2016 Now finished: SHVO, Upper Galilee, Israel

Syrah 45%, Grenache 20%, Barbera 20%, Mourvedre 15%

Gaby Sadan is the best (and coolest) winemaker we met on a Master of Wine trip to Israel. He describes his region as follows:
“Shvo Vineyards is an estate winery located in Jish (Gush Halav) in the Upper Galilee region in the north of Israel.
The vineyard is planted nearby, on top of a hill at an altitude of 800 meters above sea level, in the heart of a natural oak forest, overlooking Mt. Meron.
Thanks to the vineyard’s unique location, on the western edge of the Upper Galilee, it benefits both from the Upper Galilee’s typical agreeable weather, and from the tempering effect of the western winds blowing from the Mediterranean sea.
The soil, exceptional for the region, is a gravelly flint (silex) clay, reminiscent of some of the most exciting soils in the Loire Valley.”
The last point is interesting as it’s the Loire that Gaby references most. He was a friend, and something of a vinous disciple, of the late, great Didier Dagueneau.

Outstanding red wine. Comparable in both quality and style with the very best of the Terraces du Larzac in the south of France.