92 Points, Gold Medal, "Exceptional" - World Wine Championships
Today's Heist returns to a perennial favorite producer of ours, Hagafen Cellars in Napa Valley. While Hagafen produces wonderful wines that are perfect at any time of year, a little known fact is that all of their wines also happen to be Kosher.
The 2007 Hagafen Estate Napa Valley Merlot is deep ruby in color. The nose shows plenty of fruit with plum, blackberry, and raspberry, along with notes of baking spice. The palate is bright and racy, with blackberry, mint and leather flavors combining in this medium bodied wine. This wine has Merlot’s typical dark fruit profile with plenty of refreshing acidity. It is extremely versatile, pairing well with your favorite dishes. Stock up today and enjoy this one through the Summer months! And don’t worry, if you have some left over, this one to age for several years with ease. Hagafen Cellars (along with a handful of producers around the world) shows that Kosher wine can hold their own with the finest wines of the world.
Vintage: 2007
Varietal: Merlot
Appellation: Napa Valley
Harvest Date: September 5th, 2007
Sugar: 23.8° Brix at harvest
Acid: 6.5g/L
PH: 3.69
Alcohol: 13.2%
Gold Medal
Generously packed with black cherry, cola, cassis, and plum that all intermingle together in a creamy, velvety texture with great layering, finishing with delightful notes of oak and spice. Persistent, well-defined structure, wonderfully balanced.
90 Points
Rich and voluptuous with ripe raspberry, cherry, and plum, layered with hints of lavender, fig compote, and exotic spice. Concentrated and complex, the palate is a balanced interplay cocoa, and a hint of espresso, creating both richness and intrigue. Vibrant acidity and silky tannins that contribute heft and length that coat the palate with luscious ripeness that keeps on giving.
94 Points
A classic expression of coastal influenced Chardonnay with aromas of honey, apple chutney, lime blossom, and gentle Indian spice box undertones. A big juicy entry on the palate, showing a silky texture with excellent tension and structure, ending with a complex, layered finish.
96 Points
Aromas of blackberry, black cherry, huckleberry, floral violet and savory spice. The palate is full and layered, with robust, age-worthy tannins and gorgeous flavors of dark berries, mocha and chocolate-covered cherries mingling with hints of graphite, fig and fine leather. Smooth tannins, firm structure and silky texture coat the palate on route to a long, generous finish.
Exceptional!
Reddish-purple in color with aromas of blackberry, plum, pomegranate, herbs de Provence, and licorice. The palate is full, structured and balanced with blackberry, currant, black cherry, cassis, and licorice that carries through, with notes of black pepper, mocha and chocolate. Very long, spicy, with a fruit-driven finish. Great aging potential.
Gold Medal
Light pink in color with aromas of watermelon, cranberry, orange rind, and fresh spring flowers that leap from the glass. The palate offers more peach, strawberry, and melon, with an intriguing note of rose and hibiscus. It's crisp with just the perfect hint of red fruit, and delicate whisper of strawberry that gives goosebumps.
