Carmel Winery for Passover

^{This post has been sponsored by Carmel Winery. The following message is intended for those 21+. All opinions expressed are my own. Please enjoy responsibly.}

Carmel Black 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon comes to us today from Israel’s premier wine producer – Carmel Winery. As always, we’ll be taking a look at Israel as a wine region, discussing the Carmel Winery itself, and then reviewing the Carmel Black 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon. After that, I’ll be providing you with some pairing suggestions to ensure you get the most out of this wine.

Now, we’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get right to it.

The Who – Carmel Winery

Carmel was founded in 1882 by Edmond James de Rothschild, with its first vineyards being planted south of Jaffa. In the ensuing decades following its founding, Carmel would meet with early success, leading to an expansion of the winery’s facilities, including a second winery near Haifa, and a gold medal from the Paris World Fair in 1900,

Carmel’s success would continue into the early 20th century, with the wine industry in Israel undergoing something of a renaissance through the First World War. However, almost immediately following the end of the war, Israel’s wine industry would all but collapse, suffering several significant body blows in rapid succession. First came the closure of what were the two primary markets for Israeli wines at the time – Russia, due to the October Revolution, and the US due to the passage of Prohibition. Not long after, Egypt, also a popular destination for Israeli wine, closed its markets to alcohol. In essence, this left Israeli winemakers with virtually no profitable destinations for export, while rapidly changing regional attitudes towards alcohol, in general, made the local production of wine a less and less ‘practical’ undertaking.

So severe was the sudden downturn for the Israeli wine industry that Carmel, like many regional winemakers, actually shifted much of its production to boiled sacramental wine, and replanted much of its former acreage with citrus.

This downturn would last through the 1970s, and it would not be until the close of the 1980s that Israel would once again begin producing award-winning wines. This renewed success would continue into the new millennium, with Israeli wine finding its way onto the Wine Spectator Top 100 list. However, it was Carmel Winery that capitalized most heavily on the resurgence, so much so that today Carmel’s market share of the Israeli wine industry is in the vicinity of fifty percent.

The Where – Galilee, Israel

Galilee is divided into three wine regions, Upper Galilee, Lower Galilee, and the Golan Heights. In the Golan Heights, elevations reach well over a thousand meters, and the soils can vary quite widely. Similarly, the soils of Upper Galilee vary quite widely as well, but generally feature volcanic basalt, limestone, and free-draining gravels, coupled with high elevations that guard against high local temperatures.

Aromatics and Tasting – The Review

The Carmel Black 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon greets the eye with a luscious, ruby hue, being as deep and as dark as the name suggests. Off the top of the glass, the wine features notes of oak and vanilla, with copious dark fruit essences. Overall, the aromatics offer juicy blackcurrant, ripe plum, and blackberry, with hints of antique cedar, fresh tobacco leaf, and spice from the wine’s oak aging. On the palate, the dark fruit from the aromatics carries over quite nicely and is complemented by notes of vanilla, a hint of chocolate, and pleasant earthiness and warming spices. The wine is full-bodied and features a lasting finish.

Pairing Suggestions – What to Eat

1. Grilled or Roasted Red Meat: The wine’s bold flavors and firm tannins complement rich and savory dishes like grilled steak, roast lamb, or beef stew. Think herb crusts, pan searing, and barbecue. Juicy red meat and cabernet sauvignon are a match made in heaven, and this particular bottle is no exception.
2. Aged Cheese: The idea behind pairing a wine and cheese is to match a wine’s complexity and depth of flavor. In this case, Carmel Black would be enhanced by pairing it with aged cheeses such as Parmesan, aged Gouda, or sharp Cheddar.
3. Dark Chocolate: I love dessert and wine, and take any excuse I can to make that known. With this wine, I could easily imagine dark chocolate desserts, such as chocolate mousse, a rich dark chocolate cake, or a flourless chocolate cake. Is this technically a dessert wine? No, no it isn’t, and that’s okay. Try this pairing, you won’t be disappointed.
4. Herbs and Spices: This relates in part to the first round of pairing suggestions. Consider dishes seasoned with herbs like rosemary, thyme, or sage can complement the herbal and spicy notes often found in Carmel's Cabernet Sauvignon. This means an herb-roasted rack of lamb, pasta tossed with a herbed cream sauce, richly herbed and seasoned risotto, or herbed wild boar.
5. Mushroom Dishes: This wine will love being served alongside earthy flavors, and that means mushrooms. That means dishes like mushroom risotto, stuffed mushrooms, or mushroom pasta are excellent choices for pairing.

And that’s our review of Carmel Winery’s Carmel Black. If you enjoyed today’s review, tried the wine, or have any questions or suggestions, be sure to let us know in the comments below. We always love hearing from you! Cheers!