A pretty, polished red, delivering plum and cranberry framed by sweet cedar and silky tannins, with a beam of graphite coursing throughout the energetic, white pepper-dusted finish. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Kosher. Drink now through 2027. 1,000 cases made, 300 cases imported.??–KB??Region: Israel / Galilee Select to Add

A generous red, richly spiced, with raspberry tart and currant compote flavors, interwoven with floral and licorice accents. Plush tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Kosher. Drink now through 2022. 8,500 cases made, 300 cases imported.??–GS??Region: Israel / Galilee Select to Add

The 2008 Limited Edition is 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Petit Verdot, 5% each Merlot and Malbec and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon – awfully similar to the Carmel’s Yatir Forest blend reviewed this issue. The degree to which these wines seem to be becoming fraternal twins is a little odd, but it has certainly been to Carmel’s advantage to compare well to its prestigious boutique. This year, the stylistic difference seems greater, though, both being nicely structured, but the Carmel having more complexity, the Yatir a bit more freshness, finesse and sweeter fruit. It is once again hard to pick. This year’s iteration is intense and quite bright, with moderate but obvious tannins on the finish, which has lingering grip and succulence. As with last year’s bottling, there is a bit of a gamey nuance here and some herbaceous notes (the Petit Verdot?), which some will like and some won’t, but that I thought was both interesting and well integrated into the whole. There are touches of forest floor as well. This has a very, very Bordeaux feel to it, both in its elegant presentation and its complexity. Its main selling points are balance and structure, together with that complex medley of flavors. It grew on me steadily as I tasted it and began to appreciate all it had to offer. It wasn’t an obvious wine, but it was a very classy and persistent one. If I had a quibble, it did seem as if the fruit was a little older than the vintage date would suggest, showing a little more maturity than I might expect. It was entrancing, though, probably the best Limited Edition yet from Carmel – although it will be fun to have a shoot-out with the comparably fine ‘07. There were approximately 20,000 bottles produced. Drink now-2019. As with many of the wines in this report, note again that 2008 is a shmitta year. The wines are available in Israel. However, Carmel’s USA importer is a Kosher specialist and will not be importing them. Prices given are approximates as a result, just to give the reader an idea of what they generally sell for. Perhaps the sample size is too small to merit the opinion, but it seems to me that as time goes on Carmel is becoming more and more French-styled (yes, yes, I know the history of its French origins). The wines this year are often ringers for French wines and the style seems to give increasing attention to structure, acidity, complexity and elegance. They are nicely done.Importer: Royal Wine Corp, Bayonne, N.J.; tel: (718) 534-0118.

The 2007 LIMITED EDITION (there was no 2006) is the first made 100% from grapes grown in the Upper Galilee, an important step, I think, considering that this is supposed to be an upper tier wine, and wines with blended regions are generally not held in high regard (fairly or unfairly) in the grand scheme of things. This first iteration is a big enough success so that I can say that there is little or nothing to choose from qualitatively this year between this and the Yatir Forest, its Judean Hills top-of-the-line sibling, and their styles are fairly similar this year, too. The wine is a blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot, 5% Malbec, and 2% Cabernet Franc, aged for 15 months in a mixture of new and old French oak. Simply sensual, this softly textured, remarkably graceful wine shows impeccable balance and the structure to age awhile. A lot of earthiness and a touch of funk pops up here and there, which gave it a little character as far as I was concerned. Here (unlike with some other wines) it is reasonably restrained rather than overly dominant and I rather liked how it showed. It brooded a lot initially, but this Limited Edition also demonstrated that it should resolve into something sunnier and friendlier with time. While needing to integrate its oak a little better, it shows clear evidence of the ability to do so. I suspect that not everyone will appreciate this wine’s earthiness, but those who do will rightly adore it. Give this a couple of years in the cellar; it has to grow into its potential and the aromatics may improve, but it is potentially a beauty and it has some upside potential as well. There were 13,344 bottles produced. Drink now-2020. Although these wines are imported by Royal, probably the best known Kosher Wine importer in the USA, I am advised by the winery that not all of them may be immediately placed in our marketplace. With both the Carmels and to a lesser extent the Yatirs (a boutique owned by Carmel), I seemed to smell a lot of funky notes this year, perhaps attributable to different issues, perhaps including some reductive issues, which might improve with time. It will be interesting to see where these wines go.Importer: Royal Wine Corp, Bayonne, N.J.; tel: (718) 534-0118.

The 2005 LIMITED EDITION is Carmel’s top label (ignoring, of course, the fact that Carmel owns the Yatir boutique winery). It is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Petit Verdot, 15% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. The Merlot and the Cabernet Sauvignon was actually brought in from the Galilee; the rest is from vineyards in the Judean Hills. It was aged in French oak for 15 months. This is nicely wrought, gentle, flavorful and elegant, with a smooth texture and a bright feel. There are tannins popping up on the finish that give this wine some grip and the wine also has a sunny feel. There is an herbaceous nuance on the finish. This seems a bit simple at times, but it has some charm and structure. Its main flaw might be its price point. There were 750 cases produced. Drink now-2014. Importer: Royal Wine Corp, Bayonne, N.J.; tel: (718) 534-0118.