Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Squires Scores from Parker's Wine Advocate- Erle Wines

2007 Erle Family Winery Sauvignon Blanc Aroyo Vineyards 88 Mature $25
The 2007 SAUVIGNON BLANC AROYO VINEYARDS is modestly grassy and crisp, with ripe fruit. This won’t likely remind anyone of Loire Sauvignon Blanc. Those who prefer them austere, herbaceous and pungent should look elsewhere. This laid back, crowd pleaser has some typicity and brightness, though, and it is quite tasty. It was the wine I most enjoyed drinking of the Erle lineup this issue. Drink now-2010.

2007 Erle Family Winery Merlot Aroyo Vineyards 87 Early $28
The 2007 MERLOT AROYO VINEYARDS has 10% Argaman in it—an Israeli-developed hybrid that crosses Carignan and Sousao (from Portugal). Pleasing and pure, this nicely balanced young Merlot has a soft texture, some grapiness and ripe tannins. It has a certain brightness around the edges that makes it a little lively. It is not particularly deep or long, but it is a tasty and encouraging early release that is a pleasure to drink and easily the best of the Erle wines reviewed this issue. Drink now-2014.

2007 Erle Family Winery Argaman Aroyo Vineyards 85 Mature $28
The 2007 ARGAMAN AROYO VINEYARDS is an Israeli-developed hybrid that crosses Carignan and Sousao (from Portugal). Those are two pretty difficult grapes to work with. Even the Portuguese think twice before using a lot of Sousao in table wines. This nonetheless works pretty well. Very dark, with less apparent acidity than I thought it would have given the grapes in question, this shows straightforward, grapey fruit with pleasant flavors. It has modest structure and concentration, making it best as an everyday wine for early consumption. Drink now-2012.

2007 Erle Family Winery Carignan Aroyo Vineyards 83 Mature $28
The 2007 CARIGNAN AROYO VINEYARDS is from a 30 year old vineyard. Israel has been struggling to find a niche beyond famed international grapes (like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot); some have pointed to Carignan, which I suspect will be a difficult project. This is light and straightforward, without much depth or concentration, but it manages to feel relatively full on the first attack. There is not much structure, and there is a certain iodine note on the finish. This is pleasant enough for its intended purpose—a light, easy drinking wine. Drink now-2011.

Ari Erle wears a lot of hats—he makes this wine in Israel, makes a Hopland Syrah under the Erle Family Winery brand in California, works at O'Shaughnessy Winery and once worked at Colgin Cellars—and for good measure, his company imports these and other Israeli wines. This is a new winemaking venture that should be quite interesting, but Erle needs to build on these early releases.

Importer: IsraelWineCompany.com, tel: (707) 307-4303
To buy any of these wines click HERE