Binyamina Special Reserve Chardonnay, Galilee, Israel

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The 2007 CHARDONNAY RESERVE, with most of the fruit from the Upper Galilee and 15% from the Judean Hills, is pretty nicely focused and decently priced, but it is the type of chard that is laced with caramel and well marked by oak, although it had only 70% oak aging. This has some merits. I rather liked my initial impressions of this wine, its aromatics and underlying brightness, but it was eventually hard to get past that caramel overlay. It dominates the wine a bit too much and makes this seem one dimensional. If you are oak tolerant, you may find this a bit nicer than I did. The oak will come to dominate the wine more as it ages. Drink now-2011.Importer: Royal Wine Corp., Bayonne, N.J.; tel: (718) 534-0118.

The 2005 CHARDONNAY SPECIAL RESERVE is still drinking fairly well, although there are signs it needs drinking and I would expect oxidation to be an issue soon. There is a bit of a caramel overlay, but also some brightness that gives it some verve, still. Drink now-2010. Binyamina’s Yogev label is a tribute to its growers and farmers. It means “tiller of the soil,” in Hebrew.Importer: Royal Wine Corp, Bayonne, N.J.; tel: (718) 534-0118.

Bland on the palate, with burnt, acrid notes on the nose and a lemony finish. Imported by Royal Wine Corporation. ——J.C.(4/1/2005)—— 81