Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, Yarden
27th September 2008
I have never found Jesus an especially attractive personality, but one of the few things he did that meets with my wholehearted approval was to turn water into wine. One wonders what the results tasted like. A great DRC Burgundy, such as La Tâche? A Pétrus-style Bordeaux? Or, given that the occasion was a wedding, a mighty Champagne like Dom Perignon or Krug? In first-century Palestine that would have made their eyes pop.
Whatever the miraculous wine was like, one can only hope it did not resemble the other stuff that has been sloshing out of the Holy Land for the last few thousand years. Most of the so-called sacramental wines are sweet, syrupy reds fit only for comparison with Coca-Cola. Had any of these been served at my wedding, I would have been grateful to see them turned back into water.
Thankfully, over the last quarter-century Israeli wines have improved beyond recognition. From the late 1970s, international grape varieties have been planted in relatively cool altitudes, then vinified using modern techniques. The pioneers were Domaine du Castel and the Golan Heights Winery, makers of this week’s wine, Yarden.
Yarden’s highly impressive Cabernet Sauvignon (which also contains some Merlot and Cabernet Franc) costs around £19 in the UK, $30 in the US. Over the years it has become fairly encrusted with awards, and one can see why. It has a smoky, spicy nose, a rich array of fruit and mineral flavours, and a lengthy, constantly evolving finish. The Yarden range also includes a Merlot, a Chardonnay and a Gewürztraminer, all of which I am eager to try. If the Israelis and Syrians do ever finally make peace, they will have to reach some accommodation over the Golan Heights, which belonged to Syria until the 1967 Six-Day War. One fervently hopes the settlement will allow this outstanding label to remain in business.
