Winter Wine

After a brief respite which saw a burst of wild-flowers and looked like the advent of spring, winter came back this week to bring us some much needed wet weather, and beautiful, misty vineyards at Domaine Du Castel in the Judean Hills. I doubt there could be a better way to enjoy the weather than with a roaring fire and their just-released 2015 Petit Castel in their visitors' center at Yad Hashemona, some 20 km from Jerusalem.

Petit Castel 2015, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, is a full-bodied wine tasting of rich black fruits and elegant tannins. Already drinkable on release it will improve with aging. If you can get your hands on a couple of bottles from 2014, don't hesitate!

Domaine Du Castel's flag-ship wine, Grand Vin, which scored 94 points from Robert Parker for their 2013 vintage, is also a blend of the same varieties but largely based on Cabernet Sauvignon from a vineyard a few minutes drive from the winery.

For more about Castel, a family winery founded by Eli Ben Zaken, that has been making elegant wines since 1992 look for @DomaineduCastel on Facebook.

Photos by David Silverman. Copyright © 2017 dpsimages. All Rights Reserved