RECANATI
Started with the 2000 vintage, Recanati has turned within 4 years into being one of the most interesting and reliable actor of the local wine industry. A lot was made to achieve this status : intelligent and long term contracts with the vine growers, state-of-the art equipment at the winery and a lot of trust given to the enthousiastic and talented Davis graduate wine maker, Lewis Pasco.
The (already) traditional line of reds is based on Cabernet-Sauvignon and Merlot. The standard line is sold in super markets and represents a very good value for money and exceeds by far in quality what's one is used to find in this circuit. The Reserve of both are aimed for cellaring and give a nice reward to who has the patience to keep them for 4 or 5 years. The Special Reserve, from which only a few thousand bottles are produced from the best material the wine maker could pick, is to be forgotten for a long, long time.
Besides the Chardonnays, the line of whites got larger in 2003 with the addition of a crispy Sauvignon Blanc, a variety which definitely likes Israel ! And in 2004 with a remarkable "Petite Sirah", a variety which until recently yield only mediocre wines under the local sun.
The super light "Yasmin" were also introduced in 2003, but I've never been so much a lover of Beaujolais nouveau, so...
New products are to be introduced in the next months and should only add to the excitment.