Syrah and Shriaz remain rather tough to sell around the world, perhaps because it isn’t easy for consumers to predict what style they’ll find after pulling the cork on any given wine. Nevertheless, northern Israel seems to produce a pretty consistent wine from the variety, and this rendition stands as a fine example: Meaty and generously flavored but not chunky or obvious, with dark berry fruit that outshines the structural elements of acidity, tannin and wood. All three of these are evident but only on the margins, giving the wine a character that is–at once–straightforward but also layered. Very promising for moderately robust dishes based on duck or veal.
