The 2001 YATIR FOREST, a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot, is bright on opening with an immediate hit of sweet fruit and oak (18 months in French oak) emerging to balance out the acidity and tannin. It is a bit funky on the nose, and seems older on the nose than on the palate. The oak nuances are rather well integrated after aeration. Elegant in the mid-palate, it still has some intensity on the finish and some character. It has its merits, just not enough of them. A little air helped this. A lot of air harmed it. In some respects, this is quite vibrant and youthful, but in others, it makes me think that it would be more safely drunk on the young side. It eventually became green and less charming, marring an initially interesting early effort. There were 9,700 bottles produced. Drink now-2012. Yatir is and has been for some time Carmel’s wholly-owned boutique in the Judean Hills. A hop, skip and a jump from the Negev, it has interesting terroir and has had exceptional results. It has become one of Israel’s better known and higher quality wineries. The first vintage released was the 2001. The question has always been whether ownership by giant Carmel, Israel’s dominant winery, would make the boutique aspect a thinly veiled guise for just another arm of Carmel’s operations. The good news there at the moment is that Carmel’s own quality levels have been rising. Releases like the Kayoumi and Appellation series provide a lot of bang for the buck. So, perhaps this will be a moot point. The Yatir Forest bottling is the top of the line proprietary blend here. From the rich and sexy 2003, which to my mind was the first real success here, to the graceful and elegant 2005, this bottling has changed in style at times, but it continues to provide high quality wines. The 2006 is the latest release, once again different stylistically, this time with a significant Petit Verdot component. Some library wines are included in this issue as historical reference points. Production has steadily risen on this top of the line bottling, hitting a still-reasonable 27,000 bottles in 2006. I am advised that production will be around 25,000 bottles for the 2007, and that will be roughly where production levels will be kept for this bottling. I did not have pricing as yet for the 2006 as of this writing. The price indicated is based on the last vintage received.Importer: Royal Wine Corp, Bayonne, N.J.; tel: (718) 534-0118.

Starts off herbal, then adds flavors of black cherries and coffee. This medium-bodied wine is smooth and supple in the mouth, finishing with soft tannins and a tea-like note. Imported by Royal Wine Corporation. ——J.C.(4/1/2005)—— 87