Tabor Winery:Amid spring-filled wadis, Tabor winery and vineyards stretch along the foot of Mt. Tabor. Mt. Tabor is a unique mountain at the Western edge of the Jezereel Valley. It is at the crossroads of the ancient trade routes north to Damascus and East-West routes through the Jezreel Valley. It had a lot of strategic significance and was the border between the Naftali, Issachar and Zebulun Hebrew tribes during biblical times. The mountain itself is geologically a 'horst' (a raised fault block) and juts out of the middle of the valley like a big, round point. The site is quite breathtaking. Besides being a fantastic place to grow grapes with four uniquely different soil composites, Mt. Tabor is a great place to visit to enjoy the natural beauty and experience its historical significance.
In the 19th century, the French baron Edmond de Rothschild was taken by the unique setting of Mt. Tabor as an ideal place to cultivate grapes. Since then, for over 120 years the village’s residents have grown quality grapes for the wine industry and marketed their produce to other wineries.
In 1999, four families decided to embark on the independent production of wine. These families have built this winery to one of Israel's growing medium-sized wineries.
I have chosen two wines from their 'Adama' (soil) collection to be included in this shipment. They are bottled from different vineyards on unique soil types in order to accentuate the differences in the wines’ tastes that the soil makes in the final wine.
Tasting Notes:Tabor, Adama, Volcanic Soil, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006: Dark, red color, Violet aromas, raspberries, cranberries, graphite, blue cheese. Decent structure, with high acidity. Very low tannins. Retail Price: $24.99
Tabor, Adama, Chalk Soil, Merlot, 2006: wet, red stones, metallic, cinnamon sticks, menthol, with bright, acidic mouth, very light tannins. Retail Price: $24.99
Tabor Website in EnglishDalton Winery:The Dalton Winery overlooks Mount Hermon near Kerem Ben Zimra, in the beautiful green mountainous country of the Upper Galilee, five kilometers from the Lebanese border.
Established in 1995, the Dalton Winery started in the back yard of the Maman family in Moshav Kerem Ben Zimra. They started with less than 1,700 cases and now make over 58,000 cases of wine. Between that time, the Haruni Family, immigrants from London, invested in the winery and helped establish it as one of the fastest growing, high-quality, Kosher wineries in Israel.
The vineyards of Kerem Ben Zimra reach an altitude between 2,600 and 3,000 feet above sea level. Combining high altitude and optimum soil conditions, this volcanic plateau is a unique climate that provides the ideal conditions for growing grapes in Israel.
The winemaking team at Dalton includes full-time winemaker, Naama Mualem and consultant, John Worontschak. Na'ama grew up in the north of Israel and comes from a family with close links to the wine industry. Na'ama joined Dalton in 2002 after graduating from the world famous Roseworthy faculty at the University of Adelaide, Australia. She completed her work experience at the Navarro winery in Mendocino California, with Jim Klein, formerly of Golan Heights Winery.
Tasting Notes:Dalton, Canaan Red (Cabernet 60%, Merlot 30%, Shiraz 10%), 2007: Sage, violet, lemon grass aromas. Sweet, cranberry taste. Smooth and balanced with good acidity to clean the palette. This wine is the best Mevushal wine that I know. It is suitable to bring to Ultra-Orthodox for dinner! Retail Price: $18
Dalton, Shiraz, 2007: rosemary, lemon grass, bramble wood, raspberry aromas. hi-tone mouth feel, nice tannic finish.
Retail Price: $24.83
Wine Spectator Score: 89
Dalton WebsiteTeperberg 1870 Family Estate:Teperberg is the oldest modern winery in Israel. The winery was originally established in 1870 by Avraham Teperberg from Odessa, Russia. Teperberg was first named Efrat Winery and was built within the walls of The Old City of Jerusalem. In 1964, it was moved down the hill to Motza, and has remained there until recently. Many, who have traveled to Jerusalem, may remember the big, white tanks right after the dangerous Motza turn on the road to Jerusalem. Efrat and Teperberg have always been owned by the Teperberg family (now 5th generation), but Efrat produced primarily sweet, sacramental wines for the Ultra-Orthodox community. Recently they built a brand-new state of the art facility on Kibbutz Tzora (same as Tzora winery that we had last quarter) and will soon be opening a visitor center and restaurant. Along with the name change and new facility, Teperberg has improved the quality of their wines dramatically and are positioning themselves as another of the leading Kosher, medium-sized wineries in Israel. Since 2002, Shiki Rauchberger from CA and Olivia Prati have made up their stellar winemaking team.
I was pleasantly surprised by these wines and expect that more great, Kosher wines will come from Teperberg in the next several years.
Tasting NotesTeperberg Silver, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007: Purple liqueur aromas, caramel, brown sugar, strong oak notes, menthol taste and smooth mouthfeel.
Retail Price: $24.50
Rogov’s tasting notes and score (leading Israeli Wine Critic)
Garnet to royal purple, medium- to full-bodied, with silky tannins and a generous sense of spiciness. An appealing melange of black and red fruits along with light notes of tobacco and chocolate. Drink from release. Score 86. K
Teperberg, Meritage (Cabernet 70%, Merlot 25%, Cabernet Franc 5%), 2007: dark red color. Aromas of deep blackberries, raspberries and twizzle sticks, black pepper, coffee and red soil, grainy, short mouthfeel.
Retail Price: $21.00
Teperberg Website in HebrewLabels: Dalton, Dalton Winery, Israel, Israeli Wine, Israeli Wine Club, Red Blend, Shiraz, Syrah, Tabor, Tabor Winery, Tavor, Teperberg, Teperberg 1870, Teperberg Winery
