La Vie Blanc 2023 (Domaine du Castel)

Kosher wine. Cellar for up to 5 years. Serve chilled. Crisp lemon zest, white peach, and almond blossom seduce the nose while the first sip offers mouthwatering freshness and rich tropical fruit flavours with a very clean finish. Crafted from Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Gewurztraminer to add subtle aromatic character, the La Vie Blanc is the ideal partner for fresh seafood or roasted chicken. It can also be drunk alone as an aperitif or aby the pool as a refreshing alternative to rosé. Winemaker Eli Ben Zaken is a true pioneer in the Israeli wine industry, having taught himself how to make wine from the books of Emile Peynaud. Eli emigrated to Israel from Milan in the 1970s and purchased a farm where he planted the first modern vineyard in the Judean Hills in 1988. Soon after that he imported French barrels himself to age his wines and began to experiment with the French varieties he had planted on his modest farm. Eli’s project soon proved to be a sell-out success with his first wine, the Grand Vin, drawing high praise from Serena Sutcliffe, the head of the wine department at Sotheby’s auction house. Eli’s wines are regarded as some of the finest in Israel and he continues to produce tiny quantities of cult wines to this day in a variety of styles.