Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Deep garnet to the eye, this wine offers a bouquet of cassis and clove. Opulent tannin's play host to blackberry, Mission fig, licorice, milk chocolate and dried Mediterranean herb flavors. Fresh fruit and spice flavors linger into a smooth finish.
Recanati has been at the forefront of Israel’s modern wine revolution since their founding in 2000. Driven by fearless innovation, they marry international grapes with ancient, indigenous varieties in a relentless pursuit of their core philosophy: produce the finest, artisanal expressions of Israel’s phenomenal, high-altitude terroir.
Lenny Recanati spent his childhood in Israel alongside his parents, tending their backyard vines and making wine, honoring an ancestral tradition that began for the family centuries ago in Italy. As an adult, Lenny’s fascination with wine grew as he visited wineries around the world and began building an incredible personal collection. But merely collecting was not enough — Lenny dreamed of creating the wine, as he had done with his parents. In 2000, his vision became reality when he established the cutting-edge winery that would bear his family name. Today, Recanati is recognized as a leader on the Israeli fine wine scene, known for translating ancient wine culture into thoroughly modern expressions of the country’s unique terroir.
A winery that’s leading a country.
Wines that are surpassing their category.
Winemakers who are defining a style.
This is Recanati ...
With its deep color, firm tannins and bold flavors, there is nothing petite about Petite Sirah. The variety, originally known as Durif in the Rhône, took on its more popular moniker after being imported to California in the early 1880s. Quintessentially recognized today as a grape of the Golden State, Petite Sirah works well blended with Zinfandel and finds success as a single varietal wine in the state’s warmer districts. Somm Secret—Petite Sirah is not a smaller version of Syrah but it is an offspring of Syrah and the now nearly extinct French Alpine variety called Peloursin.
With a rich history of wine production dating back to biblical times, Israel is a part of the cradle of wine civilization. Here, wine was commonly used for religious ceremonies as well as for general consumption. During Roman times, it was a popular export, but during Islamic rule around 1300, production was virtually extinguished. The modern era of Israeli winemaking began in the late 19th century with help from Bordeaux’s Rothschild family. Accordingly, most grapes grown in Israel today are made from native French varieties. Indigenous varieties are all but extinct, though oenologists have made recent attempts to rediscover ancient varieties such as Marawi for commercial wine production.
In Israel’s Mediterranean climate, humidity and drought can be problematic, concentrating much of the country’s grape growing in the north near Galilee, Samaria near the coast and at higher elevations in the east. The most successful red varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah, while the best whites are made from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Many, though by no means all, Israeli wines are certified Kosher.