2014 Domaine du Castel Grand Vin
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Tasting notes
This is Eli Ben Zaken's 'left-bank blend'. 45% Cabernet, 50% Merlot (more than usual) plus Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec, according to the Castel website. 20 months in mostly new French oak, tight grain. He is considering bringing it down to 18 months and he wants to start using his new concrete tanks that give texture and density. Long cold pre-ferment maceration – 10 days at 8 ºC. 10-day ferment and then 10-20 days' post-ferment vatting. He generally prefers Merlot, though it is not as easy as Cabernet Sauvignon in Israel because it has a short picking window and to be good it has to be planted on the hills not on the plain. Three different yeasts and three different coopers. Dark ruby. Fresh and a little peppery on the nose. Elegant, lightish and with good freshness. Quite dark-fruited on the palate, dry and tightly textured with the tannins still quite firm and a little chewy. Fine dry finish. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Mark Squires
More reviews and scores
The 2014 Grand Vin is a blend of 46% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Petit Verdot, aged for 20 months in 60% new French oak. A bit heavy on the Merlot this year, for reasons noted in the accompanying producer note, this is dry and very classy. As always, it adds a layer of depth to the Petit Castel reviewed this issue and just a bit of power, but it is balanced as well as focused. If it lacks the vivid and hedonistic fruit of the 2013, it has a more serious, somewhat understated feel to it. It is a great wine to stick into a Bordeaux tasting as a ringer. The finish is fresh and complex, layered with a bright feel and some herbs. The longer this carefully-crafted red was open, the more I liked it. It is approachable young this year, unlike some Big Boys from the distant past, but it has more than enough structure to hold and age well. What that means in practice, we'll see—but it should improve over the next several years and hold well for at least a decade. I'm betting on a lot more, but let's see where we are when we get there.