A Kosher Pinot Noir From Galilee, Israel

The Upper Galilee region of northern Israel boasts some of the country's highest mountains, reaching more than a kilometer (five-eighths of a mile) into the sky. This may be a great place to grow wine grapes; the days are hot, the nights are cold, and the soil is poor. What more could a winemaker want? Over two millennia ago people grew wine grapes in this very area. Today's winery was founded in the year 2000. It encompasses five vineyards with 90% red and 10% white grapes leading to 80,000 cases in 2010. If you are in the neighborhood make sure to tour their visitor's center.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price. Wine Reviewed

Galil Mountain Pinot Noir 2007 KP 14.5% alcohol about $18

There were no marketing materials so I will quote part of the back label. Style: Perfumed and silky with typical aromas of wild berries, violets and hints of tobacco and oak. Aged for 10 months in French oak barrels. And now for my review. Galil Mountain vineyards in kosher wine tasting

At the first sips the wine was powerful and multi-layered with good length. The first meal was slow cooked beef ribs with potatoes. I tasted earth and mushrooms in the wine. A little wine went a long way. There was some chocolate, dark cherries, and tobacco. This Pinot Noir was really present. Adding a fair amount of Louisiana red pepper sauce intensified the chocolate. The accompaniment was a not particularly spicy Turkish salad based on sweet pimentos, tomato paste, and hot peppers. The wine was still present and quite long.

The next meal was a delicious pan-fried veal chop cooked with brown mushrooms and garlic. The sides were microwaved red potatoes and an oriental tomato, pimento, and hot pepper salad that wasn't very spicy. The Pinot Noir was multi-layered with a fine balance between acidity and fruit. It offered silky tannins, and tasted of dark cherries, leather, and tobacco. The mushroom, garlic combination intensified the Pinot Noir's acidity. With the potatoes I tasted mostly chocolate; the wine was finely acidic and long. With the salad the taste of earth predominated.

My final meal was a broiled Atlantic salmon steak that had been marinated in soy sauce and sliced garlic. This Pinot Noir was quite powerful, well-balanced, round, and long. It tasted of dark fruit and earth. The potato patties didn't change the flavors or the length. Finally a negative note, with a zesty guacamole, this Pinot Noir became more uni-dimensional.

Before the cheeses I tried this wine with Matjes herring. The wine was quite long with dark cherries. When faced with whipped cream cheese this wine lost its power. The second cheese was a Wisconsin Swiss. The wine came back, tasting of black cherries. But the wine was clearly wasted on the cheese. I enjoyed the end of the bottle when the cheese was gone.

Final verdict. I would definitely buy this wine again. I paid several dollars more than the American Internet price quoted above. And I would still buy it again. But as usual, I wouldn't waste it on cheese. I am sure that one can find better cheese pairings for this fine wine. But why bother?