Yarden - Chardonnay	1990	Golan Wineries

3/97. Bought locally this week for $17.
By far the oldest Israeli white wine I ever tasted. Yarden Chardonnay is usually the best Israeli white available, but that doesn't say much. While Israeli red wines have come a long way in recent years, this is not the case with the whites. Lacking in natural acidity, even the best and most expensive ones range from dull to mediocre. I always wondered how will the best Chardonnay age, but neither I, nor anyone else I know of, took the trouble to test this. I was quite surprised to find on the shelf of the best wine store in Tel-Aviv this 7-years old vintage that was recently re-released by the Golan Wineries and decided to give it a try.
COLOR: Full, rich golden color. Not entirely translucent with some crystal-like substance floating around.
NOSE: Excellent ripe nose of nature northern fruits, delicate and not obstructive wood elements, some minerals and a touch of honey. So much different from anything I am used to in local whites. Quite reminiscent of a (good) Chassagne-Montrachet village or even a 1er Cru.
TASTE: Mouthfilling, complex and multilayered. Apples and pears together with round and mature winey elements. The right combination of firm structure, good mature fruit and deep evolved flavors.
LENGTH: By far the longest aftertaste I've experienced in any local white.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied, hefty Chard. Not the fruit-cocktail American type. Amazingly similar to good (B). Wood elements do not overpower, ripe and mature but firmly structured. Big wine!
OVERALL: Excellent! Given blind I am pretty sure I'd be fooled...
MARK: 17/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.

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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.