The 2005 Yarden Katzrin Chardonnay shows off bright lemon, ripe pear and green apple characters along with hints of tropical fruit, mineral and caramelized nuts. This aromatic wine is rich and full-bodied. Yarden Katzrin Chardonnay is appealing when young, but continues to improve over a few years and stay in great drinking condition for up to about eight years from the harvest. We like drinking Yarden Katzrin Chardonnay with fairly rich foods, such as roasted quail or guinea fowl braised with root vegetables and capers.

Rating

The 2005 CHARDONNAY KATZRIN YARDEN carries the nameKatzrin on the label, which many in Israel associate with one of Israel’s priciest and best wines—the Yarden Katzrin Bordeaux blend. This, obviously, is not quite on the same level—and it is about $100 a bottle less. Fermented and aged in new French oak for nine months, it is well marked by the oak, but also has some brightness to cut through it. It thins out after forty minutes or so, no longer seeming quite as full bodied, but at the same time acquiring a little elegance and balance. Like most of the Chards from Golan Heights, it does many things well, but seems too marked by oak that distorts the flavor profile of the wine. I liked the oak treatment here better than on the 2005 Odem reviewed in this issue. Drink now-2011. Robert Parker 87 points (Dec 2008)

Wine maker notes

The winter preceding the vintage combined colder than average temperatures with normal precipitation. The cold weather ended with an uncommonly warm March and April, causing early budbreak in warmer vineyards. Unusually cool weather returned in May and stayed for the remainder of the season, resulting in a normal 14 week harvest starting and finishing on typical dates. The 2005 Yarden Katzrin Chardonnay is produced exclusively from Chardonnay coming from our most outstanding blocks of Chardonnay vineyards, all located in the northern Golan Heights at elevations above 900 meters (3,000 feet) in elevation. The wine ferments and ages for ten months in new French oak barrels

Other text

The Galilee (or Galil) is the most northern, and generally considered the best, appellation in Israel. The highest quality area within the appellation is the Golan Heights (or simply the Golan), the coldest region in Israel. The vineyards on this volcanic plateau rise from 400 meters (1,300 feet) above sea level to 1,200 meters (3,900 feet) and receive snowfall in the winter. The Golan Heights Winery is located in the town of Katzrin, in the central Golan.