Had a great evening of fine food and wine last week at the Binyamina Wine Dinner.  The food was the best I've ever had at Shallots (http://www.shallotsbistro.com/).  Binyamina CEO's Timna and Ilan were nice, and the wines were showing very well.  The final wine list was: Yogev Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc 2006, Choshen Onyx Chardonnay 2004, Binyamina Special Reserve Cabernet 2004, Choshen Ruby Syrah 2004, The Cave 2005, and Cordovero LBV Port

I think the wine that impressed the most was The Cave 2005, the new vintage is very good.  However, in terms of QPR, Binyamina Special Reserve Cabernet was the winner.

I was glad to finally taste the Choshen series.  The Chardonnay was excellent, the fruit was balanced with some mild mineral flavors.  Not too rich and fat, more of a learn Chardonnay-- making it a good food wine.  The Syrah was interesting, probably my second favorite after The Cave. Binyamina blends this with 3% Viognier, something that's done in some northern Rhone Syrah wines.  Cynics might argue that adding the 3% Viognier is more about marketing, but I felt like you could get a sense of the Viognier-- it seemed to make the syrah juicier and more forward and luscious.  I thought the Ruby Syrah was showing signs of maturity, and I noticed it is beginning to throw sediment.   In fact, the Binyamina Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from the same vintage, 2004, seemed like a much more youthful wine.  The Choshen Syrah was drinking very well, but more mature than I would have expected.

Overall, I think the Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was a big standout and impressed many with its Quality/Price Ratio