It was a number of years ago, on my first visit to Israel, that I met Victor Schoenfeld, the American winemaker working at the Golan Heights Winery.
I was impressed and pleasantly surprised at the time by Schoenfeld’s wines, particularly the reds. But I had very little memory of the whites when I opened a bottle of the 2010 Yarden Chardonnay ($18.99) recently. Yarden is a label produced by the Golan Heights Winery and it is a Victor Schoenfeld wine, so at the very least I was optimistic as I extracted the cork.
As I poured a glass I remembered the surprisingly cool, moderate climate I encountered at the Golan Heights Winery, situated several thousand feet above sea level, with rocky volcanic soils and dry growing conditions. There’s no reason, I thought, that the whites couldn’t be just as good as the reds.
In the glass the Chardonnay was darkly colored, evidence of its time in barrel. On the nose I picked up a hint of sweet baking spice, lemon oil, and baked apple. I was fully prepared for the possibility this would be a tasty but very ripe Chardonnay.
On the palate, however, I came upon a miraculous discovery: This was a positively brilliant Chardonnay, reminding me immediately of the prized Chardonnays made from California’s famed Sleepy Hollow Vineyard.
The Yarden was indeed a big, oily Chardonnay, but with firm backbone, complex layers of flavor, and a clean, fresh finish.
Chardonnay of this ilk is rare. Burgundy’s Corton-Charlemagne is the gold standard for this style, and Australia’s Leeuwin Estate and New Zealand’s Kumeu River are right up there. The difficulty is achieving power, flesh and oily mouthfeel without losing the fresh acidity, balance and refinement.
Yarden does that. Kudos to Victor Schoenfeld; you’ve made a believer out of me.
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