We’re in full midsummer mode here and yet three of my four bottles I tasted this weekend were reds. That said, I can’t control what my friends and hosts open, at least not all of the time.
My Shirah shipment came in a few weeks ago and I’ve been dying to try the Riesling. I’ve penned quite a few odes to Riesling, which may be my favorite white varietal. Riesling is versatile in both style and in food pairing. It is able to age unlike many other white varieties and often improves into a glass both spectacular and layered, creamy and oily, showing great depth and character. And Shirah has made some really nice Rieslings, producing a varietal in 2017, 2019, and finally again in 2023. I recently tasted the 2019, over the course of my podcast with the Weiss brothers, and it was really delicious. This was right before Shirah shipped out the 2023. I have two 2017 Rieslings remaining in my cellar and can’t wait to see what they have in store. Gabriel Weiss says the 2019 is showing its evolution, and I agree, with characteristic petrol, fruit holding on, and still bright acid.
With this in mind, I was very excited to taste the new iteration, the Shirah, Kick On Ranch, Santa Barbara County, Riesling, 2023. Kick On Ranch, notable for its Riesling, is located in Los Alamos Valley, about 10 miles east of the Pacific, with similar topography and climate to Sta. Rita Hills, its southern neighbor. The Pacific winds and fog keep the region cool and with an eolian (sandy) soil. Light gold in the glass. Aromatic nose of citrus – pink grapefruit, mineral, saline, apricot blossom, baby petrol, some honey. The palate is awash in beautiful fruit with zesty acidity and notable minerality. Very young. A keeper and another winner from Shirah. Buy 10 and drink one every year 2025-2034 to self-fascinate at its evolution.
$40, 12.4% ABV, non-mevushal
With equal great regard, I look forward to the yearly release, as it has become a now over-three decade occurrence, of the Herzog, Special Reserve, Alexander Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon. I enjoy the debates among the wine nerds of which vintages have been the greatest. But in my opinion, the “Alex” has been mostly great for about the last decade, representing truly great and affordable California Cab accessible to the kosher consumer. Consistent and dependable. My favorite recent vintage was the 2018, but it was after the 2014 vintage I realized I need to start laying down some of these beauties. As an aside I have always felt this label was classic and classy. Elegant and rich without being overstated. As another note, it happens that the Alex ’22 has already been released but I am only getting to the ’21 now. I’m not a huge fan of immediately tasting Cab right out of the production line and sadly, Baltimore wine always runs behind.
For pre-Shabbos toameha (a Pre-Shabbos spiritual Happy Hour of sorts), we popped the Herzog, Special Reserve, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2021. Deep, inky purple in the glass, nose of black fruit: black cherry, plum, boysenberry, blackberry, all at their peak of sweetness, leather, sweet chocolate, a floral note of perfumed lilac. The palate shows great concentration and structure, with bright acid, mouth-coating tannin, and waves of black fruit. This too is a baby. Stock up. My wine club friends will luckily be getting this as I’ll be buying a couple cases of this puppy. Drink 2026-2036 or longer.
$50, 14.5% ABV, mevushal
Shabbos day I missed visiting my favorite wine friend. One of my best friends with a great palate and a generous approach to opening bottles, you can see why I enjoy visiting. Nevertheless, a quiet, enjoyable Shabbos morning and lunch with family brought a walk on a brutally hot afternoon with my wife, allegedly to visit our friends, but more likely because my wife feels I need exercise in an environment which resembles the surface of the sun. 20 minutes later and with a body water loss of 50% we made it to our destination and were immediately greeted with the remainder of the two wines from lunch, as our hosts and their guests were still sitting around the table past 5pm – an attribute near and dear to me. Of the two bottles I chose the Capçanes, Montsant, Peraj Petita, 2022, having had and enjoyed. The Peraj is a blend of 45% Grenache Noir, 20% Tempranillo, 20% Merlot, 15% Syrah, and typically is a good sub-$20 offering which in fact is offered in both mevushal and non-mevushal options. When buying for myself, I always choose non-mevushal. I forgot to look while I was there, but assumed it was the mevushal version. Without tasting them side by side, I’d still venture to say I prefer the non-mevushal. That could just be mental bias without a blind side-by-side tasting, which could be fun and eye-opening. This bottle was nice enough, ripe red and black fruit, too ripe for my taste, which is why I assume it was the mevushal. Still, it was the last glass, and my friend and host happily opened another bottle, which turned out to be the Jezreel Valley Winery, Nahalal, 2021, from my dear friends over at Jezreel, a winery dedicated to producing truly Israeli wines. Jezreel does a great job with Carignan, which some think is incredibly well-suited to the climate of Israel. The Nahalal is a blend of Carignan and Syrah, aged 14 months in French oak. Deep ruby in the glass, fruit-forward nose of mostly red fruit, cedar, and spice. The Nahalal ’21 is an enjoyable, if not overly complicated wine, showcasing its plentiful fruit. It was enjoyed by all at the table.
$30, 14.8% ABV, mevushal
A gut vuch to all, a week filled with blessings and the promise of new adventures.
Kosher Food and Drink 
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