| Abarbanel Home | Find a Retailer | What's New | Kashrut | Contact |
Abarbanel Portfolio Wines
Win 12 Medals at
World Wine Championships!
Garnering an impressive 12 Medals at the World Wine Championships’ August 2009 kosher wine competition run by the Beverage Testing Institute, Abarbanel Portfolio Wines scooped-up an astounding Five Gold Medals, Four Silver Medals & Three Bronzes. More significant are the ratings accorded the Gold Medal wines:
 |
GOLD MEDAL Katlav 2006 Wadi Katlav Blend "Dark garnet color. Aromas of craisins, clay, spice, rosemary, and roasted pepper follow through on a rich, supple entry to a dryish medium-full body with seamless balance and a touch of fig, cocoa and delicate herbs on the long sumptuous, mossy earth accented finish. Brilliantly ripe, balanced and complex."
|
|
GOLD MEDAL Efron's Cave 2006 Reserve “Jerusalem Gold” Red Blend "Garnet. Rich aromas of roasted peppers, exotic peppercorns, rosemary and spicy plum chutney follow through on a round, satiny entry to a dry-yet-fruity medium-to-full body with notes of sundried tomato, pencil shavings, and cocoa. Finishes with a crisp and lively fade. A juicy, tasty table wine."
|
|
GOLD MEDAL Katlav 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon "Dark garnet color. Aromas of dried currant, cherry, pepper, clay and spice follow through on a supple,juicy entry to a fruity-yet-dry medium-to-full body with ripe cherry, berry, and orange fruit. Finishes with a touch of tobacco, toffee, pink peppercorn, and mulling spices. A very appealing, fruity, and racy red that is sure to please to crowd. Try with mole"
|
|
GOLD MEDAL Katlav 2006 Merlot "Deep garnet color. Olive, clay, forest floor cherry and plum aromas and flavors. Dry and medium-to-full bodied with cocoa and pepper on the finish. Supple, elegant and balanced."
|
|
GOLD MEDAL Shemesh 2007 Reserve Merlot "Ruby color. Bright spicy cherry danish and blackberry frosting aromas and flavors with cocoa and earth accents. Long tangy and refreshing finish. Superbly table friendly."
|
|
Silver Medal Shemesh 2007 Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, Negev Hills "Dark ruby color. Aromas of chocolate covered cherries and cranberries follow through on a bright entry to a dry-yet-fruity medium body with nut and tilled earth notes. Finishes with a juicy, refreshing finish. A very nice table wine to pair with spicy lamb dishes." Beverage Testing Institute World Wine Championships |
|
Silver Medal Efron's Cave 2006 Reserve Jerusalem Hills Red Blend "Ruby color. Aromas of cranberries, tomatoes on the vine, black pepper and pencils follow through on a silky entry to a dry-yet-fruity medium body with ripe raspberry and cherry notes. Finishes in a woody, spiced nut accented fade with a touch of dirt. A nice table wine." World Wine Championships |
|
Silver Medal Efron's Cave 2007 Reserve Jerusalem Rosé "Pale scarlet color. Pleasing aromas of strawberry jam and pepper on toast follow through on a round entry to a dryish medium body with tangy citrus peel, cherry pit, and delicate spice notes on the crisp finish. A sturdy rosé for sipping or the table." World Wine Championships |
|
Silver Medal Best Buy Abarbanel Château de la Salle, Beaujolais-Villages 2007 "Rich ruby color. Aromas of strawberry compote, chocolate covered cherries follow through on a soft, round entry to a dryish medium body with tangy spiced apple, raspberry, and orange notes. Finishes with a powdery tannin fade with a touch of nutskin and spice." Beverage Testing Institute World Wine Championships |
|
Bronze Medal Efron's Cave 2007 Reserve Jerusalem White "Pale golden yellow color. Aromas of roasted Brazil nuts, baked plantains, and delicate brown spices follow through on a brisk entry to a dry light-to-medium body with baked apple and lemon notes and a tart finish." World Wine Championships |
|
Bronze Medal Katlav 2007 Chardonnay, Judean Hills "Golden amber color. Aromas of caramel, roasted nuts, and baked apples follow through on a soft, silky entry to a dryish medium body with a touch of tangy lemon curd and a delicate spicy poached apple note on the finish. A pleasant sipper." Beverage Testing Institute World Wine Championships |
|
Bronze Medal Layla 2007 White Blend, Mendoza. "Golden amber color. Fragrant floral lilac, honey, and honeysuckle aromas. A soft, supple entry leads to a dryish medium body with peach, lime and lychee flavors and crisp, mineral and baguette notes on the finish." World Wine Championships |
New for Passover 2009
First White Wine
from Layla Vineyards
Makes Passover Debut
New Layla White is a crisp semi-dry blend of half Chardonnay and half Pinot Noir – a most original white blend. The grapes were grown on mature vines in the Maipu Valley surrounding the winemaking town of Mendoza in Argentina at an elevation of 900 meters (2,953 feet) and were hand harvested. Estate bottled. Mevushal. O-K supervised.
Efron's Cave Returns
with New Reserve Series
Israel's Efron's Cave makes a comeback by taking its wines up to the next level. Two reds will premiere for Passover, new Jerusalem Hills, a Rhone-style blend of Grenache, Syrah and Merlot, aged 18 months in French Oak Barrels, Non-Mevushal and packed in 6's. O-K supervision on all new Efron's wines. The grapes for the two new Efrons reds come from mature vineyards near both Castel and Katlav. Jerusalem Gold is a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
New Efron's Jerusalem White, is a Bergerac style triple white blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Semillion also aged in French Oak Barrels and new Efron's Jerusalem Rosé is a fruity but dry Rosé comprised primarily of Syrah. Great notes of raspberries, strawberries and pomegranates.
Katlav Introduces Their
First-Ever White Wine
Israel's boutique Katlav Winery located in the middle of the Jerusalem Forest is bringing out their first-ever white wine, a 2007 Chardonnay blended with 10 percent Viognier and aged in French Oak Barrels for 13 months. Daniel Rogov scores this with an 87 and says "Good balance...tropical fruits and citrus...matched by floral notes." As elegant as the Katlav reds. Non-Mevushal.
Israel's
|
Two New Italian Wines
From the Rome Region
From Italy’s Lazio/Latium Region near Rome come two smooth old-world style wines from Castello di Cesare (Kas-tello dee Chesare) meaning “Caesar’s Castle.” The Red (Rosso Lazio) is a 50/50 blend of Cabernet and Merlot made from hand-harvested grapes and produced in stainless steel. Fruity, medium-bodied with notes of light cherries and berries. Low tannins. Grapes come from the Castelli Romani appellation. The white (Bianco Lazio) is a blend of 70 percent Malvasia and 30 percent Trebbiano and is delightfully crisp and fruity with pronounced tropical fruits, apple and pear notes. Both are 2007 (MMVII) vintage. Non-Mevushal. Under the Strict Orthodox supervision of Rav Umberto Avraham Piperno in accordance with the Chief Rabbinate of Rome and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. Available mid-August.
Read More
New for Chanukah 2008
Abarbanel Introduces Two New
Sparkling Wines from Argentina
Just in time for Chanukah and New Year’s, Abarbanel is proud to introduce two new sparkling wines. New Layla Vineyards Sparkling is a semi-dry (demi-sec) made from half Chardonnay and half Pinot Noir with extra ripe fruit blended together to enhance the natural sweetness of the grapes. The grapes were grown on mature vines in the Maipu Valley surrounding the winemaking town of Mendoza at an elevation of 900 meters (2,953 feet) and were hand harvested and placed in small 18 kg. boxes. Grapes were harvested in late February. The climate is perennially sunny with semi-arid conditions necessitating feeding the vines with drip irrigation. Mevushal and under O-K supervision, Layla Sparkling is wonderful with desserts, sweet kugels, barbeque chicken or standing alone for cocktails and celebrations.
New Byblos Brut is a dry sparkling wine comprised of 70 percent Chardonnay and 30 percent Pinot Noir hand-harvested in February from mature vines; fermented 25 days in stainless steel with another 65 days of Prise de Mousse, (effervescence) also in tanks. The grapes were grown at a high elevation of 1,100 meters (3,609 feet) in the Tupungato sub-appellation of Argentina’s Mendoza Valley right at the base of the Andes Mountains. Excellent with finger foods, tapas dishes, appetizers or as an accompaniment to delicate white fish such as sole, halibut, snapper, striped bass and the like. Also a good match with sushi or white meat poultry. Perfect for celebrations or everyday. Mevushal and O-K certified. Produced at Argentina’s first 100-percent kosher winery.
Sky-High Ratings from |
Abarbanel Portfolio Wines garnered five medals and extremely high ratings from the World Wine Championships/Beverage Testing Institute this May. Receiving an unprecedented 95 Rating and Gold Medal was Kadesh Barnea 2006 Merlot from Israel’s Negev Region. Their 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon was close behind with a 94 Rating with a Gold Medal as well. Katlav’s 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Jerusalem Forest garnered a 93 Rating and Gold Medal. From Argentina, our new Layla Malbec 2006 was awarded an 88 Rating, Silver Medal and “Best Buy” designation (value for the money) and new Layla Pinot Noir received an 84 Rating and Bronze Medal. These five new medals bring the total medal count for Abarbanel Portfolio Wines up to 269 from 1996.
| Abarbanel Home | Find a Retailer | What's New | Kashrut | Contact |