I didn’t notice this wine because of the label.
I noticed it because of what happened after the sip.
At the wine festival, I tasted the Uriel Winery Special Reserve 2022, and toward the end of the sip I felt that familiar drying sensation around my gums.
Tannins.
Definitely there.
But not in an aggressive way.
There was enough grip to give the wine structure, yet the finish stayed surprisingly gentle and pleasant.
And maybe even more importantly for me — the alcohol never took over.
That’s something I’m starting to realize I really appreciate in wine.
I like wines with presence.
I like wines with character.
But I don’t necessarily want the wine to remind me how much alcohol is inside the bottle.
This one didn’t.
Three grapes, one very enjoyable combination
The blend is:
40% Cabernet Sauvignon
30% Petit Verdot
30% Petite Sirah
And I really enjoyed the combination.
Cabernet Sauvignon gives it a familiar foundation, while Petit Verdot and Petite Sirah bring more intensity, colour and tannic structure.
On paper, that could easily turn into something heavy.
But in the glass, I didn’t experience it that way.
It felt structured without being exhausting.
Powerful enough to be interesting, but still easy enough to keep drinking.
And that balance is probably what stayed with me most.
Then I looked at the glass
And something bothered me.
Or maybe intrigued me is the better word.
The wine didn’t look completely clear.
It seemed slightly cloudy.
At first I wondered whether it was the lighting at the festival, the glass, or maybe just my imagination.
So naturally, I wanted to understand why.
And that’s when the wine became even more interesting.
Uriel Winery chooses not to filter this wine.
That means some natural sediment can remain in the bottle, and the wine may not always have that perfectly polished, crystal-clear appearance we’re used to seeing.
Suddenly, what I thought might be a flaw became part of the story.
And I liked that.
Because wine doesn’t always have to look perfect.
Sometimes the slightly imperfect things are exactly what remind you that there’s a real winemaking process behind the bottle.
A bottle with a very Israeli journey
The winery itself is based in Sderot.
The grapes, however, come from further north: the Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah from the Judean Foothills, and the Petit Verdot from the Gedera area, not far from Rehovot.
Then the wine spends 18 months in French and American oak barrels.
I love that kind of story.
Different vineyards.
Different varieties.
Different places.
All eventually meeting inside one bottle.
There’s something very Israeli about that.
What stayed with me
If I had to describe this wine in one sensation, it would be the finish.
That gentle dryness around the gums.
Enough tannin to make you notice it.
Enough softness to make you enjoy it.
And almost no alcoholic heat getting in the way.
But what really made me remember the bottle was that slightly cloudy glass.
Because it made me curious.
And curiosity is becoming one of my favourite reasons to open another bottle.
JulVino Notes
Wine: Uriel Winery Special Reserve 2022
Winery: Uriel Winery
Blend: 40% Cabernet Sauvignon · 30% Petit Verdot · 30% Petite Sirah
Vintage: 2022
Alcohol: 13.5%
Aging: 18 months in French & American oak
Style: Structured, tannic, but surprisingly gentle on the finish
Filtration: Unfiltered
What I noticed first: The drying tannins
What made me curious: The slightly cloudy appearance
What I’d remember: A wine with grip, without the alcohol shouting over everything else.