Sipping Your Way Through December—Day 14

Here’s today’s Advent Calendar pick, chosen especially for this first night of Hanukkah.

A winemaker in Bordeaux once told me that he uses Petit Verdot in his blends the way a cook uses salt and pepper: just enough to bring out flavors and add interest. He told me that adding juice from this small, thick-skinned grape deepens a wine’s color, adds structure, and floral and herbal notes (think violets and sage).

That analogy has stuck with me because for decades, Petit Verdot has been treated as a background player, a valuable one, but rarely able to stand on its own.

Yarden Galilee Petit Verdot 2021, produced by Golan Heights Winery, shows how well Petit Verdot can be as the main ingredient, not just a seasoning. The grapes are grown in Israel’s northernmost wine region, the Galilee, where high altitudes, diverse soils (volcanic, gravel, terra rossa), and a relatively cooler climate are ideal for producing high-quality

Deep purple in the glass, this wine opens with aromas of blackberry, black plum, and violet. The palate is layered and precise, offering ripe black cherry, blueberry, and plum, with notes of graphite and cocoa. Subtle savory touches—herbal, lightly tobacco-tinged, with a hint of iron—reflect the surrounding Mediterranean landscape. Everything is lifted by a freshness that keeps the balance and pulls you back for another sip. It makes my mind (and stomach!) wander to thoughts of grilled lamb, braised short ribs, aged cheeses, and spiced roasted vegetables.

This is a bottle you can enjoy now, especially with decanting, but it will reward patience for years to come as the tannins soften and the secondary notes deepen.

Cheers to life on this first night of Hanukkah! L'Chaim!

SRP: $35; Available nationwide at Kosherwine.com and Totalwine.com.

Note: This wine is Kosher for Passover, but is not ‘mevushal.’