Embark on a sensory expedition with me, Simon Jacob, as we uncover the alchemy of winemaking at Agur Winery, perched in the Judean Hills. Our hosts, Elad Katz, Eyal Drori, and Shoki Yishuv, invite us into their realm where time-honored methods meld with avant-garde technology. Picture a Carignan, aged with an innovative nod to Priorat's ancient clay pot fermentation, telling its tale through each sip. As we traverse the winery's evolution, we're privy to the team's passion for crafting wines that resonate with creativity and connection.
This episode isn't merely about sampling the vineyard's bounty; it's a deep appreciation for the delicate dance of elements that give a wine its soul. We discuss the dynamic role terroir plays in shaping flavor profiles and the meticulous care that goes into selecting barrels for aging. The team's experimental ventures, like acacia barreled wine, exemplify their commitment to pushing boundaries. Together, we savor the unique notes of a vintage Syrah, and toast to the craft that brings us these exquisite narratives in each bottle.
As our journey draws to a close, a moment of sober reflection brings us back to the wider world beyond the vineyard's embrace. I share a heartfelt plea for the safety of soldiers and the return of hostages, intertwining our shared appreciation for wine with the reality that life's complexities are never far from our thoughts. This episode is more than a wine tasting – it's a celebration of community spirit and the ever-present hope for peace and safety for all. Join us as we raise our glasses to discovery, innovation, and a deep-seated love of the winemaker's art.
For more information Email: agurwines@gmail.com Phone: 02-9995423 Address: Agur Winery, Moshav Agur 17, Ella Valley To reserve a table: https://ontopo.co.il/agurwines Online Shop Israel: https://agurwines.com/en/wine-shop/ Online Shop USA: https://www.israeliwinedirect.com/index.cfm?method=products.search&searchText=AGUR Remember to use the code AGUR10 for 10% off your Purchase.
Embark on a sensory expedition with me, Simon Jacob, as we uncover the alchemy of winemaking at Agur Winery, perched in the Judean Hills. Our hosts, Elad Katz, Eyal Drori, and Shoki Yishuv, invite us into their realm where time-honored methods meld with avant-garde technology. Picture a Carignan, aged with an innovative nod to Priorat's ancient clay pot fermentation, telling its tale through each sip. As we traverse the winery's evolution, we're privy to the team's passion for crafting wines that resonate with creativity and connection.
This episode isn't merely about sampling the vineyard's bounty; it's a deep appreciation for the delicate dance of elements that give a wine its soul. We discuss the dynamic role terroir plays in shaping flavor profiles and the meticulous care that goes into selecting barrels for aging. The team's experimental ventures, like acacia barreled wine, exemplify their commitment to pushing boundaries. Together, we savor the unique notes of a vintage Syrah, and toast to the craft that brings us these exquisite narratives in each bottle.
As our journey draws to a close, a moment of sober reflection brings us back to the wider world beyond the vineyard's embrace. I share a heartfelt plea for the safety of soldiers and the return of hostages, intertwining our shared appreciation for wine with the reality that life's complexities are never far from our thoughts. This episode is more than a wine tasting – it's a celebration of community spirit and the ever-present hope for peace and safety for all. Join us as we raise our glasses to discovery, innovation, and a deep-seated love of the winemaker's art.
For more information Email: agurwines@gmail.com Phone: 02-9995423 Address: Agur Winery, Moshav Agur 17, Ella Valley To reserve a table: https://ontopo.co.il/agurwines Online Shop Israel: https://agurwines.com/en/wine-shop/ Online Shop USA: https://www.israeliwinedirect.com/index.cfm?method=products.search&searchText=AGUR Remember to use the code AGUR10 for 10% off your Purchase.
Thursdays 6:30pm Eastern Time on the NSN Network and the NSN App
S.Simon Jacob:
Welcome to The Kosher Terroir. I'm Simon Jacob, your host for this episode from Jerusalem. Before we get started, I ask that, wherever you are, please take a moment and pray for the safety of our soldiers and the safe return of all of our hostages. The following episode of the Coucher Terroir is an exceptional conversation and wine tasting with the extremely creative team at Agur Winery in the Judean Hills wine region of Israel.
S.Simon Jacob:
Elad Katz, the CEO, and Eyal Drori, the winemaker, along with the winery founder and winemaker emeritus, Shoki Yishuv, have formed an incredible partnership, embracing the spirit of Agour's past while focusing on its truly creative potential. Elad and Eyal shared with us some of their older offerings as well as some of their new creations. There was so much to taste and absorb that I've broken this episode into two parts. Welcome to part two, where we visit the actual winery and view and taste some of winemaker Eyal's current and future projects. If you are commuting in your car, please focus on the road and enjoy. If you are home, please choose a delicious kosher wine. Sit back and listen in on this personal wine conversation among friends.
Elad Katz:
Introduction orientation. You can see the old Agur the old tanks and the new ones. Now these came just before the last harvest, and what you don't see is there are actually three tanks.
S.Simon Jacob:
One on the top of the other.
Elad Katz:
Because he likes his pixels.
Eyal Drori:
And I like my floor full up to the ceiling.
Elad Katz:
So this is an old tank from Ráziel I bought from Eli, and that one as well, and actually even this labeling machine came from Ráziel. But we are actually re-equipping and these are new.
S.Simon Jacob:
These are Eyal's toys clay pots.
Elad Katz:
Which I guess you want to taste right.
Eyal Drori:
They are for us. It depends on you.
Elad Katz:
This is a crazy experience.
Eyal Drori:
It's a car in yarn from old wine that are doing the fermentation inside this pot and then we leave them on the skins what we call long maceration. It's still on the skins, so it's more than five. It's almost five months on the skins and it's still there until I will decide it is enough. But now I see how it evolved and I love it.
Elad Katz:
September, October, November, December, J anuary. February six months on skins Not dressed yet, not dressed yet Still with the skins. It has to taste like two times a week because it's a very dangerous environment.
Eyal Drori:
Once a week. I'm tasting every Sunday. I'm tasting it to see how it evolved. I'm sending it to a lab to see some other parameters.
Yechiel Wolgal:
You can taste. You want to make sure? Yeah, exactly like VIA.
Eyal Drori:
Where did you come up with?
Elad Katz:
this idea from Priorat.
Eyal Drori:
The first time I tasted the wine made like this was in Priorat, in a very small producer that I didn't know what I'm tasting Just one of these wines and I just like what's happening in my glass now. So I started to ask some questions to the winemaker and he said it's coming from an old vineyard that he have of car in yarn and he put it in clay pots.
Yechiel Wolgal:
Tanaha. Right, it's called Tanaha, I think. The clay pots, the clay pots, tanaha.
Eyal Drori:
I'm thinking the Spanish, not in Catalonia.
Yechiel Wolgal:
And it's Priorat that takes this.
Eyal Drori:
But anyway, yeah, so he's doing this technique. He's done it with the car in yarn with the skins for six months, so I start to play a little bit with it. The first vintage was just four months, wow.
S.Simon Jacob:
You actually can only go in through that.
Elad Katz:
There's a tap, but the skins are still inside, so, and they're down below.
Yechiel Wolgal:
I told Simon, I like the word Dayanu. I like the word Dayanu when it's like you know, moments like everything was worth it for this.
S.Simon Jacob:
This is a very much a Dayanu moment. There's no words. This is absolutely crazy delicious, is it carinjón?
Eyal Drori:
It's Carignan, 100 percent, and it's going for the layman.
Yechiel Wolgal:
Oh my.
Elad Katz:
God Did things take time yeah.
Eyal Drori:
It just improved from week to week.
Elad Katz:
You think he would only do the clay pots. Right, he has an experiment which he tastes. I just, I was with him on Thursday. So you have the clay pot, 900 liters, a wooden barrel and we have small stainless steel tanks, so he has control. It's not. It's not a experiment.
Eyal Drori:
I need to understand.
Yechiel Wolgal:
That's the only way you're going to understand.
Elad Katz:
The document that you go through. See this antenna over there. That's an IOT antenna. He has sensors in the clay pots, in the clay pots, in some of the barrels and some of the stainless steel tanks and he knows the amount of oxygen every minute, every five minutes, he still has a sense. So it's romantic, but it's an experiment.
Yechiel Wolgal:
It's not a bullshit thing, I think the crazy thing. The crazy thing is again why I started liking the wine. It was the cause of the blending. But now I'm tasting this like I feel like if you even don't do this, because your genus is at the blends, but even if you did your things as single vario, there's still going to be a single. It will still be a head of a game.
Eyal Drori:
I can give you now to taste five or six different wines and you will say the same thing it's without an end. So this is the good symbiosis that we have, because he's the one like it's like a garden breaks, he's my breaks.
Elad Katz:
He's like okay, dope, that's the best compliment I ever got.
Eyal Drori:
No, really, Because you know I easily can Funnel, I call it funnel not break, it's a funnel. It's a funnel.
Elad Katz:
He has a huge amount of pixels in his head and, after all, we have to broadcast it, so it has to be a one picture with a lot of pixels. So we try to focus and this, by the way, is something I learned from Eli how to take all of your doings and concentrate into focus.
Eyal Drori:
I asked him to bring us something else, the rosé.
Yechiel Wolgal:
Let's see the room. Yeah, let's go.
Eyal Drori:
So this is the bedroom. Can smell it? No, yeah.
Elad Katz:
You can come and see the pixels. Come and see Every barrel has, like a story, percentages and so which barrel you can see?
Eyal Drori:
for just example, I think the best example is to see the whites.
Elad Katz:
But I want to see.
Eyal Drori:
I asked him to bring us a Sauvignon Blanc. Do you remember? Yes, that is one of those barrels that's going to the Leand Blend, so that means that it's one of the best barrels that I had. And it's just to show you that this method, this technique to take a Sauvignon Blanc and to extract out something more unique.
S.Simon Jacob:
I like even that, so you could use the metal racks for the barrels, but instead. This is from Eli.
Elad Katz:
And, by the way, from him as well. He's an old world guy, but actually this specific barrel is from Eli, if you ask me. Yeah, I know Because I can see so we've polished the castilla, but here we didn't yeah.
S.Simon Jacob:
I could see we like, old though I'm like 70,.
Eyal Drori:
95% of the oak here is old. You can see I'm using well, it depends, but I'm using also new, like for the rosa, like for the white. You remember that we said we talked about the acacia. This is the acacia barrel, this one is the hybrid. So the head is acacia. Okay, you can see. Also, the color is different. It's a little bit greenish, bright.
Elad Katz:
This is Sauvignon Blanc from 2023. Here's your glass.
Eyal Drori:
This is 23 from Matan the plot is from Matan, so it's still with the east.
Yechiel Wolgal:
Wow.
S.Simon Jacob:
Yeah, my favorite thing to do is to taste Rosés. The taste Rosés that are still in steel. But this is like the second best.
Eyal Drori:
This is Sauvignon Blanc in barrel. Steel and barrel. It's going to be in the final part of the layang.
S.Simon Jacob:
It would be amazing, but I know you can't follow this.
Eyal Drori:
You see, it would be amazing if you could bottle this.
Elad Katz:
I wish it was a way to bottle this. There's no way, so.
S.Simon Jacob:
I show you something.
Elad Katz:
There's no way of bottling a moment, I know.
Eyal Drori:
So if you come here, you will see, just to understand. You see all these boxes, yes, this one. Our different repetitions of the same repetitions. Like different fermentation different yeast from the same. So this is, for example Repetitions, so okay. So Sauvignon Blanc, this is from the same plot, but different yeast.
Yechiel Wolgal:
Yeah, different barrel.
Eyal Drori:
Different barrel, so before I'm doing the blend I'm taking from each repetition the different barrel is a batch, a different batch. From each batch. I'm taking two bottles yes After that to open it and to taste it and to understand it better.
S.Simon Jacob:
Real value. Yeah, I can see the castel ones, because the castel barrels all have the branches around the outside and the plate in the middle.
Eyal Drori:
I love them when they're selling at them after five years. Yeah, they're in form, because we have different style of wine making. You know, it's not a conversation about what is the best way. It's not about quality. It's not about quality, it's about style and what I love in these barrels is that when they sell them, for my style they are in the best place.
Elad Katz:
That's incredible tool for me, and they're clean and hygiene.
Eyal Drori:
Yeah, that's why I know from who I'm buying the barrels.
S.Simon Jacob:
I wish you could put this in a bottle. I wish you could put this. So this is what year.
Eyal Drori:
It's 23.
S.Simon Jacob:
It's 23. And you see, it's still with the yeast.
Eyal Drori:
No, it's still better. So we tasted the. Sovinaum Blanc 23 in the agur blanc, which is already ready.
Elad Katz:
This is going into Laingam which will be bottled around late spring.
Eyal Drori:
I have a question for you. What do you prefer with the rosan? You prefer the tau or the vo?
Yechiel Wolgal:
Oh, what the potential or what's ready.
S.Simon Jacob:
I think I want to taste it ready, but I would like to taste it. Let's taste the potential.
Elad Katz:
The potential. I'm not going to say the potential, yeah, no, I'm not going to say the potential Okay. He's just asking. He'll bring you anyway what he wanted I know, no, actually I'm going to bring you both.
Eyal Drori:
I'm not going to bring you both Potential. This is the potential. It's coming from Busch.
Elad Katz:
Ezeon, I wish we could put it into our region.
Yechiel Wolgal:
It's not an app. It's not an app, it's an app.
Elad Katz:
For us, by the way it's for me.
Yechiel Wolgal:
It's a very Yauda. Politically it's not.
Eyal Drori:
By the way, both of the wines we're going to test now, the Toa and the Vaux, are coming from a new oak, but the Akasha Politically and also from our point of view, the Terwars, I mean the Shalint, the Tresor, it's both. Split. So now I gave you the.
Eyal Drori:
Vaux, it's a Ozan that was spontaneous fermented Spontaneous this in the clay. It started fermentation in the clay, then it stayed there for two and a half months and then I do the racking with the fine lese, do this new oak, new barrel, which is the Akasha. So it's much more expressive.
Yechiel Wolgal:
It smells like the best perfume.
Eyal Drori:
Yeah, by the way, the Orange Blossoms.
Yechiel Wolgal:
For me, you can get, you can get the Eucalyptus here. The.
Eyal Drori:
Akasha 100%.
S.Simon Jacob:
This becomes this. No, well, no, because it's the two pieces that you want to put together.
Eyal Drori:
Two pieces of 100 pieces.
S.Simon Jacob:
Yes, yes, yeah, yeah.
Eyal Drori:
Well, it's also a personal study for me what I want to, how I want to take the Ozan and show him the way, the right way for the right wine. So this is an experiment that they did the Amphorclay, the spontaneous fermentation but it's an experiment just first year. I have to say that for sure. I'm going to repeat it again Again. Yeah, Because it's an amazing wine.
Elad Katz:
Yeah it's tasting too much of a wine, so it doesn't keep anything for the customers. Yeah.
Eyal Drori:
No, it's a question that's a common discussion between CEOs and winemakers Every Sunday.
Elad Katz:
I mean I said again you're tasting everything. Yeah like wines. I just like Shuki did. By the way, I know that Al has a superior, superior, I have no.
S.Simon Jacob:
Superior palate.
Elad Katz:
He has a superior mind, ok.
Eyal Drori:
I have a superior mind?
Elad Katz:
No, because producing wine I want to say something. Producing wine is not that hard. I'm a wine producer, very basic wine. This guy knows his stuff. He's not just producing wine, he has an ability to imagine and to execute. Is that it?
Yechiel Wolgal:
OK, I don't want to add the white.
Elad Katz:
There are very old wines that we found near Mony vineyards. They didn't know.
S.Simon Jacob:
They're producing wine out of it, but we were playing with the glass, but they've been there for a long time, haven't they? Yeah?
Eyal Drori:
They can. 50 years old. This vine is 50 years old.
S.Simon Jacob:
So wait a second. Your last name is Drory.
Eyal Drori:
Drory but.
Yechiel Wolgal:
I'm not related to Shivi?
Eyal Drori:
I'm not related to Shivi. We are good friends. I really love him. By the way, it's one of the wine makers in Israel that I really appreciate. I'm really appreciated because the project he did with the indigenous is unbelievable, so this one is 100% Garnaccia di Torera.
Yechiel Wolgal:
Garnaccia di Torera. Both of us, simon. By the first time we've had a Garnaccia di Torera solo.
Eyal Drori:
It's so rare to taste it by itself. I've never.
Yechiel Wolgal:
The first time I had it, I was always in your blend. So solo was the first time I thought again. I should say this is for you, Moni's vineyards, very chalky white hills.
Elad Katz:
We found the plot and we said we want to buy whatever we can. They've been doing blends with it and so on, and they out-tasted it and said this is such a unique nose, I want to have it in my blend. So I'm going to say and we've planted this variety as well in our vineyards.
Yechiel Wolgal:
I'm going to say it again it's the bracha again for your friend Draw, draw, draw. What Draw, draw, draw, draw. Raise my lights.
Elad Katz:
This last one was for Draw, draw, draw, draw, draw draw and you should be freed immediately.
S.Simon Jacob:
Amen.
Yechiel Wolgal:
Oh, my .
Eyal Drori:
Now this is an actual acidity, Just to understand like it's 50 years old. They planted it. They said that in the start of the 70s they planted these plots. They have Karinian and Garnaca nearby and we are buying both of them and it's from the first 70s, so it's 50 something, yeah.
Elad Katz:
And we have to select the grapes here, like a sort of the sorting is quite harshly because we're not the growers yet, but it gives like super special.
Yechiel Wolgal:
We've taken up a lot of your time.
Elad Katz:
I just want us to taste one more thing that Eyal will decide Maybe a Shirah from.
Eyal Drori:
So it could be Shirah 22?.
Elad Katz:
Yeah, I think we deserve you talked about your philosophy. Let's. Put your wine where your mouth is Cookie.
S.Simon Jacob:
I want a bracha, I want a bracha.
Yechiel Wolgal:
You can come Okay.
S.Simon Jacob:
I'm going to go to the other side.
Elad Katz:
I want you to have a good life, and a good life for you A good life for you.
Eyal Drori:
I want you to have a good life I want you to have a good life for Israel.
Elad Katz:
A good life for you and a good life for you.
Eyal Drori:
I want you to have a good life for Israel.
Elad Katz:
That's what I want.
S.Simon Jacob:
Good life for you. Amen, amen, amen. Wow, the best brachote.
Eyal Drori:
You know I'm serious, I'm spontaneous . I'm exciting now, really. No kidding the best brachote, I'm a spondanisle.
S.Simon Jacob:
I'm a spondanisle, he's a coin.
Yechiel Wolgal:
Yeah, a coin, I didn't even know.
Eyal Drori:
And then I just realized cats, he's a coin.
S.Simon Jacob:
If you want to get a bracha from a rav, don't go get brachote from rabay. Go get brachote from soldiers. Wow, I'm telling you.
Eyal Drori:
So that's it, Serif-le-shmaw.
S.Simon Jacob:
Serif-le-shmaw.
Eyal Drori:
You said it's not a coin, by the way.
S.Simon Jacob:
It's not a coin. There's a big rav that you talked about. You know what I'm saying. Why do you go to all the Arabs to get a bracha Serif? To go to someone in the army? He's going to give the bracha more than everyone, because he works for not only the Am-Israel, State tate, but also for the Am-Israel family.
Eyal Drori:
That's it.
S.Simon Jacob:
And okay.
Yechiel Wolgal:
He's Arab. Yeah, I know, I just want to get a look at the color.
S.Simon Jacob:
I know, I know.
Elad Katz:
This is his first Shmirah, which he planned.
Yechiel Wolgal:
Oh, it's his first one, it's a 100% him 21, was him planning me? Executing. This is him. 22 is all him.
Eyal Drori:
I'm excited to try this so I did it a little bit on purpose. I did it from half new oak and half old oak, so it's like 50% new oak, which is not represented by a blend, but it's the half of the new oak. It's one of our best oak that's going especially for the special reserve. Shmira is better in Hebrew. It sounds better in Hebrew, so just like you can try to imagine that instead of 50% of the new oak, you will get eventually 20%, because I think you will understand it.
Eyal Drori:
Is it? Your right goes here. Well, 22 was a little bit colder here, so the Merlot was better than the Crab. So it's more Merlot than Cabernet Sauvignon, but we're talking about 35% Merlot.
Yechiel Wolgal:
You tested it now so good, oh my God. And then?
Eyal Drori:
we have new jokers, we have more Cira, more Petit Sirah and a little bit of Carignan. So we start to see more and more the Mediterranean, from the good plots that we have enter to the final blend. When we started I had some difficulty with the special reserve, because it's always one here before.
Eyal Drori:
So we're testing now the things that I started. When we began I started to aim that from the young series and the middle range that I am. But we're still testing the 21 of the Cira, which is like the first vintage of our group, of the team, and it was just like the first attempt of me to do something that would be unique but would represent the best plots that we have now. But it wasn't because 21 was, we were depending just on one best plot that we had. It was Matah. I didn't have all the Apologize, where is Matah?
Eyal Drori:
Matah is in Dujan. Here is near Suadasa.
Elad Katz:
It's above Manus from here, but 500 meters above us.
Yechiel Wolgal:
Altitude big difference.
S.Simon Jacob:
So yeah, Suadasa is next to where the new.
Elad Katz:
Castelwander is no.
Eyal Drori:
That's in Wachikot. I'm sorry. Yeah, that's Yadoshmone, it's another. We have three ridges North to South.
Elad Katz:
Suadasa is the southern ridge, it's just like three kilometers yeah. And it's near us near Bouchesion in the Appalachian.
Yechiel Wolgal:
It's a beautiful, very nice location over there, 750 meters above sea level 10, 15 minutes from here.
Elad Katz:
I drive in my car and bring the grapes in.
Yechiel Wolgal:
It's awesome and very very nice plots.
Eyal Drori:
That's Suadasa or Matah, really one of the best plots that we have. But the problem there is that it's just For me. It was just one part of the puzzle Right In my yeah In 22,. You can see that, as I said, I had more You're not making it simpler the puzzle.
Yechiel Wolgal:
I never would have done it.
S.Simon Jacob:
You're making it more complicated.
Eyal Drori:
It's the only way.
S.Simon Jacob:
I know to do wine. I know that's what I'm telling you. I'm just looking at it, no, but it's really. You came from.
Eyal Drori:
Piedmont.
Yechiel Wolgal:
Really a real question. It's the opposite. You came from Piedmont.
Elad Katz:
One crew one plot.
Yechiel Wolgal:
Yeah, it's like One variety in Yor-Olo Everything is One wine, and then Siltiko is a variety.
Elad Katz:
By the way, you talked about Chivi.
S.Simon Jacob:
Yeah.
Elad Katz:
So you know we have a gap here of varieties in Israel because of the Muslim period. And why Le'am is so important. What is Le'am? We look to the sea. How is the sea? The minute.
Eyal Drori:
To our good, better neighbors like the Greeks, for example.
Elad Katz:
What are they doing in the last 2000 years, when we were gone as wine makers and Siltiko is a terrific example of a variety that shines up in our terroir, in our climate. It gives you elegance, acidity, aromas and it doesn't fear from the sun.
Eyal Drori:
As a great blender.
Elad Katz:
we hope that a silti coal will give us the ability to create much better wines in our climate, and this is why special reserve is changing because we are choosing more and more varieties that can mix in the cause, not despite.
Eyal Drori:
We are situating here in one of the best wine region in the Mediterranean region in general, if I'm looking about Greece and South part of France and Lebanon as well by the way, the Judea region is something unique and I've been around and truly believe it.
Eyal Drori:
So I have this task to show it, not just me, but it's really important, it's in my bones. So we're working hard and I think that we just started now our journey. But it's a journey, but it's so clear for me it is, and you are now. You tested part of this journey. You tested 21. Now we're testing from the bear, 22,. But you also tested the young cereal, like the whites and the reds, so you can see how everything is evolving. But eventually I'm and, as I said, I'm not by myself we are doing here in Judea region something that is the new generation. This is going to show the world. I hope that has. That's a special place for wine making and it's a beautiful potential and we don't need to be ashamed in front of the French people or the Italians, especially not the Greeks, but even though that, I really believe that Greece is one of the most interested wine places. But we are the same. If you look at the climate parameters, we are not so different.
Elad Katz:
Do you want the?
Eyal Drori:
last one. I think. So I think I have an idea.
S.Simon Jacob:
I'm only kidding. Yes, are you kidding? Are you kidding? Wait, wait, wait.
Yechiel Wolgal:
How can I?
S.Simon Jacob:
say no to you.
Eyal Drori:
I'm going to finish with a very special the only thing that we didn't taste, but we talked about it, is the this part of the puzzle of how I call it it's like a little bit.
S.Simon Jacob:
It's a trained petit-cira.
Eyal Drori:
A petit-cira for me is like a wolf.
S.Simon Jacob:
I'm trying to take the petit-cira and to make it a dog.
Elad Katz:
Out of a wolf restraint. What is it?
Eyal Drori:
It's like a leviate.
Yechiel Wolgal:
The leviate is a domesticate. Domesticate is the word.
Eyal Drori:
I'm trying to domesticate To domesticate this wild grape because it is wild, and then they pick the right clones, but I think it's a misunderstood variety in Israel. In my opinion. Because it easily can give you a very strong wine full of tannins. This thing I learned in Recanati, Because Recanati winery loves petit-cira.
Eyal Drori:
And they still have a beautiful range of different plots, different clones, different areas of petit-cira. So for me it was a great school and what I learned about this variety, that is, if you're trying to do both door wine from petit-cira you will fail, Because it looks very promising in the beginning.
Yechiel Wolgal:
Full of tannins.
Eyal Drori:
And then it's like after two or three years it's.
Elad Katz:
It falls down.
Eyal Drori:
It falls down and then it's been empty wine. Ah, you brought the eucati the felsiwa, the felsiwa we brought the petit-cira from Hebron, chavit II.
Eyal Drori:
So this one is coming from a very specific tank, from a specific plot, coming from an Artuve near Bacemesh. It's the most extreme carbolic maceration that I ever made. I just I didn't plant it, I just taste it, and during the season, and taste it every couple of days, I just decided to keep it going with the carbonic fermentation. So eventually it was five weeks of carbonic maceration, very long one. And the reason why I decided to do that, because I felt from the tank that it has a very rich potential and it doesn't like I want the tiny structure from the Petitirá but I don't really want it in the classic extraction way. So with the Carbonik Masoration I like slowly, slowly, get a little bit more tiny, a little bit more tiny, but very slowly, but I still kept the fruity, the cherry pretty characteristic, you know and eventually a little bit of oxygenation, which is good.
Eyal Drori:
So eventually I had something very, very harmonious, and this is what I'm going to taste. And it's so originally this plot was I handed it for the Kesson. But because of the results, it's going to be at the layam. So this is as I start to say, it's the longest period that I ever made of Karbonik restoration.
Yechiel Wolgal:
It's a Petitirá.
Eyal Drori:
It's a 100% Karbonik restoration for five weeks. So fill the tannins Now, the tannins here are there, but they are. It's a completely different tannins from a classic Petitirá. They're very, yeah, they're there, but they are.
S.Simon Jacob:
They're focused on here and here.
Eyal Drori:
These kind of tannins that I'll stay here in the front of your pallet. They are the first one to be softened. Softened yeah.
Yechiel Wolgal:
And the pallet it's not very tannic.
Elad Katz:
I'll tell you more about that. This is out of a tank.
S.Simon Jacob:
This is out of a barrel and it's still balanced. It's not 100% balanced, but it's so incredibly balanced, like front pallet, mid pallet. There's a continuing, there's a continuing finish on it. It's crazy, and the cherry.
Eyal Drori:
I'll show you that if I would take this plot and made it like in the classic vinification methods like crush this thing, it would be harsh red wine, Maybe good on the fruit side, and then it would break apart no tertiary, no tertiary.
Eyal Drori:
No tertiary and after one or two years it would break apart. It would be very unbalanced and just like nothing. And this technique it was so beautifully evolved during this time with the carbonic maceration that it's what I said, that with the petit zira you need to domesticate it, and it's what I do with it with the petit zira.
Elad Katz:
The maceration is really seeing the grapes in the tank. Now we're like popping up.
Eyal Drori:
It's a beautiful process.
Yechiel Wolgal:
And it's a frothing one by the way. It's a frothing one.
Eyal Drori:
It's not controlling, it's not controlling, but for five weeks it wasn't. Things he doesn't tell me, no.
S.Simon Jacob:
I love it. I love it. It's amazing. I'm so happy you decided to do all of this experimentation and to be cashier.
Eyal Drori:
It's like the fourth or fifth time that you're saying that. I had to respond to this one. For us and I know the opinion of Elad that we are synchronized for us, it wasn't a difficult choice. It wasn't a choice For us. It was bright clear that it was going to be crucial. It was crucial before us. It's the only way that we can make wine here in this region that everybody, but everybody, will taste our wine. This is the only way. So for us, we didn't have any questions. You don't need to thanks us. You don't need to apologize. We don't need to apologize. Anyone needs to apologize to be a kosher winery.
S.Simon Jacob:
It's natural. It's natural. Thank you guys so much for being on The Kosher Terroir and for talking to us and really spending time with us to take us through this. It's just amazing, I'm blown away.
Yechiel Wolgal:
We didn't suffer.
S.Simon Jacob:
I thought it was going to be an interesting session to go through the wines with you, but it is totally blown me away. I knew you were going to be special because of what's been said from Ellie and what have you?
S.Simon Jacob:
I really have never met you before, but I'm just super impressed. I look forward and you've opened my mind in a big way, so thank you, thank you. This is Simon Jacob, again your host of today's episode of The Kosher Terroir. I have a personal request no matter where you are or where you live, please take a moment to pray for our soldier's safety and the safe and rapid return of our hostages. I hope you have enjoyed this episode of the Kosher Terroir. It was exciting and informative for me as well. Please subscribe via your podcast provider to be informed of our new episodes as they are released. If you're new to The Kosher Terroir, please check out our many past episodes.