It is always infuriating for Israelis to see the attention Chateau Musar receives. The winery was ‘found’ at the Bristol Wine Fair in 1979, and since then the wine features in respectable forums as one of the fine wines in the world. Invariably one of their older vintages will be the only wine from the eastern Mediterranean region featured on wine lists of top restaurants. Despite the belief that Israel makes better wines than the Lebanon, it is a fact that Chateau Musar has an image which most Israeli wineries would dream of. It is always a struggle for Israel’s wines to find a place on the world’s stage.
Now it is true Chateau Musar is unusual. It is made in a totally unorthodox fashion, and the wines have an unlikely ability to age and improve over time. However, one of the secrets of their success has been their remarkable owner Serge Hochar. He is a character. He would appear in London or New York from the Levant – another world for most people in the wine trade. Invariably he dressed in a pin stripe suit, white shirt and tie, a speaking with his French accent and gesticulating like a Frenchman, he would explain in a sensual way the vagaries of the latest vintage. He would then drop in details of the latest atrocity or local terrorism, which affected the harvest itself. People admired him and the aristocracy of wine writers, like Michael Broadbent and Hugh Johnson, seemed to love him no less than his wines. No wonder Decanter Magazine named him their first ‘Man of The Year’ in 1984.
In Israel there have been few characters to put a face to the new quality of Israeli wines and Baron Edmond de Rothschild died a long time ago! The Golan Heights Winery has enjoyed great success and like Chateau Musar, participates in the New York Wine Experience, to which only the finest wineries in the world are invited. However there is no one person who represents the wines of the Golan. It is more a team effort, in which a number of different people play a part. Even winemaker Victor Schoenfeld keeps a low profile. Israel is short of characters producing worldclass wine.
However in the mountains west of Jerusalem, there is a small family estate winery, whose owner has had the mantle of Israel’s finest winery thrust upon him. The winery is Domaine du Castel & the owner winemaker is Eli Ben Zaken.
Eli Ben Zaken can be seen at wine exhibitions, from Vinexpo to Vinisud – often the sole Israeli exhibitor. He looks like a slightly ruffled, absent-minded professor. He will usually be wearing a checkered shirt and the café crème cigars will never be far away. However what the casual exterior hides is a man of absolute passion and an unyielding perfectionist, who does not suffer fools gladly. Visit his winery, see his vineyard, look at his labels, taste the wine and you better understand the man. If you don’t find him in the vineyard wearing his large floppy sun hat, he will probably be showing around the latest famous wine journalist to visit Israel, in his quiet, understated way – unless there his a Grand Prix on television at the same time (another of his passions.)
This man of contrasts had a very international beginning. He was born in Egypt, and educated in Italy and England. He was a well-known restaurateur running an Italian restaurant in Jerusalem before he got the wine bug. However making wine for fun was not enough for Ben Zaken. He was self- taught making the first vintages from Emile Peynaud’s book, like so many new winemakers. He planted a vineyard in front of his home in 1988, built his beautiful winery in an old chicken coop with a strikingly barrel cellar. He sent his son Ariel to Burgundy to study & learn, brought in his son in law, Arnon Geva, to help him run the business and made it a truly family affair.
Running a family estate winery in the scenic mountains west of Jerusalem would be idyllic enough for many, but Ben Zaken’s wine was also rather good. He called the winery Castel, after a nearby Crusader castle, and the Judean Hills growing region was translated to ‘Haut Judee”, showing his Francophile tendencies. He called the wine ‘Grand Vin’ - and that was what it turned out to be.
The first vintage of Castel,1992, was ‘found’ by Serena Sutcliffe, Master of Wine and Head of The Sotheby’s Wine Department. She wrote it was the best Israeli wine she had ever tasted. The Castel Grand Vin in later years became the first Israeli wine to become Decanter Wine of The Month, a feat that was repeated no less than three times to date. His ‘C’ Blanc du Castel also was ‘Best New Release’ in the same magazine. For a number of years, Domaine du Castel has been the top ranking Israeli winery in Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book, being awarded a coveted three stars. Eli Ben Zaken was invited to present his wine at the ‘Decanter Rising Stars Exhibition’ and then at their ‘Fine Wine Show’ featuring some of the world’s finest wineries.
Eli Ben Zaken is also a passionate Zionist, generous with praise of other Israeli wineries. At Vinexpo & Vinitaly he has been known to organize tutored tastings of Israeli wines, even when Castel was only one of many wineries taking part. Unlike many individualists, he is eager to advance his competitors if it is good for the perception of Israeli wine.
Imagine therefore, the scene on May 26th 2005. Nabuchodonosor, the famous French firm specializing in wine & gastronomy, organized a tasting of 20 of the world’s finest wines. It was held in a Michelin starred restaurant in Paris. Castel Grand Vin 2000, Haute Judee was chosen as one of only 10 wines not from France. So Eli Ben Zaken had the honor of representing his own wine -and also the whole Israeli wine industry, alongside other red wines such as Chateau Margaux 1999, Petrus 2001, Opus One 1989, Vega Sicilia 1989 & Chateau Cheval Blanc 1998!
Eli- Gilbert Ben Zaken may not wear a suit like Serge Hochar, but his wine was at the world’s finest wines tasting, and Chateau Musar wasn’t! It was an unprecedented honor for an Israeli winery but the pride was shared by everyone involved in the Israeli wine trade. At last we have an Israeli Serge Hochar!
September 2005
