I was blindsided recently by a note from Peter Weltman, an adventurous wine writer, who made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. “I have wine from the West Bank,” he said, “From a 133-year-old winemaking monastery, made from Holy Land native grapes like Dabouki, Hamdani, Jandali, and Baladi. They are all planted in the Biblical Hills of Bethlehem and Hebron.” I scanned Jancis Robinson’s “Wine Grapes,” the definitive obscure grape reference guide, and found not a single mention!
I knew the Middle East was a cradle of winemaking, but I didn’t know the extent to which the West Bank’s rolling limestone hills were studded with old-vine, native-grape vineyards. I was intrigued, to say the least, so I invited Weltman to bring the wines to taste here at SommSelect. Upon first sip, I was totally taken aback. The white Dabouki grape produced a wine with Bordeaux Blanc-like waxiness and Wachau Grüner Veltliner white pepper and mineral qualities. The winemaking was technically perfect. But, when Weltman poured me the red 2015 Cremisan Star of Bethlehem Baladi, I lit up. Rosy floral and black tea notes leapt from the glass while bobbing in dynamic bright red cherries and orange peel. The wine continued with medium, grippy, but not overly zealous tannins, bright acid, and plenty of complexity. If I were given this wine blind, I’d probably call serious Italian Rosso di Montalcino or perhaps a Piedmontese Nebbiolo (and, wouldn’t you know, the winemaking consultant is famed Italian “flying winemaker” Riccardo Cotarella). My mind was blown. And yet, we can offer this incomparable Mediterranean beauty for just $24! It has distinctiveness yet familiarity to wine styles that I absolutely adore. It took some time to get here, but after special request, the Baladi just landed in the U.S. Roasted duck? Christmas ham? This will make a conversation-piece holiday wine and will reward cellaring to boot. It’s a pretty amazing discovery you’ll be glad you made, as I was!
I am honored Peter has shared this wine and its rich history with us at SommSelect. When you open it, you will see the 2015 Baladi is dark garnet red with orange hues on the rim, typical of a 2-3 year old Sangiovese. On the nose, the wine is incredibly elegant: sour cherries, ripe red currants, fresh roses, dried blood orange peel, leather, red tobacco, wild herbs and dried clay. On the palate the wine is medium bodied with round tannins, layers of black cherry, dried plums, cigar box and dried spices round out its extremely long finish. The wine is near perfect now, but I can see this wine aging 5-7 years without effort. This is a wine that will make magic with any grilled protein you can throw at it—lamb chops, a porterhouse, or even Italian sausages. But for me, I am channeling my childhood neighbors (whose roots are in Palestine) by preparing the attached recipe for maqluba. Try it for yourself!