Domaine du Castel La Vie Rouge 2018

Kosher wine. Drink now or cellar for up to 12 years. No need to decant before serving.

Domaine du Castel was founded by Eli Ben Zaken who emigrated from Milan to Israel with his family in the 1970s and bought a small farm close to Jerusalem. Despite not training as a winemaker, Eli decided to plant the first modern vineyard in the Judean Hills in 1988 and started to produce tiny quantities of wine using the books of Emile Peynaud as a guide. Before long word got out and he sent a bottle to the head of the wine department at Sotheby’s auction house, Serena Sutcliffe, who was very impressed with Eli’s Grand Vin.

Today the estate is widely regarded as one of Israel’s finest boutique wineries and it produces a range of styles. The La Vie Rouge is an exuberant fruit-forward red made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Syrah all grown in the Judean Hills. Here the sunny summer days and cool nights are ideal for producing red wines with great complexity and depth.

Eli crafts this wine in concrete tanks where it is aged for a year before bottling in order to preserve the natural freshness and aromatics. The ripe dark fruit, medium body, and soft tannins make this an excellent wine to serve with casual dinners and it can even be served slightly chilled during the summer.