Two Reds from Tabor Winery

I recently had two wines from Tabor Winery from the Galilee in Israel. I tried the 2004 Merlot and the 2004 Cabernet from their entry line of "Tabor" wines. These wines each spend 4 months in oak, and are on the market one year after the vintage date. Since the winery is currently on the 2007 vintage, these bottles have had a nice amount of bottle age. I liked the Merlot better, since it was lighter on the oak than the Cabernet, which definitely put off some of my dining partners that evening ("smells like a cigar box," one said). They took a long time to open up, which is a mixed message. Good because the wine blossomed slowly and was able to last for several days after being opened, with no significant drop in quality. The bad news is that if you are having a large party, the wine might not show that well in the first minutes (hour?) after the waiters pop the corks. Given that the wine is mevushal and relatively inexpensive ($8-9 wholesale), this is something to note. Either way, I'm a fan of these wines and would recommend them for dinner parties or where you just want to pop something. The Merlot is good for cooking. Oak fans should check out the Cab.

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2002 Aloxe-Corton, Domaine Gaston & Pierre Ravaut

There is a pretty serious void in the world of kosher Pinot Noir. I have tried most of the Israeli wines like Yarden and Gamla, as well as the new Russian River Pinot from Baron Herzog. I have also tried two vintages of Francois Labet's Chateau de La Tour Clos Vougeot. I found the former new world wines too sweet and fruity, and the latter to be overpriced for what you get. The domaine mainly makes non-Kosher wine but seemed to have made a Kosher cuvee in the 2002 vintage.

This wine is enjoyable; nice flavors of plum and cherry, along with burnt sugar and orange peel. Enough earthiness and slight minerality to make you believe it is from France. The color has a tinge of brick, which can be expected from a seven year old village wine. Even after five days open in the bottle, this wine still had some fruit left and was palatable. I would say drink now and for the next 7 years. Went well with lamp shanks from the slow cooker.

Drawback: this wine is pricey, with wholesale in the mid $50s. Then again, the next tier of kosher Burgundy takes you into the triple digits. The Domaine also makes another pinot from the Ladoix appellation which is half the price, and which I have not yet tried. Bottom line: as far as I know, this is the best QPR for Kosher Burgundy, if those terms can be in the same sentence. Other option: buy and try some of the really old Yarden Pinots and see if they are any good.