Wine and Spirits / The grape doesn't fall far from the vine

Not too long ago, I received a phone call from Yair Margalit suggesting that it was time for me to visit his Margalit Winery near Hadera.

That Margalit was calling from Antarctica, where he was on a cruise, was enough to impress me that something important might be happening. A quick follow-up call on my part to his son Asaf Margalit indicated that the 2008 wines had just been bottled and that it would indeed be wise to pay a visit before those wines went into bottle shock.

Truth be told, I rarely dedicate a day to travel to a winery to taste merely five wines but in the case of Margalit, most assuredly one of the very best wineries in the country, my decision to visit was based as much on excitement as on dedication.

Margalit was among the very first boutique wineries in the country, and was the first here to capture the imagination of sophisticated wine lovers. Founded in 1989, the winery was first located on Moshav Kfar Bilu near Rehovot, and in 1994 relocated to its current location at the foothills of the Carmel range.

The father and son team are renowned for their Bordeaux-style reds that are released in both a regular and a reserve series. In his role as a physical chemist, Yair Margalit has published several well-known textbooks. Asaf, now senior winemaker, studied in the agriculture faculty of Hebrew University in Rehovot and also trained in California. He is now firmly placing his own mark on the wines.

Happily, the passing of the baton from generation to generation has been a resounding success.

Margalit's earliest release, in 1989, was of 900 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon. More recent releases, based on Cabernet, Merlot, Petite Sirah and Syrah grapes, are made primarily of grapes from their own vineyards in Kadita in the Upper Galilee, while the Cabernet Franc is grown in their Binyamina vineyard. The winery offers two series, the top of the line Special Reserve and Margalit, and starting with the 2003 harvest, Enigma, a Bordeaux-style blend. All of Margalit's wines are meant for cellaring. Current production is about 20,000 bottles annually.

The 2007 vintage was a good, albeit unexciting, one for Israel. Despite that, the Margalit winery produced wines that were consistently excellent, the releases earning scores of 92-94 points. 2008 on the other hand, is proving to have been a superb year and the soon to be released Margalit wines of that year reflect that in every way. Prices given in the tasting notes below will be those when the wines arrive soon. As happens every year, an advance sale will be held at the winery for the next three weekends, March 12-13, 19-20 and 26-27 and wines will be sold at a discount.

Margalit, Cabernet Sauvignon, Special Reserve, 2008: Cabernet Sauvignon, as always blended with Margalit's "special" and remarkably concentrated Petite Sirah, this year 88 percent and 12 percent respectively. Intensely dark garnet, throwing purple, orange and green reflections, full-bodied and with spicy wood and still firm tannins just starting on the road to integration but showing fine balance and structure. On first attack traditional black currant and blackberry fruits on a spicy background. The wine opens in the glass to reveal black cherries and then raspberries and espresso coffee. Nor is this the end, for on the long, long finish tempting hints of black olives and saddle leather. Approachable by 2011 but best only from 2013-2025. Perhaps the best to date from Margalit and certainly one of the best wines ever produced in Israel. NIS 290. Score 95.

Margalit, Enigma, Special Reserve, 2007: The winery's first release of a special reserve in the Enigma line. Unlike the regular Enigma release, this one was aged for two years in oak, not so much adding a feeling of wood to the wine but allowing its elements to come together while still in the barriques, affording a certain desirable level of micro-oxidation. A blend of 51 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 26 percent Merlot and 23 percent Cabernet Franc, full-bodied with gently gripping tannins and notes of lead pencils and earthy herbaceousness and on the super-long finish a note of licorice. Give this one time to round out and it will develop a most welcome overlay of smoked meat. Best from 2013-2025. NIS 290. Score 94.

Margalit, Cabernet Franc, 2008: Oak aged as are nearly all of the Margalit wines for 12 months, at this stage showing dark but bright ruby in color. Full-bodied, richly aromatic, rich and velvety, packed with plum, blueberry, cherry and exotic spices all on a softly tannic background and showing a tantalizing hint of garrigue. Blended with 7 percent Caberent Sauvignon, a seductive wine that will be approachable early but will cellar very nicely. Best from 2011-2018. NIS 200. Score 94.

Margalit, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008: Blended with 10 percent Merlot, deep ruby toward garnet, full-bodied, showing its muscles powerfully, but still full of grace. On the nose and palate black and red currants, blackberries and cigar-box notes, those complemented nicely by notes of white pepper and freshly picked herbs. On the long finish a tantalizing hint of porcini mushrooms. Drink now only if you must. Best from 2012-2018, perhaps longer. NIS 200. Score 93.

Margalit, Enigma, 2008: A full-bodied blend of 58 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 24 percent Merlot and 18 percent Cabernet Franc reflecting its aging in barriques for 12 months with firm but not at all searing and almost caressing tannins and notes of spices and vanilla from the wood. On first attack raspberries and red plums, those yielding to black currants, and notes of bitter-sweet chocolate. Rich and concentrated but not at all bombastic. Destined for elegance. Approachable now but best 2012-2020. NIS 230. Score 92.