lacking in Israeli wines - adds freshness to the balanced taste.
LENGTH: Medium-long and gentle aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium-bodied relatively densely-textured wine. Finely balanced and quite forward now though will benefit from another year or two in bottle.
OVERALL: A fine wine. Israeli white wines are usually insipid and/or boring. This new wine from Castel is a timely addition to the few good ones.
MARK: 17.5/20.BUY MORE? Yes.


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Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.