It has great deals and a TON of kosher wine, and has free shipping for a case. The rest of the wines are the normal suspects, but this year’s crop is a bit better than last year. Throughout the fight, every minute or so a friendly waiter mob will run out to one of these four markers and stand there waiting for about 15-20 seconds. Drink until 2022. The mouth is full bodied and incredible with the same style as the Chevalier, but with more finesse, mouth coating soft tannin that is extracted with blue fruit, earth, rich concentration, with more saline and power, yet showing incredible precision that is coating and impressive. The mouth on this wine is starting to show its age, with nice dirt, blue and black fruit, with loads of tar, lovely acid, and mouth coating tannin, that is still feeling well, but the wine is losing its speed. This is a fun classic Cali wine, floral, sweet, spices galore, with sweet oak, and lovely red and blue fruit. I first (and I’m embarrassed to say, last) spoke to Benyomin when i had a wine making question related to my garage wine about 1 1/2 years ago.  Having never spoken to me before I called him (he lists his phone number on his website) the warm Benyomin spent 45 minutes on the phone with me helping me out with my problem. The not-mevushal Rothschild was outstanding in France. WOW! The nose on this wine is even crazier than the Chevalier, showing more umami and soy sauce if that is possible, with incredible finesse, showing massive power, but great mineral and concentration, with black and red fruit, foliage galore with tar and roasted animal. The supreme bounty comes from the fact that Royal released the 2018 French wines a bit early! The finish is long, green, with loads of more tobacco, plum, and rich mineral, graphite, and hints of barnyard under the foliage and forest floor! 2011 Four Gates Cabernet Sauvignon, Monte Bello Ridge, Betchart Vineyard – Score: 93 This wine is the blackest of the bunch by far and a very rich wine as well. Drink from 2021 to 2031. This wine is purple in color and now fully integrated and perfectly balanced and mouth coating with black and red fresh fruit! The rest of the wines are the normal suspects, but this year’s crop, like last year, is really impressive. Drink until 2022. The Best Wine of the year goes to a wine well worthy of the title. I have enjoyed the 1996 and 1997 versions of Benyamin’s wines and it is because of his care and control that he has for his vineyard. Bravo! 2005 Four Gates Syrah, Special Reserve – Score: 91 I have immense faith in Benyo’s wines that are sourced from his vineyard and the Monte Bello Ridge vineyard. 1997 Four Gates Merlot – Score: 95+ M.S.C. I have enjoyed the 1996 and 1997 versions of Benyamin’s wines and it is because of his care and control that he has for his vineyard. This year I am adding the “wine of the year”, and “best wine of the year”. I used the tasting to do an interesting side by side comparison of the 2007 Yarden Blanc de Blancs and the newly released 2007 Yarden Blanc de Blancs late disgorged. In the end, the winner of the BEST kosher wine of 2017 goes to the 2015 Chateau Leoville Poyferre, and it deserves the crown – bravo!! Many people have been wondering Kyaddondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine is not in town amidst the debate on the proposed amendment of Article 102 (b) of the Constitution on presidential age limit. This wine is 9 years old and it looks young. WOW!!! Today, sunday, Wine Tasting Guy needed a break from the family madness and wanted to put in some professional time.  I have heard very good things about the Santa Cruz Mountains based “Four Gates winery”.  Given its reasonable proximity to where I’m staying and the winemaker’s warm and gracious personality, I made the 50 minute drive down south to visit Benyomin at his winery. The nose on this wine is lovely, as it opens, it is ripe to start with loads of fruit, mounds of finesse, and sweet oak, with rich mineral, herb, black fruit, with a bit of red in the background, and lovely graphite, and spice. That is a hotly debated subject, but IMHO, in the world of kosher wine, there were FAR more best wine options in the 2014 vintage than any other vintage in the past decade. I had bought the wines but I had no one to try them with, so when Eli and his friends said we are coming into the area, I told Benyo and we used it as a great opportunity to share some wines. Downtime and lost production can cost millions of dollars a day in the oil & gas industry. Read the rest of this entry →, Posted in Kosher Red Wine, Kosher Semi Sweet Wine, Kosher White Wine, Kosher Wine, Tags: Ayala, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Four Gates Winery, Frere Robaire, Merlot, Merlot M.S.C., Petite Sirah, Syrah. 2013 Eccelenza, Bianco Umbria – Score: 92 to 93 Get a move on, there was not a huge production of this beauty! They were, a 1997 Four Gates Pinot Noir and a 2005 Four gates Merlot. The wine is at a point in time where it is impressive and old world, but still gripping with tannin, still it is at peak. The rest of the wines are the normal suspects, but this year’s crop, like last years, is really impressive. Disclaimer – do not blame me for posting this AFTER Benyo sold his wines. Even if the 2013 Pinot was DOA, I have had good success with Gvaot Pinot Noir. Benyamin’s wine, Four Gates. Benyamin Cantz founded the Four Gates Winery on a hillside in the Santa Cruz Mountains … Drink by 2025, 2014 Four Gates MPSZ – Score: 91 As you all know, I am a huge fan of Four Gates Winery, and yes he is a dear friend. The mouth on this medium bodied wine is fun with raspberry, plum, ripe juicy strawberry, blueberry, all wrapped in nice tannin, with nice mineral, spice, and zesty fruit. Other than maybe Yarden and Yatir (which are off my buying lists â€“ other than their whites and bubblies), very few if any release wines later than Four Gates. 2020 kosher wine year and decade in review - glass half empty, 2013 Eagle’s Landing Pinot Noir (the 2015 and 2016 were too ripe for me). This wine was very close to what we tasted from the barrel. The finish is long, green, sweet, herbal, oily, with saline, honey, almonds, and sweet notes lingering forever long. Opens in a new window. (tasted December 2020), Posted in Kosher French Wine, Kosher Red Wine, Kosher Sparkling Wine, Kosher White Wine, Wine, Tags: Alexander Valley, Arneis, Assai, Blanc de Blanc, Brut, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chablis, Chalk Hill, Chateau Cantenac Brown, Chateau de Santenay, Chateau Guiraud, Chateau Haut Breton Larigaudiere, Chateau Haut Condissas, Chateau Lafon Rochet, Chateau Le Crock, Chateau Pavillon de Leoville Poyferre, Chateau Piada, Château Marquisat de Binet, Chianti Classico, Clone Six, Clos Lavaud, Clos Mesorah, Cuvee Abel, Dampt Freres, Domaine Netofa, Eagle's Landing, Echo de Roses Camille, el26, Elviwines, Forebearers, Four Gates Winery, Gevrey Chambertin, Gran Selezione, Grand Cru, Herzog Cellars Winery, Jean-Philippe Marchand, Kos Yeshuos, Latour, Margaux, Mercurey, Merlot, Meursault, Nuits Saint Georges, Pavillon de Leoville Poyferre, Pescaja, Pinot Noir, Premier Cru, Priorat, Special Edition, Special Reserve, Terra di Seta, Terre Alfieri, top kosher wines, Viognier, Volnay, Yarden Winery. Four Gates Kosher Estate Bottled wine is a perfect gift for Purim or Passover. No, this year “the wine of the year” is indeed a QPR superstar, but not the king, it is the 2014 Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon, Special Reserve, Alexander Valley. Now, separately, I love red wines, but white wines – done correctly, are a whole other story! Read the post and all the subsequent posts about Four Gates wine releases, especially this post of Four Gates â€“ that truly describes the lore of Four Gates Winery. Lovely nose of earth, dirt, green notes, caraway seeds, coffee grinds, with black fruit hiding behind good bright notes, and mineral. Pinterest. Super gracious cousins of ours put a bunch of us up in their spectacular Palo Alto home and the East Coast (parents & I), West Coast (sister & brother in law) & Israel based (brother, sister-in-law & niece) family members are all getting in some good family time. The finish is long with mouth coating tannin, bittersweet chocolate, tobacco, and sweet herb. That said, the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes he receives from the Monte Bello Ridge shows the same care and love in the wines we have enjoyed since 2009. Four Gates Winery information page with winery and vineyard description, contact details, list of Four Gates wines produced, website links, and information about wine retailers and … It is the flagship wine of Chateau Lascombes. Sqoop has learnt that he is in the US where he was invited by Bill and Melinda Gates and a conference on health. Gotham WinesIf you cannot find the wine at KosherWine or Skyview then it is probably at Gotham wines. I grow Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc on 3.5 acres. 2015 Chateau Grand Puy Ducasse – Score: 94 It’s, you know, it’s not a survivor like Cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and thrive even when it’s neglected. The mouth is old world, wow, give me a break, in ways the wine is crazy better than the Warneke (Special Edition), but with years the Warneke will pass it. Bravo!! First of all that is a flat-out lie. Please enjoy this bit of respite as we wish you a happy, healthy and safe Pesach/Passover! Sure there have been crazy cult wines, like the 2005 and 2006 DRC wines, or some other such rarities. Tags: Ayala, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Four Gates Winery, Frere Robaire, La Rochelle, Merlot, MPSZ, Pinot Noir. All that matters is that it is/was available this year sometime to the public at large and that I tasted it in a reliable environment, not just at a tasting, and that it was scored an A- to A or higher. Also, there are a few lower scoring wines here because of their uniqueness or really good QPR. Though the flaw was only recognizable on the nose but not at all on the palate. You have a 2014 Four Gates Pinot Noir, an NV Four Gates Cabernet Franc (a blend of the 2014 & 2015 vintages), the 2013 Four Gates Merlot, La Rochelle, the 2013 Four Gates Cabernet Sauvignon, Monte Bello Ridge, Betchart Vineyard, and the 2013 Four Gates Frere Robaire. Also, a Petit Verdot from Santa Clara Valley AVA, and another Malbec from the same vineyard as in 2017, in Santa Cruz but not from the Four Gates vineyards. In the end, it is awesome to get some more unique wines and grapes, especially in the white wine arena! Right now, the best bet is France and the USA, with a drop from Israel, and after that, we are on empty. This is a blend of 2014 and 2015 vintages. 2013 Four Gates Frere Robaire – Score: 94 Along with a new entry a 2015 Ayala Claret wine. The finish is long and green with focus and power, showing dark chocolate, foliage, with scraping mineral, graphite, and mounds of earth lingering long. To the French, Pinot Noir is called Burgundy – following the tradition of French wineries to name their wines after the region where the grapes are grown. The notes speak for themselves, but to me overall, the Late disgorged is not worth the money. very close to what we tasted from the barrel, WOW, how this wine changed from when we tasted it in the barrel, Four Gates Winery’s January 2018 new releases, this post of Four Gates – that truly describes the lore of Four Gates Winery, The start of 2020 roses and whites and six QPR WINNERS, Two more 2018 French wines with a perennial QPR WINNER. This wine is currently far more Bordeaux in style than that of a Spanish Priorat! This wine is a fruity, really new world in style, this is the Cab to which Benyo added acid. Read the rest of this entry →, Posted in Israeli Wine, Kosher French Wine, Kosher Red Wine, Kosher White Wine, Kosher Wine, Wine, Tags: 1er Cru, 2017, Alexander Valley, Blanche, Bro Deux, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Capcanes, carignan, Chardonnay, Chateau Giscours, Chateau La Tour Blanche Sauternes, Chateau Leoville Poyferre, Chateau Malartic Lagraviere, Chateau Marsac Seguineau, Chateau Moulin Riche, Chateau Pape Clement, Chateau Rayne Vigneau, Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, Chateau Soutard, Chateau Tour Saint Christophe, Château Grand-Puy Ducasse, Château Lascombes, Chevalier de Lascombes, Clone Six, Domaine Chantal Lescure, Domaine Netofa, Four Gates Winery, Frere Robaire, Gefen Hashalom, Herzog Cellars Winery, Hutte Oberemmel, Kabinett, La Flor del Flor de Primavera, La Rochelle, Les Marronniers Chablis, Limited Edition, Merlot, Misty Hills, Mosel, Nik Weis, Ockfener, Old Musketeer, Pommard, Riesling, Russian River, Saar, Samso, Sauternes, Scharzhofberg, Special Reserve, Tel Qasser, top kosher wines, Tzora Winery, Vintage Whites, Von Hovel, Yaacov Oryah Winery. That was not MY choice. Hagafen and Vitkin have left me wanting more, and forget the rest of Israel’s Pinot Noirs. Some of these wines are available in the USA, some only in Europe, and a few only available in Israel. Posted in Kosher White Wine, Kosher Wine, Wine, Wine Tasting, Tags: Bianco Umbria, Camuna Cellars, Eccelenza, Four Gates Winery, Gruner Veltliner, High Vibes, M.S.C., Merlot, Shirah Winery, Tasting Room, White. The other wines, that he creates from other sources, are sometimes wonderful, like the 2014 Four Gates Petit Sirah that I enjoyed over the past Shabbat. The slowest releaser may well be Domaine Roses Camille. This wine is 9 years old and it looks young. All that matters is that it is/was available this year sometime to the public at large and that I tasted it in a reliable environment, not just at a tasting, and that it was scored a 92 or higher. This shop will be powered by Shopify "Close" Enter store using password Password Enter Are you the store owner? 2018 Elvi Wines EL26, Elite, Priorat â€“ Score: 93 (QPR: WINNER)This wine is a blend of 80% Garnacha (Grenache) and 20% Carignan. VIEW GATES… The wine is unique, old world, and truly wonderful. Read the post and all the subsequent posts about Four Gates wine releases, especially this post of Four Gates – that truly describes the lore of Four Gates Winery. Finally, some of these wines are hard to find and they may have different siblings – but they are worth the effort. The wine notes follow below – the explanation of my “scores” can be found here: This one was a no-brainer to me. The last time we enjoyed his wines was last year Purim, but this one included even older wines. The rest of the world is choosing sides. Bravo!!! In the past, I had not yet tasted the pape Clement or other such wines. Today, sunday, Wine Tasting Guy needed a break from the family madness and wanted to put in some professional time. Read the post and all the subsequent posts about Four Gates wine releases, especially this post of Four Gates – that truly describes the lore of Four Gates Winery. Lovely! The first and oldest that I enjoyed was the 1996 vintage Merlot, long before Benyamin used monikers like La Rochelle, M.S.C., or Cuvee D 🙂. Other than maybe Yarden and Yatir (which are off my buying lists – other than their whites and bubblies), very few if any release wines later than Four Gates. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine is not overly extracted, but it is well extracted, with good mouth and fruit texture, with incredible acid, good fruit focus, showing dark cherry, plum, ripe and tart raspberry, strawberry, oak, vanilla, and garrigue, with green notes, and lovely mouth-draping tannin. Drink from 2021 to 2030. Throw in the incredible number of kosher European wines that are coming to the USA and being sold in Europe and this was truly a year of bounty for European kosher wines. The notes speak for themselves. Drink from 2020 to 2030. Four Daughters Vineyard and Winery is the perfect location for tourists, visitors and locals. I did not bring a camera or notebook (though a camera would have been a good idea) – instead, we simply sat, chatted & sipped his 2005 “MSC” Merlot. It has been stated that great wine starts in the vineyard, and when it comes to Four gates wine, it is so true. Of course, it includes the 2014 Mourvedre, which is also being released a single varietal under the Ayala label. This is a wine that was produced by Ricardo Cotarella for his own usage and usually not commercially available, yet this one is and for the first time kosher. Also, there are a few lower scoring wines here because of their uniqueness or really good QPR. The last one was the epic 2015 Shirah Gruner Veltliner. Bravo!!! This year we have the 2016 Syrah and the 2016 Petit Sirah, along with the classics. 2003 Four Gates Merlot – Score: 93 This wine is a blend of 70% Verdicchio, 30% Malvasia. The nose on this wine is rich and black, with floral hints, smoke, mineral, and really pushed for now, but incredible and redolent with a perfume of ripe fruit, chocolate, and green notes. In the hills of Santa Cruz, lives a very special kind of man growing a very special kind of wine. The nose on this wine is lovely with mineral, spice, graphite, anise, licorice, blackberry, plum, lovely barnyard, and rich green notes. The wines on the list this year are all available here in the USA, in Europe, and a few can be found in Israel, as well. Enjoy! It has lasting power. Lovely wine, but slightly corked, with rich plum, blackberry, earthy, green, and foliage, with sweet dill, oak, and loads of herb, with lovely spices.