Yarden Merlot (75cl, 14.5%)

Yarden Merlot is an Israeli red wine from the Golan Heights, made predominantly from Merlot with a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2021 vintage earned Gold medals from Mundus Vini and Citadelles du Vin. It is aged for fourteen months in French oak barrels. The wine comes from Golan Heights Winery, founded in 1983, where high-elevation vineyards on volcanic basalt soils benefit from cool nights. Within the winery's range, Yarden sits as the flagship tier above Gamla and Hermon. The nose opens with ripe blackberry and plum, then licorice, graphite and earthy cedar, with meaty complexity and orange peel emerging with time. The palate is full-bodied and mouth-coating, with concentrated black fruit and raspberry, plush mid-palate texture, powdery mocha, fresh herbs and ripe cherry. The finish is medium to long, with cocoa, earthy minerals and soft dusty tannins.