2017 Yarden Golan Height Syrah

Is Israel a wine country? Certainly, and for a long time. Thousands of ancient wine presses have been found. The oldest is estimated to be over 6500 years old. So yes, Israel is actually a very old wine country. But on the other hand, it has only been since 1880 that investment has been made again in viticulture, thanks to Baron Edmond de Rothschild (Lafite). So if you look at it that way, Israel might just be one of the New Winelands. Although Israel originally has a warm climate, the vineyards of this winery are still classified as 'cool climate' due to their high location. This, in combination with the volcanic subsoil, makes their wines belong to the top of the world. The most famous wine guide on Israeli wines, Rogov, gives Golan Heights Winery 5 stars and writes: “From the moment they produced their first wines in 1984, there is no doubt that Golan Heights Winery has placed Israel on the world wine list. They are the quality leader in the country. The chief winemaker, Victor Schoenfeld, knows well what he is doing. He was educated in California, France and Australia and combines old and new world style”. The Yarden wines are the figurehead of the winery. Here the most beautiful grapes from the best vineyards come together. The name refers to the Jordan River (Yarden in Hebrew), which separates the Golan Heights from Galilee.

The Yarden Syrah is a great and powerful wine. The Syrah grapes grow at an altitude of 900 meters above sea level, here they are picked by hand. This is important to get only the best juice in the bottle, after pressing the wine goes into the oak barrel for a period of 18 months. After this, the wine is given even more rest in the bottle for a period of 6 months in the cellars of Yarden. The Yarden Syrah is an aromatic blend of ripe cherries and blackberries along with complex notes of cedar, earth, tobacco, chocolate and anise. The taste is full and powerful with lots of spiciness, lots of black fruit and small nuances of plum, tobacco, pepper and chocolate. The Yarden Syrah is already perfect to drink but will certainly improve even further over the next 10 years and after that in perfect condition for at least another 5 years. The Yarden Syrah is a perfect accompaniment to roast lamb chops, rich slow-cooked lamb shank stew or grilled steaks.