Wine Review: Ashkar Shafaya 2014

This is the last of three wines that I'm reviewing from western Galilee, Israel, in this quick review run for . We started off with the 2016 Julia Samara blend, then did the 2016 Julia Cabernet Sauvignon, and now we're finishing up with the 2014 Askar Shafaya.

From Ahkar's website: Ashkar Winery is a boutique winery located on a pastoral hill in Kfar-Yasif village, where the spectacular view of the ancient olive trees of the Western Galilee region. The winery was founded in 2010 as a continuation of a long tradition, started by the family homeland village "IQRIT" which surrounded with dozens of antique presses used for making wine from grapes growing in the region. Ashkar Winery's wines are produced strictly according to perceptions of “Old World" with a minimum intervention in the process from fermentation and improvement in wooden barrels till the bottling stage. The tradition of winemaking has been passed down within Ashkar family from generation to generation until 1948. This tradition was revived with the establishment of Ashkar winery in 2010.

All I can really find out about this wine is that it's 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Shiraz, and that the grapes were handpicked from selected vineyards planted in the Iqrit Valley. Because this is a brand new item to Terra Sancta, my contact still doesn't have all the winemaking information yet. But that's fine. All you need to know is that this wine will rock your world...

So what am I listening to tonight while I write this review? Stone Temple Pilot's Purple. Can you believe it's been 25 years since this album came out? A quarter of a century! I can't remember the last time I actually listened to it but, holy smokes, I forgot just how good it is! I really miss this moment in the mid-90's. It really was a golden age of rock. You can listen to the whole album via the music selection playlist on my YouTube channel.

Now let's get to this friggin' kickass wine because OH MY GOOOOODNEEEEESSSS THE JUICINESS!

The color of the wine is a ruby red. It's so black peppery on the nose that it almost makes you want to sneeze! There's also aromas of cassis, plum, cigarette tobacco, and licorice. Oh lordy lordy this nose is STELLAR! I think I'm in love! On the palate it's full bodied with bright acidity, a fine dusty tannin, and a rich mouthfeel. The cassis and plum from the nose return on the palate super-juicy and explosive, and they're joined by blackberry, chocolate, and graphite. Then it finishes with big juicy plum, caramel, and graphite, and a little grip from the tannin. Oh man.

This wine is big, juicy, expressive, alive, and gorgeous! I simply can't rave enough about Shafaya!

Some distributor in Massachusetts needs to pick up Terra Sancta so I can sell this where I work because it's just phenomenal for $24. Tell them Joey sent ya.

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $24

Rating: 5/5 = Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was supplied free of charge by Terra Sancta for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.