Tasting Adama II From Tavor Winery

Adama II is a part of the revamped series of wines from Tavor Winery. Going up the ladder from the Har Series as their every day table wines are called, we meet the Adama Series and then this Adama II Series, before we get to their “Limited Edition” wines. I must interject a particular confusion on my part about the varied spelling of the winery. You can read more about this in the recent article I wrote about my visit to the winery. And what of these wines? First, let me say that we enjoyed drinking them at home with our evening meals on two occasions.

The Adama II series consists of two wines. The first one we tasted is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Petit Syrah 10% Cabernet Frank, and 10% Merlot. It is aged in oak casks for 12 months and has an alcohol level of 13.9%.The aroma of this wine brings to mind visions of peaches and bananas. The tastes are suggestive of walnuts, chocolate and almonds. Nurit suggested it reminded her of a strawberry field with hints of cherries, blueberries and apricots. It has a medium to full body and a long finish, trailing off to a “sucks on your lips” not unpleasant sensation. It does not have a lot of tannins and should be opened now, but may withstand a year or two when stored in ideal conditions. At a price of 80 shekels at the winery, it receives an Israelwinetaster Grade of B. If I can find it on sale, I’ll buy a few more.

Israelwinetaster Grading System

The second wine of this series is a Syrah varietal. It is also aged 12 months in oak casks, but has a significantly higher alcohol level of 15.4%. It shows off the usual Syrah/Shiraz deep purple color and, according to Nurit, has the fragrances of a hay barn. Its body is a delightful medium feel in the mouth. It does not overwhelm like some Cabernet Sauvignon wines and has the peppery Shiraz taste with a hint of blueberries. It has a moderate tannin level without a bite. I think that it could improve with aging in optimal storage conditions. I like it much better than the blended Adama II and in my opinion, deserves an Israelwinetaster Grade of A. It costs the same as its mate in the Adama II series and I will purchase it at this price to put it in our wine storage room to see how it matures.