The wines of Flam Winery

Flam, the family winery from the Judean Hills, is one of the oldest boutique wineries in Israel. It is led by the brothers Golan and Gilad Flam. Golan is the winemaker, while Gilad manages the operations. The Flams come from a lineage of winemakers; their father, Israel Flam, was a pioneer in the modern Israeli wine industry and worked for many years at Carmel Winery when it was still known as "Carmel Mizrahi."

The winemaking philosophy at Flam is rooted in the old world, showing great respect for the grape variety and its origin, with minimal intervention to influence the final outcome. The most significant shift in recent years is sourcing all grapes from vineyards in the Judean Hills, specifically in Givat Yeshayahu and Even Sapir. The younger wines from the current tasting (vintages 2022-2023) already come from these areas, while the older, aged wines hail from the Upper Galilee. Gradually, the winery will transition to using only grapes from its home region.

Flam wines consistently prove to be one of the most reliable in the industry. They are crafted with thoughtfulness and restraint, honoring the fruit and varietal characteristics with notable finesse. The presence of vineyards in the Judean Hills is beginning to influence the flavor profiles of the wines. A striking comparison is between two wines not included in this review but also tasted—"Flam, Camellia 22" and "Flam, Camellia 23." The first is no longer on the market, and the second will be released in April. The latter was tasted as a barrel sample. It's not that the latter is better than its predecessor; it is simply distinctly different. This indicates that in the coming years, we will see more Flam wines evolving in character.

All the wines are of high quality, not inexpensive but offering clear value for money. As always, "Flam Classico" is the most accessible among them, "Flam Noble" is the highest and most expensive, and the "White Label" is a kind of outlier. It offers refinement and softness and refuses to behave like a typical high-end Israeli red. Love whites? Don't miss "Flam Sauvignon Blanc," which is mineral, sharp, dry, and precise. Cheers!

Flam, Rosé 2023

73% Syrah, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 13% Carignan from vineyards in Givat Yeshayahu and Even Sapir in the Judean region. Fermentation and aging for several weeks in stainless steel tanks. Salmon pink color. The nose features red fruit and flowers. Light to medium body. 13% alcohol by volume.

Price: NIS 115.

Best paired with: Chicken, cheeses, sandwiches, salads, pizza, picnic.

Critic's note: Charming red fruit, prominent yet restrained, sharp acidity, good dryness, freshness, and a touch of minerality.

Value for money: 3/5 (not bad).

Flam, Sauvignon Blanc 2023

93% Sauvignon Blanc and 7% Chardonnay from Givat Yeshayahu in the Judean Foothills. 12% of the wine aged in 225-500 liter barrels, 2-4 years old. Slightly pale golden color. The nose offers citrus and flowers. Medium body. 12.5% alcohol by volume.

Price: NIS 115.

Best paired with: Fish, seafood, pasta.

Critic's note: Very fresh fruit, charming and restrained, but the excellent, refined, and sharp acidity seems to set the tone. Pleasant minerality, dryness, cleanliness, and precision.

Value for money: 3.5/5 (good).

Flam, Judean Hills, Classico 2022

38% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Petit Verdot, 6% Syrah, 4% Carignan, and 4% Malbec from selected vineyards in the Judean region. 14 days of fermentation with skins in tanks, each variety separately, followed by 10 months in European oak barrels as a blend and six more months in the bottle. Slightly dark red color. The nose reveals red fruit and spices. Medium body. 14% alcohol by volume.

Price: NIS 119.

Best paired with: Minute steak, barbecue, steaks.

Critic's note: This is Flam's workhorse wine from time immemorial. The wine from which the most bottles are produced, and which is, of course, the best-selling and most well-known. Unlike the Sauvignon Blanc reviewed above, where acidity is the key player, here it is the round and fairly lush fruit, balanced by good acidity. The restrained work in oak keeps this wine from being too flattering but makes it undoubtedly the most user-friendly and accessible bottle from Flam. As such, it is excellently made.

Value for money: 4/5 (very good).

Flam, Judean Hills, White Label 2022

69% Syrah, 17% Cabernet Franc, and 14% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes come from the Upper Galilee, while the Cabernet Franc grapes come from the Even Sapir vineyard. 12 months of aging in French oak barrels (80% used and 20% new). Dark red color. The nose has red fruit and spices. Medium body. 14.5% alcohol by volume.

Price: NIS 165.

Best paired with: Lamb chops, lamb stews, steaks.

Critic's note: "White Label" is Golan Flam's version of the "winemaker's choice" genre—wines outside the box, entirely according to the winemaker's personal taste. Flam's "winemaker's choice" leans towards the Mediterranean basin, with Syrah bringing a wealth of spice and a measure of elegant velvetiness as well as relative structural finesse. But the significant change in the 2022 vintage lies in the source of the Cabernet Franc grapes, which for the first time come from the winery's new vineyard in Even Sapir in the Judean Hills, adding a touch of black pepper and forest fruit and a distinctly different character from wines coming from Upper Galilee vineyards. A refined, sophisticated wine with high alcohol content but relatively light, full of nuances, and with a high gastronomic index.

Value for money: 3.5/5 (good. Not cheap but really good).

Flam, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2021

85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah, and 5% Petit Verdot from the Dishon and Ben Zimra vineyards in the Upper Galilee. Fermentation with skins. 12 months in French oak barrels, 40% new, and the rest one-year-old. Deep red color, slightly opaque. The nose features red and purple fruit, spices. Full body. 14.5% alcohol by volume.

Price: NIS 185.

Best paired with: Long-aged beef cuts on the bone. Stews.

Critic's note: Full-bodied but not massive, intensity combined with restraint, expressive fruit balanced by sharp acidity, multi-layered and complex. Truly an "old world" Cabernet Sauvignon.

Value for money: 2.5/5 (reasonable).

Flam, Noble 2020

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah, and 10% Petit Verdot from the Upper Galilee (Dishon Vineyard and Ben Zimra Vineyard) and the Judean Hills (Mata Vineyard and Givat Yeshayahu Vineyard). 16 months aging in oak barrels (70% new and 30% one-year-old) and 16 additional months in the bottle. A total of 32 months of aging. Deep dark red color, leaning towards opaque. The nose has red fruit and a wealth of spices. Full body. 14.5% alcohol by volume.

Price: NIS 380.

Best paired with: Elaborate meals based on beef and lamb.

Critic's note: Rich fruit, very refined, well-balanced, velvety, elegant, complex. This wine is already very drinkable but still has many years of aging ahead. In two years, it will surely open up more. With proper storage conditions, it can age for up to ten years. As with any expensive flagship wine, its value-for-money factor is irrelevant, so this criterion is omitted from the review. For wine lovers investing in such long-aged expensive wines, it is certainly worthy.