The Art of the Blend 🍷
There are some winemakers whose wines seem to have a personality all their own. Itay Lahat is one of those winemakers for me. Every time I open another Lahat wine, I find something new to appreciate—and this Red Blend is no exception.
This time, Itay brings together mostly Syrah with a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon to create a wine that is rich, savory, fruit-forward, and very easy to enjoy.
🍷 Tasting Notes
Color: Deep ruby to dark purple
Aroma: Black plum, ripe black cherry, and hints of spice
Taste: Blackberry and blueberry with rich black pepper, a touch of anise, and vibrant acidity
Body: Medium-to-full-bodied
Finish: Long, dry, and savory
🍇 About the Wine
Lahat’s Red Blend is made primarily from Syrah, with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon—generally about 88% Syrah and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes are grown and hand-picked in Israel’s beautiful Western Galilee.
During fermentation, the grapes undergo a traditional winemaking technique called délestage, a French term that essentially means “making lighter.” The process involves temporarily draining the fermenting wine away from the grape skins and seeds and then returning the juice to the tank. This helps introduce oxygen, soften tannins, and bring out the wine’s fruit and aromas.
And you can taste the difference!
The wine opens with beautiful aromas of ripe black fruit, followed by flavors of blackberry and blueberry, along with cracked black pepper and a hint of anise. There is a lovely balance between the richness of the fruit and the wine’s vibrant acidity, leading to a long, dry, savory finish.
Our friend Adam Montefiore describes this as a “classy wine,” and I couldn’t agree more. It is elegant without being pretentious, flavorful without being heavy, and definitely a wine I would want to share with friends who appreciate the finer things in wine.
Adam, I’m saving my bottle to share with you!!! 🍷
🏡 About the Winery
Lahat Winery is a boutique winery founded in 2012 by veteran Israeli winemaker and viticulturist Itay Lahat. The vineyards are located in the Western Galilee, near the Mediterranean Sea, where cool evening breezes and warmer daytime temperatures create conditions that are particularly well suited to Rhône varieties.
That connection to the Rhône is one of the things that makes Lahat wines so interesting. Itay works with varieties including Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Viognier, Roussanne, and Marsanne, producing wines that reflect both the character of the grapes and the place where they are grown.
Lahat does not have its own dedicated winery facility. Instead, the wines are produced at Kishor Winery, a cooperative estate in the Western Galilee that is also home to a community serving adults with special needs. It is a wonderful example of how wine can be connected not only to the land, but to the people who live and work there.
Approximately 15,000 bottles of this Red Blend were produced, with the wine distributed throughout Israel as well as in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and France.
And then there is the label. 🍂
One of the special features of Lahat wines is the beautiful calligraphy, which is an artistic interpretation of a flame—the meaning of the Hebrew word Lahat. The acorn on the label was drawn by Itay’s wife and represents the oak trees near the vineyards and close to where they live.
It’s those little details that make a bottle feel like more than just a bottle of wine.
👨🌾 About the Winemaker
If you’ve read some of my previous Lahat posts, you already know that I am a fan of Itay Lahat. Rather than repeat his story, I want to share something I find particularly fascinating about the way he approaches winemaking.
Itay’s guiding philosophy is simple:
Match the wine to the place.
Many winemakers begin by deciding what wines they want to make and then plant the grapes needed to produce them. Itay takes the opposite approach. He looks first at the land—its climate, soil, and natural environment—and then chooses the grapes that will thrive there.
For his own wines, he chose the Western Galilee because he believed its natural ecology was ideally suited to the wines he wanted to create. He then selected the varieties that the region could reward.
It is a philosophy that makes perfect sense when you taste his wines. They don’t seem to be trying to imitate somewhere else. They have their own sense of place—and that, to me, is one of the most exciting things about Israeli wine.
And perhaps that’s what makes Itay such a talented winemaker. He doesn’t try to force the land to become something it isn’t. He listens to the land and lets it tell him what it wants to become.
🛒 Where to Find It
Blue White Wines, the premier Israeli wine club in the U.S., features Lahat wines in many of its shipments. You can reach them at support@bluewhitewines.com.
Lahat wines are also available online through KosherWine.com. Use code IWG5 for a discount.
🍷 Final Sips
Every bottle of Lahat wine reminds me why I love discovering Israeli wines.
It isn’t just about what’s in the glass. It’s about the person who made it, the land where the grapes were grown, and the choices that bring it all together.
This Red Blend is a beautiful example of that philosophy—a wine that brings together Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, the unique character of the Galilee, and Itay’s talent for letting the land speak for itself.
It’s rich. It’s savory. It’s elegant. And yes, it really is a classy wine.
So pour yourself a glass, invite someone you enjoy spending time with, and let the wine do what wine does best:
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