The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon was aged for 13 months in French oak. A bit light and a bit lacking in mid-palate concentration, this is nonetheless quite charming, delicious and elegant, with a bright, refined feel, albeit lacking depth. It is a pleasure to drink. There is a slight note of licorice on the finish. The only flaws, perhaps, are that it lacks complexity and (a related issue) it is not likely to develop much with age. It will be early maturing. It sure drinks nicely right now, though, and if encountered young, it will probably produce many happy campers, so I have to lean up just a little. Drink now-2017. Importer: Royal Wine Corp., Bayonne, NJ; tel. (718) 534-0118

There’s a richness to this wine that’s paired with a soft warmth throughout, as forward notes of kirsch, muddled ripe strawberries, braised rhubarb and red-plum flesh flood the nose and mouth. Drinkable now, but with a gripping finish. ——L.B.(4/1/2012)—— 87

The 2007 CABERNET SAUVIGNON SINGLE VINEYARD was aged in French oak for 13 months. It comes from Psagot’s Jerusalem Mountain vineyard, 900 meters above sea level. The oak is a bit obvious on this wine, the vanilla and some licorice notes obscuring the fruit initially, but it does come into some degree of balance with air. It has many merits, including good focus and intensity on the finish, as well as a nice supporting backbone. The key difference with this and the other Psagots reviewed this issue is structure. The tannins are quite evident here, and this will be the most ageworthy of the three, although not the most charming initially. The mid-palate also has the most concentration, while remaining rather elegant, not thick. There were 4,450 bottles produced. Drink now-2018. Prices given reflect the last release reviewed, which should be fairly close—as of this writing, I was not given current USA prices. Note that in the last set of Israeli reviews, Psagot received a very poor review of an oxidized 2006 Viognier. That was retasted by the winery and it was found that there was shipping damage to USA bottles. The winery says that it was not a typical bottle, and that henceforth they are going to take additional steps to protect wines that they ship to prevent a reoccurrence of this problem. Meanwhile, it is pleasant to note with this winery as with some others (Recanati, in this report, for one) that I am seeing gradual but steady improvements in the winemaking.Importer: Royal Wine Corp., Bayonne, N.J.; tel: (718) 534-0118.

Dark garnet in color with an intense nose loaded with blackberries, cassis and sweet tobacco. The palate offers more black fruit skin notes along with coffee granules and cocoa powder, with mocha dominating the lingering finish.——L.B.(4/1/2010)—— 87

Focused, fresh and minerally-tasting, with lots of red plum and raspberry flavors that extend into the firm finish. Kosher. Drink now. 500 cases imported.??–KM??Region: Israel / Judean Hills Select to Add