Clos De Gat Har’el Syrah

WINEMAKER NOTES

Clos de Gat is situated in the foothills of the Judean Mountains, bordering Israel’s biblical Ayalon Valley, where Joshua defeated the Five Kings. In 1998 owner-winemaker Eyal Rotem who studied winemaking in Australia, began planting vines and building a winery on the land surrounding his house, thus turning a long-harbored dream into reality. An ancient “Gat” (Hebrew for wine press), pre-dating the Roman period by a thousand years, is located by the house set in the heart of the vineyards, which today cover an area of 19 hectares (47 acres).

TASTING NOTES

The 2013 vintage clearly reflects the terroir characteristics inherent in the HAREL wines of Clos de Gat . The wine has a deep dense purple color. On the nose it is intensely aromatic and complex, discreetly oaked, with classical spicy peppery and red fruit aromas. On the palate the wine is full bodied, well balanced, fresh with good acidity and well rounded tannins. The finish is long, lively and elegant.

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

Mediterranean cuisine, grilled and roasted meats, casseroles and cheeses. Drink 3-7 years from the vintage. Serve at 16 to 18°C.

VINIFICATION

Traditional vinification methods, the grapes are handpicked, after rigorous sorting and crushing they are transferred to open fermentation tanks. After ageing for 16 months in 70% new French oak barrels and racked every 4 – 6 months, the final blend is bottled without fining or filtering.

PRESS

“A muscular red, with savory spice, herb and meaty aromas flanking the black currant and dried dark cherry fruit flavors. Hot stone and licorice elements are matched to full tannins on the mocha-tinged finish. Drink now through 2021. 900 cases made, 250 cases imported.” — 90 points, GS, Wine Spectator

“The 2013 Syrah “Har’el Vineyard” was aged for 16 months in 33% new French oak and comes in at 14.5% alcohol. Since this was seen about two years previously, it has developed beautifully. Refined and sophisticated now, it has sensual texture and mid-palate finesse. Its elegance and harmony make it a pleasure to drink. The Syrah-funkiness we sometimes see is more or less nonexistent here. Ready to drink, it has ripe tannins for support. Combined with the wine’s freshness, the tannins should allow this to age reasonably well. That said, it is drinking pretty nicely right now, and I wouldn’t expect it to turn into anything special with more age, so don’t hesitate to dive in. There were 26,000 bottles produced.”  – 89 points, Mark Squires, Wine Advocate