美味しいワインと出会う旅

Mark Squires

90

Drink 2007 - 2013

$35 (40)

The 2005 Petit Castel is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot, sourced from a vineyard at an altitude of 2,400 feet. It was aged for 16 months in French oak and hardly shows it. The wine was unfined and unfiltered. This Bordeaux blend is impeccably balanced, elegantly constructed, and flavorful. It is bright and lively, with moderate tannins. It will be early maturing, but while it does not quite have the depth and intensity of flavor of its big brother, it is a fine wine in its own right and a pleasure to drink. It showed better after two hours than it did on opening. I debated whether this would breach the 90 point barrier, but its fine performance in the decanter made me lean in that direction. I liked it more and more. It drank decently although not as well the next day. Drink now-2013. This is Kosher. Domaine du Castel is one of Israel's most prestigious wineries, invariably on most short lists in the "best winery of Israel" debate. Founded in 1988, it produced its first wine only in 1992. It is a little bigger than some of the micro boutiques, but still produces only around 8,300 cases a year. There is a French sensibility on the labels, from the winery's name, to the identification of the appellation (Judean Hills, near Jerusalem) as Haute Judee. This is not surprising, perhaps, given that Castel is a family run business, and son Ariel trained in Burgundy and then worked at Domaine Emile Voarick.

Mark Squires

91

Drink 2007 - 2011

$40 (40)

The 2005 Chardonnay "Blanc du Castel" is one of the best dry whites in this report. It was, like the reds, sourced from a vineyard at an altitude of 2,400 feet, and aged for 16 months in French oak and on the lees. There is a bite to this wine as it airs out, perhaps just a touch of tannin. The oak is obvious up front and particularly early on, but it recedes into the wine more and more with air. It does remain obvious, but so are the lees nuances and fruit. There is a lot of good stuff going on here. There is generally good balance, some brightness, some depth, and a respectable finish that lingers and has some intensity. This is my pick for favorite dry white in this report. Drink now-2011. This is Kosher. Domaine du Castel is one of Israel's most prestigious wineries, invariably on most short lists in the "best winery of Israel" debate. Founded in 1988, it produced its first wine only in 1992. It is a little bigger than some of the micro boutiques, but still produces only around 8,300 cases a year. There is a French sensibility on the labels, from the winery's name, to the identification of the appellation (Judean Hills, near Jerusalem) as Haute Judee. This is not surprising, perhaps, given that Castel is a family run business, and son Ariel trained in Burgundy and then worked at Domaine Emile Voarick.

Mark Squires

92

Drink 2007 - 2015

$65 (65)

The 2004 Grand Vin is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot, unfined and unfiltered and sourced from a vineyard at an altitude of 2,400 feet. It was aged for 24 months in new French oak. It is beautiful. It adds another layer or two of depth to the Petit Castel, and seems sumptuous. It is a bit oak-softened, and oak-obvious, but that should largely integrate with some age as the wine has a sufficient mid-palate to soak it up. In fact, with 90 minutes in a decanter, the fruit asserted itself to the point where the oak was inconsequential. The wine became elegant and increasingly graceful. The wine is accessible, but it has tannins on the back end which become more assertive after an hour or so. This should hold nicely in the mid-term. It is bursting with flavor and simply delicious, reminding me of a good California Cabernet Sauvignon at the outset, despite the nod to things French in the name and labeling, but becoming more Bordeaux-like as it airs out. There is just a hint of olive on the back end, which is not noticeable early on, and only pops up with aeration. This is always delicious, as well as beautifully constructed and sensually fragrant. I will be interested to see how and if it develops in the cellar, which is the only open question, but it is worth noting that it drank quite well for awhile on Day 2 also, and the hint of green did not become prominent. This is certainly a short-list contender for Israel's "Best Bordeaux-blend." Drink 2008-2015. This is Kosher. Domaine du Castel is one of Israel's most prestigious wineries, invariably on most short lists in the "best winery of Israel" debate. Founded in 1988, it produced its first wine only in 1992. It is a little bigger than some of the micro boutiques, but still produces only around 8,300 cases a year. There is a French sensibility on the labels, from the winery's name, to the identification of the appellation (Judean Hills, near Jerusalem) as Haute Judee. This is not surprising, perhaps, given that Castel is a family run business, and son Ariel trained in Burgundy and then worked at Domaine Emile Voarick.