2012 Yatir Forest

The 2012 Yatir Forest is a 62/38 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot aged for 12 months in French oak (75% new). It comes in at 14.5% alcohol. Last seen about five years back, this is part of our retrospective in this report. Stern and a little brooding, this is a darker Yatir Forest with ripe fruit and a touch of dark chocolate. It doesn't show much expression of fruit, though, seeming still largely closed and a little too monolithic. The tannins have dropped off a bit, so you can at least drink this now, but it still needs to develop and open. At this point, I have to wonder if it ever fully will. It's not bad. In fact, it's very good in many respects. Yet there's little finesse and little compensating fruitiness for a ripe wine. If you open this now, give it some air. It should hold throughout the decade, more or less, so there is no rush.