(entrance to Somek Winery)
Barak Dahan is the fifth generation of farmers growing wine grapes in the area of Zichron Yaakov. His great-great-grandfather came from Romania in 1882 with 51 other families to settle the farming village of Zamirin. The first pioneers were a failure at farming when Baron Edmond de Rothschild decided to support their efforts to settle the Land of Israel.
Rothschild decided to build a winery for the settlers to help them support themselves. As the owner of the Premier Crux Chateau Lafite, he fully intended the new winery to produce world-class wines, especially for Jews throughout the world. In fact, Rothschild invested more in building the wine cellars in Zichron Yaakov than he did in purchasing Chateau Lafite. Ever since, Barak’s forefathers have been growing grapes for the Carmel Winery.
While Baron’s Rothschild’s quest for quality wine was unsuccessful, 120 years later the winery he started – Carmel Winery – has achieved international recognition for its world-class wines. Israel today has over 250 wineries, although 90% of our wine is produced by the five largest wineries. Somek Winery is one of the smaller boutique wineries that are producing first-class wines.
Barak and his wife Hila decided to establish their own winery in 2003. Hila has a masters degree in oenology from University of Adelaide. Somek Winery’s vineyards are located in the valley Beqat Hanadiv, a valley named after Baron Rothschild. While most of the grapes are sold to other wineries, mainly Carmel, Barak and Hila chose their finest grapes for their own wines.
Our Visit
Barak welcomed us in the farmyard that his family has lived in since the late 1800’s. Barak and Hila have converted the old farm buildings into their estate winery. On our way in, we noticed some renovations at the entrance. Barak told us that he is building a small visitors’ center and tasting room that will be inside, air-conditioned and heated and comfortable no matter what the weather.
(Barak Explaining Pressing the Must)
Since we’re in the middle of the harvest, we were able to see the chardonnay fermenting. Barak explained the wine is moved from the crusher to the fermentation vats by bucket and not pumped. This is gentler on the wine and Barak and Hila believe that this gives them better quality wine.
(Fermentation Room)
(Chardonay Fermenting)
(Barak demonstrating how to press down the yeast)
Next we saw the barrel room. Hila ages Somek’s wines in a mixture of new and used French Oak barrels. While Hila’s education is very New World in Adelaide, she uses an Old World approach to her wines. Barak and Hila harvest their low-yield vines by hand in the early morning hours and bring the grapes to the nearby winery to be crushed before the heat of the day.
The Wines
During our visit we tasted three of Somek’s wines: 2009 Adom, 2006 Bikat HaNadiv and at my request 2006 Carignan. Carignan is thought to be an inferior grape, used mainly for bulk wines. This is primarily because of its large yield of up to four times that of Cabernet Sauvignon. But under the right conditions, with low-yield old vine vineyards Carignan can produce excellent wines.
מק
2009 Adom: A Southern Wine made up of 40% Syrah, 40% Carignan, 10% Malbec and 10% Mourvèdre. This is a Southern Wine in the sense that these are varieties used in the Rhone Valley in the South of France. I strongly believe that the climate in Israel is well suited to Rhone varieties and that we produce fantastic wines with them. Aged for ten months in French barrels. This wine is deep red, quite fruity with black fruits and balanced tannins.
2006 Bikat HaNadiv: A Bordeaux style blend made from 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. This is the winery’s flagship wine. The wine is blended and then aged in French oak for 24 months. The wine is then aged for another two years in bottles before being released to the market. As expected from a Bordeaux blend, we find aromas of purple plums, blueberries, tobacco, and chocolate. This is an elegant wine that will age well for a few years.
2006 Carignan: Carignan is the second most planted variety in Israel with 7,763 tons harvested in 2011 making up almost 17% of grapes harvested. Oz Clarke describes Carignan as “generally give very little pleasure”. This is of course true for the majority of wine made with the Carignan grape, bulk wines that use high-yield Carignan for its deep dark color. This wine is made from 100% Carignan grapes from an old-vine vineyard 45-50 years old that are not irrigated. Somek is one of the few wineries producing quality Carignan along with Carmel, Vitkin and Recanati. Recently noted Israel Chef Alon Gonen called Somek’s 2006 Carignan “the best Carignan in Israel”. While I haven’t tasted the Somek Carignan alongside the other 2 quality Carignan’s, Vitkin and Recanati, I was truly pleased with this wine. This wine has a very regal deep purple color and rich in black fruit and spices. This is an excellent accompaniment to an Israeli barbeque with kabobs and spiced grilled chicken.
