I attended the unveiling of three new wines from Barkan, the wines in the Altitude sub-series of Bakan's Reserve wines. Eeach of the wines was made entirely from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, each aged in primarily French oak barriques, and each made by basically the same techniques by the same team of winemakers. What sets the wines apart, one from the other is that each was harvested in a different vineyard at a different altitude.

So important was the question of height above sea level to the winemakers that the series is even named "Altitude" and it is clear by this that the winery expects us to draw conclusions about the impact of that specific factor on the wines. What the series does, however, is to give us the opportunity to compare the impact so much of altitude but of the combination of altitudes, microclimates and soil conditions of the different vineyards. And in this, this is a noble experiment for although are quite similar one to the other they do indeed reflect subtle but important differences. A noble experiment, one that perhaps would have had a certain added validity had each of the wines been oak aged for the same period, but this is not the case, one having been oaked for 12 months, one for 14 and one for 15.

Despite that minor problem and considering the very high quality of the wines, this is all fair enough, for most of us are far more interested in the qualities of the wines we drink and not necessarily in doing quantifiable scientific research. My recommendation for a very pleasant evening is to invite friends over for a tasting, to purchase one of each of the three different wines, to open them together and to serve them in identical glasses in order to allow each person to determine at their own level the differences and similarities between the wines. My tasting notes for the three wines follow. Note please that each of the wines was previously tasted blind.

Best
Rogov

Barkan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Altitude +412, 2003: Made from 85% of grapes harvested at the Avnei Eitan vineyards on the Southern Golan Heights and 15% from Kerem Dishon in the Upper Galilee, this deep garnet, full-bodied wine was aged in primarily French barriques for 14 months. Generous but soft near-sweet tannins and a marked but gentle influence of the wood come together in fine balance to reveal generous cassis, blackberry and raspberry fruits, those backed up nicely by brown spices and a light mineral overlay that lingers nicely. 2,400 bottles made. Approachable and enjoyable now but best from 2007-2011. Score 90.. K

Barkan, Cabernet Sauignon, Altitude +720, 2003: Made entirely from grapes from the Har Godrim vineyard near the Lebanese border and aged for 12 months in primarily French oak casks. Full-bodied, and concentrated, almost impenetrable royal-purple in color, with firm tannins that are integrating nicely with the wood and showing red currants and purple plums on a tantalizing earthy-herbal background. A medium-long finish here and as the wine sits on the palate look as well for hints of lead-pencils and tobacco on the palate. 7,200 bottles made. Approachable now but best 2008-2012. Score 90. K

Barkan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Altitude +624, 2003: Deep garnet towards royal purple in color, made from grapes from the vineyards at Moshav Alma in the Upper Galilee, and oak-aged for 15 months. On first attack firm, drying tannins but those receding nicely in the glass and after fifteen minutes showing softer and adding a near-sweetness to the black fruits and Oriental spices as well as a generous hints of white truffles and green olives. Long and generous, the wine is approachable now but will be at its best from 2008-2012. Score 91. K