Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 YATIR FOREST proprietary red is the flagship wine for Yatir, a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot, and 10% Merlot, aged in French oak (1/3rd new) for 14 months. All grapes come from Yatir Forest’s high altitude vineyards (up to 2,700 feet). At once earthy and sweet, this tasty wine has an elegant mid-palate that gives it a certain, unexpected delicacy and sense of grace to go along with its tasty fruit. It is tinged with oak at the outset, but the longer it is open, the more the fruit as well as structure shine through and the more sophisticated and well balanced it seems. Impressive in its own way, this is a far more subtle wine than the ’03, if not quite as rich and sexy. I liked its length and persistence better than the ’04. It drank nicely the next day, still showing grip and intensity as well as good fruit. There were approximately 2,166 cases produced. Drink now-2015.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
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.