"Dense purple towards garnet, this rich and concentrated wine comes on a bit sweet followed by plenty of black fruit aromas and flavors…" Yonatan Sternberg tastes and tells at Château Golan winery in the southern Golan Heights.
Situated on the Eliad Moshav in the southern Golan Heights, Château Golan was founded in the summer of 1999. Oregon and California trained winemaker Uri Hertz is in charge of the winery’s production which amounts to approximately 100,000 bottles per annum.
Chateau Golan is currently growing several grape varieties including: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and more. The grapes used to produce the Chateau Golan wines are all hand picked from the winery’s nearby vineyards.
The winery’s reds are usually aged for a period of between a year to a year and a half in oak barrels of various sizes and types. While Château Golan releases both varietal as well as blended reds’ on a regular basis, limited production of Sauvignon Blanc and a rose style wine exists as well.
This week I sampled the, “Eliad 2005”, which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah (6%) which was aged for 13 months in French oak barriques
Tasting Notes:
Chateau Golan, Eliad, 2005
Dense purple towards garnet, this rich and concentrated wine comes on a bit sweet followed by plenty of black fruit aromas and flavors, particularly: dark berry fruits, currants and wood all leading to a long and elegant finish.
Food Pairing:
The wine should go well with mild quality cheeses or elegant meat dishes.
Tip of the week: “Food Pairing”
When serving grilled red meat, I prefer to have a full bodied red which “holds it own” at the BBQ. Try serving a full bodied Shiraz or Cabernet. Nevertheless, at the end of the day your taste is the one that counts.
Château Golan
Moshav Eliad, Ramat Hagolan
Tel: 972-4-6600026
(Photographs by Anael Shoshan)
