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STAR OF THE SOUTH

Yatir Winery is situated at Tel Arad in the Negev Desert.
Star of the south

Yatir Winery is approaching its 25th year anniversary. During all this time, the same CEO and winemaker have steered the winery. That is rare continuity amongst Israeli wineries. As a result of their skill and a unique terroir, Yatir has become one of our finest small wineries and it is the undisputed star of the south. Yatir Winery was founded in 2000 at Tel Arad in the northeastern Negev Desert. The winery overlooks the traditional Ramat Arad vineyard and close by there is a swathe of newly planted vineyards which hint at success, growth and a productive future. All is overlooked by the Tel Arad Citadel, an archaeological site with 3,000 years of history. Wine was part of the story even then. An ancient papyrus was found there with the important message scratched on it by a soldier: “If there is wine, send quantity.” This was dated 2,600 years ago!

YatirRamat Arad, the first modern vineyard in the Negev, was planted in 1988. The first Negev wine in the modern era was a Carmel Merlot from the 1992 vintage. The vineyard is situated 500 meters above sea level. By the mid-1990s a young engineer, had a career change and decided to go into agriculture. He became amongst other things a grower of table grapes. His name was Ya’acov Ben-Dor. He had the idea of planting wine grapes and had early dreams of possibly building a winery. Some growers rallied to the cause and the first wine vineyards were planted in 1996/7 in Yatir Forest.

They found a willing partner in Carmel Winery, Israel’s largest winery. Yatir Winery was founded by a joint venture which originally comprised 50% the local grape growers of Gadash Hebron and 50% Carmel Winery, but it was not long before Carmel became outright 100% owners. Ya’acov Ben-Dor was made the general manager from the start. The first year, the Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the Ramat Arad vineyard was good, but not good enough for the high standards expected of Yatir. So the wine was launched in a tall, fancy bottle by Carmel as a single vineyard wine. It was called Ramat Arad Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 and was the first dawn in the Carmel revival that would follow, but the wine itself was made by Eran Goldwasser, the winemaker of Yatir Winery. In fact Yatir wines were not launched until 2004. Baruch Naeh designed the original and very stylish logo, which to me has a Japanese look to it. The lion on the label represents the Lion of Judah.

Yatir Winery’s wines come exclusively from their own high elevation vineyards in Yatir Forest, which are only ten minutes from the winery. Yatir Forest is the southern tip of the Judean Hills. This is Israel’s largest planted forest, which was planted in 1964. The driving force behind it was Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion. He suggested planting a forest to stop the expanding desert. The experts told him that it would not be possible, because trees would just not grow. Ben-Gurion reaction to that was “Change the experts!” They did and the forest now produces a unique terroir for Yatir Winery’s high attitude vineyards, which rise from 600 to 900 meters above sea level. It is in fact the meeting place between the Judean Hills, the Negev Desert and the Judean Desert. A hiker there today will find literally hundreds of ancient wine presses in Yatir Forest and caves where wine amphorae were stored. There is no doubt the founding of Yatir was renewing a winemaking tradition from ancient times.

The winery produces three levels of wines. The cherry on top of the cake is Yatir Forest, a Bordeaux blend based mainly on Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. This is their flagship wine. A secondary level is taken by Yatir Creek Red (mainly Syrah) and White (mainly Roussanne and Grenache Blanc) and Yatir Petit Verdot, the only varietal wine they still make. The winemaker prefers blends, believing they better show the unique terroir. The entry level of the winery is Mt. Amasa. Under this label there is a red (mainly a blend of Cabernet and Syrah, but with seven grape varieties in all), a white (mainly Viognier and Roussanne) and a rosé.

A few years ago Yatir Winery launched a second brand called ‘Darom by Yatir.’ Darom is the Hebrew for south. The three wines launched, a red, white and rose, were less expensive than the regular Yatir wines. Furthermore, as the name suggests, the grapes are sourced from the south. This refers to Ramat Arad, Mitzpe Ramon, what the IPEVO Israel wine map refers to as the Negev-Judea region and the southern part of the region of Judea..

Like all smaller wineries, Yatir is a combination of the wine, the place and the people. There are three people in particular who have been the heart and soul of the winery from the very beginning. Ya’acov Ben-Dor is a gentle gentleman, with a deep love of both agriculture and the region. He has a broad knowledge of the Bible, Judaism and the local nature. He combines all three along with grape growing and wines, into an enticing blend. Therefore to listen to him is always absorbing and fascinating. He is incapable of not sharing his overflowing enthusiasm and excitement, quoting sources at will, pointing out flora and fauna, and telling stories to bring visitors into the atmosphere of the region. If you are driving with him from the winery to the vineyards, he is likely to stop the bus or car without warning, and rush to an unseen spot you are passing to point out a rare flower or animal unique to the region. He will then give this object life, by enthusiastically explaining its uniqueness. A tour with Ya’acov is like no other. Passion exudes from every pore, but like a great teacher, he is a master at dropping the right anecdote at the most appropriate time to provide context to his explanation. He succeeds to strengthen the winery’s connection to its own terroir, giving the winery a sense of place, whilst connecting today’s story with wine in ancient times.

Eran Goldwasser is the very talented winemaker. He studied in Australia and had winemaking experience there, before joining Carmel Winery. Almost immediately he took on the Yatir Winery project, joining even before the very first wines were made. He has been there ever since. Goldwasser has a quiet confidence and an inner independence. He knows his own mind and will not be diverted from his path, which he follows with conviction. I always feel he watches the world around him with faint amusement. Hard to peel the outer onion skin and get to what he really thinks. However, he is one our finest winemakers, up to date as tomorrow and not afraid to learn from others. It is a good combination. His confidence should not be regarded as inflexibility. As a winemaker it is amazing how he has grown, developed and changed over two and half decades. Israeli wine and the wine knowledgeable consumer have changed too, but Goldwasser and Yatir Winery are usually ahead of the curve.

The third of the three musketeers is Etti Edri. When responsible for hospitality, she filled all the gaps not covered by Ben-Dor and Goldwasser, keeping the engine running, but to the visitor, she was the hostess whose warmth, enthusiasm and professionalism enveloped guests arriving at the winery. Every little detail was prepared with great style and nothing was too much trouble. The mise en place of a tasting was a picture of how it should be done. Standards were the highest. She would never do the minimum when she could do the maximum. Israeli or incoming tourists who always travelled some way to visit the winery, were always bowled over by the smiling welcome. In recent years she has progressed to become the foreign minister, representing both Carmel and Yatir in export markets with her enthusiasm and professionalism.

Carmel Winery, the historic winery of Israel, is the owner of Yatir Winery. Though it is a wholly owned subsidiary, the divisions of labor are very clear. Everything within the gates of Yatir’s winery and vineyards is the exclusive responsibility of Yatir Winery. They are as a result, left to pursue their objective of quality and individuality without interference from big brother. However, the marketing, sales, distribution and export of Yatir and Darom wines is done by Carmel. I myself am witness to this. I joined Carmel in 2002 and on my very first day (I even remember the date, December 12th) I visited what was then referred to as Ramat Arad Winery! After that I was an integral part of meetings which decided on the new name, the logo and the launch. When Yatir Winery scored 93 points in the first ever tasting of Israeli wines by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, it was then the highest score ever received by any Israeli, Kosher or Eastern Mediterranean winery. I received the news on a Friday night in December 2007, and had to wait until after Shabbat, before being able to give Ya’acov Ben-Dor the great news. In other words Carmel was very involved, but not in the wine growing or winemaking. Carmel helped at times to find use for declassified grapes deemed not good enough for Yatir and the very respectable investment in equipment at Yatir enabled them to remain at the cutting edge of technology. Yatir Winery spearheads Carmel’s fine wine offering, along with their own Carmel Signature wines and the wines of Vitkin Winery, which they distribute in Israel.

My favorite wines from Yatir are the refreshing, crisp Darom by Yatir White, the delicately fresh Yatir Mt. Amasa Rose, the complex Mt. Amasa Red and the outstanding Yatir Petit Verdot, one of the finest varietals of this variety you will find. Best of all is the velvety Yatir Forest, one of the leading prestige wines in the country. However the wine that shows how Yatir is keeping up with the times is a new expression, recently launched, called in Hebrew “B’tzell Ha’alva”. This translates to “In the shade of the foliage.” It follows experimental wines made under the name Barrel No. 80. The new expression is from the 2020 vintage and is made from Grenache 49%, Cinsault 26%, Syrah 13% and Carignan 12%. These are grown in the traditional goblet – bush vine style. The wine was made with the use of large foudres (very large wooden vats) and open top cement tanks. It is medium bodied, with a mainly red fruit aroma in a lighter, vibrant style with good acidity. It is a great lunchtime wine and is ideal with Israel’s Levantine cuisine. It introduces Mediterranean varieties to the region. It represents a nice departure and a new beginning.

The writer is a wine trade veteran and winery insider turned wine writer who has advanced Israeli wine for 38 years. He is referred to as ‘the English voice of Israeli wine.’ www.adammontefiore.com

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