Carmel Mediterranean 2007 
  08.02.2010
 

Varieties:
37% Carignan
26% Shiraz
20% Petit Verdot
15% Petite Sirah
5% Malbec
2% Viognier

Appellation:
Shomron.
The wine comes mainly from the Shomron Wine Region, but there are also components from the Upper Galilee, Judean Hills and Negev in the final blend.

Winemaking:
Each variety was vinified and aged separately for 7 months in small French oak barrels, and then the final blend was made and returned to barrel for a further 8 months. The wine was then aged in bottle for over 12 months before release. It was unfined and only coarsely filtered and therefore will throw a light sediment over time.

Tasting Note:
Carmel Mediterranean is made in the ‘old world’ style. It is deep purple with an aroma of black cherries, leather and truffles. The wine is elegant, with a delicate balance between fruit, tannin and acidity. It is considered suitable for aging.

2007 Vintage
The 2007 winter was comparatively cold with a few especially cold spells. Precipitation was down 25%. Despite the fact that February was warmer, which bought forward budding, ripening was slow which took the harvest up to November. Yields were lower than 2006, but the color and character of the grapes was very good.
Wine Analysis:
Alc 13.5%; pH 3.6; TA 5.9 g/l.

Winemaker:
Lior Laxer. He graduated in Beaune and has winemaking experience in Burgundy, Bordeaux and Australia. He joined Carmel in 2003 and became Chief Winemaker in 2005.

Label:
A drawing of Zichron Ya’acov Wine Cellars – built 1892.

 Carmel Winery, was founded in 1882 by Baron Edmond de Rothschild, an owner of Chateau Lafite in Bordeaux. Carmel owns the two largest wineries in Israel, at Rishon Le Zion & Zichron Ya’acov and two new state-of-the-art wineries: Kayoumi in the Upper Galilee and Yatir Winery, in the northern Negev.