Why on this night do we drink not one, but four cups of wine? I don’t know, but I like it!
And I have found the perfect Passover wine. I just don’t know if I can limit myself to four cups.
The Psagot Cabernet Sauvignon Single Vineyard 2013 has an ideal balance of fruit, light tannins, and a toasty acidity. An impressively sophisticated wine with a lighter body, it manages to be more flavorful than some macho full bodied and pricey California cabs I’ve tasted. A hint of cocoa, a pleasing bite of alcohol, a pinch of dry herbs, and mild spiciness all contribute to the complexity of this winning wine. I tasted streams of plum, blackberry, pomegranate, and an undercurrent of smooth mellowness that some have described as vanilla, though I would not have chosen that flavor as a descriptor. Suffice it to say that the Psagot SV cab is not only worth its $60 a bottle price tag, it is indeed a bargain.
Full disclosure: We tasted the 2013, which is no longer available from the the winery, though they offer the 2014 at the same price. What with the very stable environmental conditions in the Jerusalem mountains, and the careful winemaking craft at Psagot, including aging in ancient caves, I would not expect a significant difference between vintages.
According to this mountain winery, the grapes are “harvested from a unique plot planter at 900+ meters above sea level, where this cabernet sauvignon has the ability to reach full ripeness without becoming heavy.” The wine is barrel aged 14 months, and it is mevushal, which I wonder might contribute to my impression that it has been carefully aged even longer.
The Psagot Cabernet Sauvignon Single Vineyard is not only the best mevushal wine I have ever tasted, it is one of my favorite Cabernets, dayenu.
Chag Sameach, Happy Matzah, and Happy Sipping! These wines are available online at psagotwines.com.
—Steve Budman is a local commercial photographer.