(This article first appeared on wines-israel.com and is reprinted with permission)

Two wines were recently launched on the same date, at the same venue, with a tasting by a select group of Israel’s leading wine journalists & critics. As the wines were tasted together, it was the perfect opportunity to compare the story and tasting notes of two of Israel’s finest wines.

The wines referred to are Carmel Limited Edition 2007, produced by Carmel Winery, and Yatir Forest 2007, produced by Yatir Winery. Both are Bordeaux style blends, made from similar grape varieties. Both are the flagship wines of their respective wineries.

Apart from these similarities, they could not be more different. One is made by Israel’s largest winery, the other by a relatively small, boutique winery. One is made from grapes grown in the north of Israel, the other in the south. One is made by a winemaker trained in the ‘Old World’ of winemaking, the other is made by a winemaker schooled in the ‘New World’. Comparisons of the two wines follow.

The Grape Varieties

The grape varieties for both wines are virtually the same and though the wines were made totally independently, there is not even much difference in the relevant percentages. The Carmel Limited Edition 2007 is made from 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot, 5% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc. The Yatir Forest 2007 is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Petit Verdot, 7% Merlot, and 7% Malbec.

It is interesting to note how Petit Verdot has become the second variety in both wines, whilst the importance of Merlot has declined. It is also noteworthy that Malbec has made its first appearance in both blends.

Wine Regions

However, the wine regions for the two wines represent totally different terroirs.

The grapes for Carmel Limited Edition were, for the first time, all sourced from the Upper Galilee. They were grown in the Kayoumi and Ben Zimra vineyards, not far from Mount Meron, at approximately an elevation of 800 to 900 meters and in the Alma and Netua vineyards in the Kadesh Valley, on the border with Lebanon, at about 450 meters altitude.

The Upper Galilee has become the main source of new vineyards in the Carmel quality revolution. Most of their quality wines come from there and it now rivals the Golan Heights as the best region for fine wines in Israel.

Yatir Forest was produced from vineyards in the southern tip of the Judean Hills at an elevation of up to 900 meters above sea level. The vineyards lie within Yatir Forest, which is Israel’s largest forest, planted in 1964. The terroir there, is arguably the most unique in Israel, being the meeting place between the Judean Mountains, the Judean Desert and the Negev Desert.

The vineyards for both wines are young, being planted in the late 1990’s or early 2000’s.

Vintage Report for 2007

In the Galilee, the winter was comparatively cold with a few especially cold spells. Ripening was slower than normal, but even. Yields were lower than in 2006, but the color & concentration of the grapes was good. It was therefore decided the quality merited making a Limited Edition, which had not been made in 2006.

In 2007 there was less rain than usual in Yatir Forest. The spring and early summer did not suffer from undue heat, but most of August there was a hamsin. The harvest was slightly later than usual.

However overall, the 2007 vintage was considered a good one for elegant, well-balanced wines. The quality was considered considerably better than the 2006 vintage and the wines are less bombastic than will be the case with the more powerful, higher alcohol 2008’s.

Harvest

The different time the harvest took place in the two regions illustrates one of the differences between the southern Judean Hills and the Upper Galilee. The grapes for the Limited Edition were harvested in October 2007, whilst the grapes for Yatir Forest were harvested at the beginning of September 2007. In both cases harvesting was mechanical and at night. The grapes for the Limited Edition were taken to Carmel’s Upper Galilee facility at Ramat Dalton, known as Kayoumi Winery, which has been in operation since 2004. The Yatir grapes were taken to Yatir Winery at Tel Arad in the north eastern Negev.

Winemaking

The grapes for the Carmel Limited Edition were fermented separately at Kayoumi Winery. Then each individual component was then aged separately in 300 liter French oak barrels, (40% new oak), for 15 months at Carmel’s Zichron Ya’acov Wine Cellars.

The Yatir Forest grapes were vinified and then aged separately in 225 liter French oak barrels for 16 months, ( 1/3rd new.) In both instances the wines were allowed to age quietly in bottle for a further 16 months before release.

Tasting Notes

The Carmel Limited Edition 2007 is deep purple in color with an aroma of blueberries, cassis, violets and tobacco leaves. There is a delicate balance between fruit, acidity and velvety tannins.

Yatir Forest 2007 is deep purple with a bouquet of ripe blackcurrant with a backdrop of Mediterranean herbs. It is in a style that combines power with tight elegance.

Both wines were only very coarsely filtered. The Limited Edition is 13.5% alcohol, the Forest 14%.

Winemakers

The winemakers of these two super-premium wines are respectively Lior Lacser, chief winemaker of Carmel Winery and Eran Goldwasser, winemaker of Yatir Winery. They are regarded as two of the finest, most progressive young winemakers in Israel.

Lior Lacser, 38 years old, trained as a lawyer before making a career change to become a winemaker. He studied in Beaune, worked at Domaine Comte Armand in Pommard and Chateau Le Bon Pasteur in Pomerol, including some time with celebrated winemaking consultant, Michel Rolland. He then traveled to Australia and had work experience at Harmans Ridge Estate in the Margaret River region of Western Australia. He joined Carmel in 2003 and became chief winemaker in 2005.

Eran Goldwasser, 39 years old, is a graduate of oenology at Adelaide University in Australia. Whilst there, he also worked at Rouge Homme, then a Southcorp owned winery in the Coonawarra region of South Australia. He also had experience at Salitage Winery at Pemberton, in the south west part of Western Australia. On his return he joined Yatir Winery and was responsible for the 2001 vintage, the first vintage of Yatir Forest to be released.

The Wineries

Carmel is Israel’s largest and most historic winery, founded in 1882 at Rishon Le Zion and Zichron Ya’acov, by Baron Edmond de Rothschild. The winery owns vineyards all over Israel, and is particularly well represented in the Upper Galilee.

Yatir Winery, a boutique winery founded in 2000, is Israel’s premier winery from the south of the country. It is situated at Tel Arad in the north eastern Negev.Their wines are sourced from vineyards in the southern Judean Hills. Yatir is 100% owned by Carmel, but is managed independently.

Carmel produces 15 million bottles a year, divided into six major brands or labels: Carmel, Single Vineyard, Appellation, Private Collection, Selected and Young Selected. By contrast, Yatir produces 120,000 bottles a year, divided into six different wines.

Labels

The Limited Edition label is in a traditional style similar to many Bordeaux wines, as befits a wine made as a Bordeaux style blend. It features a drawing of the historic Rishon Le Zion Wine Cellars on a light, cream label. The bottle is long and elegant, with a red capsule.

The Yatir Forest has a totally unique, innovative package with a little booklet instead of a traditional label, giving details of the winery, vineyards and wine.

The company logos on the labels give clues of the Biblical roots for Israeli wines. Carmel’s logo is of the two spies (Joshua and Caleb)returning from The Promised Land, carrying a large bunch of grapes on a pole between them. They reported to Moses that the land of Canaan ‘flowed with milk and honey’.

The Yatir Winery logo, a lion, is on a red wax-like stamp on the bottle. The lion was the emblem of the Tribe of Judah. The Tribe of Judah and the later province of Judea, resided where the current Yatir vineyards are grown.

Third Party Recognition.

Carmel Limited Edition has at best received 90 points for the 2004, from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate; 93 points for the 2003, from Daniel Rogov and was twice on the list of the 100 Most Exciting Wine Finds (2003, 2004), in Tom Stevenson’s Wine Report. The wine is rare amongst Israel’s de-luxe wines; comparatively low alcohol, with a delicate, elegant nose, refreshing on the palate with good acidity and soft tannins. Carmel Limited Edition is one of the leading wines in Israel produced in a more restrained, ‘Old World’ style.

Yatir Forest has at best received 93 points for the 2003 from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, the best score yet received for an Israeli wine. It also equaled the best score for an Israeli wine in the Wine Spectator, receiving 92 points for the 2005 from Kim Marcus. Tom Stevenson regarded the 2004 as by far the classiest Israeli wine he had ever tasted. Daniel Rogov gave the 2006 94 points and Oz Clarke gave it two stars in his Pocket Wine Book. The Yatir Forest wines from the 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 vintages, have each received 90+ points from the Wine Advocate.

The style is richer, more concentrated and velvety, even though later vintages show more elegance than previously. Yatir Forest is regarded as one of Israel’s finest wines.

Rothschild’s Vision

After his first visit to Israel in 1887, Baron Edmond de Rothschild insisted in planting the Bordeaux varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec , because he wanted to make a quality Bordeaux style wine. He sent cuttings from Chateau Lafite and experts from Bordeaux. However it was not to come to pass because the growers wanted higher yields, the new vines got phylloxera and the market was not yet ready for a quality Israeli wine.

Fast forward 120 years, and the company he founded, Carmel and its wholly owned subsidiary, Yatir, are both making high quality, Bordeaux style blends which are not only the flagship wines for the respective wineries, but also quality ambassadors for Israel abroad. How satisfied the Baron would be to see his vision realized and his dream come true. It took a long time, but what is 120 years, when Israel has been making wine for over 5,000 years?