Carmel Winery Kayoumi Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

Carmel Winery Kayoumi Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 is a 750mL single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon at 14.5% ABV from the Kayoumi Vineyard in Israel's Upper Galilee — Carmel's premium Single Vineyard line. Night-harvested and aged 15 months in French oak, it was bottled as an individually numbered wine, in a run of 22,000 bottles. Order it online at Del Mesa Liquor.

• ABV: 14.5%
• Size: 750mL
• Vintage: 2011
• Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon — single vineyard
• Vineyard: Kayoumi Vineyard, Upper Galilee — south-east slope at about 750m, shallow stony terra rossa
• Production: Night-harvested; fermented and macerated on skins; aged 15 months in French oak
• Edition: Individually numbered bottle (run of 22,000)
• Producer: Carmel Winery — founded 1882
• Origin: Galilee, Israel

One Vineyard Above the Galilee

Kayoumi is one of Carmel's showcase sites: a single vineyard between Miron and Kadita in the Upper Galilee, facing south-east at roughly 750 metres above sea level, where the climate stays cool under north-westerly winds — snow is not unusual in winter — and the vines root in shallow, stone-strewn terra rossa. For this 2011 Cabernet the grapes were harvested at night and processed at the small Kayoumi winery built close to the vineyard, fermented and macerated on their skins, then aged 15 months in French oak before bottling as one of a numbered run of 22,000 bottles — the Single Vineyard line is Carmel's argument that Israel's best sites deserve to be tasted one at a time. All Carmel wines are certified kosher (OU) by its importer. Browse the house on the Carmel Winery vendor page, alongside the Carmel Cabernet Sauvignon Galilee 2005.

Tasting Notes

The International Wine Challenge's note for this exact wine picks out cherry fruit with basil and garrigue herbs, over fresh acidity — a Mediterranean-herb register that fits the high Galilee site. The winery released it ready to drink, with the depth to hold for up to a decade from vintage; a bottle today pours as a mature, settled Cabernet.

How to Enjoy

Serve at cool room temperature after gentle decanting off any sediment. The producer's pairings for its Galilee Cabernets — grilled meats, steaks, hearty casseroles, firm sheep's- and goat's-milk cheeses — suit this single-vineyard bottling. More structured reds are in our red wine collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Kayoumi Vineyard?
In Israel's Upper Galilee, between the villages of Miron and Kadita near Mount Meron — a south-east-facing slope at about 750 metres, on shallow, stony terra rossa soil, farmed by Carmel Winery as a single-vineyard site.

How was the 2011 Kayoumi Cabernet made?
The grapes were night-harvested and vinified at the winery beside the vineyard, fermented and macerated on the skins, then aged 15 months in French oak. Each bottle is individually numbered, from a run of 22,000.

Is this the Kayoumi that won a Decanter trophy?
No — that trophy (2010) belongs to the Kayoumi Shiraz 2006, a different wine from the same vineyard. This is the vineyard's Cabernet Sauvignon, vintage 2011.

Numbered, single-vineyard Galilee Cabernet — order Carmel Kayoumi Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.