Winery: Barkan Wine Cellars

Year: 2003

Type: Red

Country: Israel

Grape Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon

Note: Aged for 15 months in oak barrels

Alcohol: 13.8%

Mevushal: No

Date Reviewed: 1/28/08

Color: 2.5 (of 3)

Note: A beautiful garnet color with rich, deep tones. Very nice! This is what you expect a well-aged cab to look like.

Aroma: 6 (of 7)

Note: It's a very strong and noticeable scent you can smell from across the table. Too often this is a sign of bad things to come, but in this case the results are outstanding. The aroma is very fruity with raspberries and cherries. There's also a well-balanced oak scent that should be expected after 15 months.

Taste: 9 (of 10)

Note: Oh, this is marvelous! This is one of the best wines I've had in some time. It's a smooth, well-balanced flavor with bold fruitiness of cherry and raspberry, pepper, spices, earthy mushrooms and a long, drawn-out oak finish. It's quite dry with moderate tannins, great body and a wonderful finish. This is the best Barkan wine I've ever had and I'll certainly add this to the wines I'll try again!

Total: 17.5 (of 20)

Food: I enjoyed this Cabernet Sauvignon with sweet and sour meatballs. Our sone decided he liked a new honey barbeque sauce he recently discovered and he convinced Linda to add it to the meatball recipe. I think he's really on to something here because it was terrific. It made for a great pairing with this Barkan cab. Another great meal! I think I'm the luckiest guy in the world!

Buy all oldest brands wine.