Around the world, the finest wine regions are often protected and promoted by their legal designation as an appellation, creating a brand for the grapes and wineries in that area. Wines from Bordeaux, Champagne, Burgandy, Rioja, Priorat, Napa, Sonoma, and other prestigious zones have legal protections under local laws that restrict the use of names to wines from the region, subject to the local regional rules about grape plantings, whether irrigation is permitted, aging requirements, and more. In 2020, Israel joined the club of countries with formal appellations with the recent designation of the Appellation of Origin: Judea.

The area, home to about 40 wineries and 27% of the country’s vineyards, is located generally between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and is influenced by the Mediterranean breezes and the Jerusalem Mountains. It includes two sub-appellations: Judean Hills for terroir above 400 meters and Judean Foothills for areas under 400 meters. Some of Israel’s finest producers call this region home, including well-known wineries such as Castel, Flam, Tzora, and Mony.

The Mate Yehuda Regional Council will coordinate the rules for the region. For example, at least 85% of the grapes in a bottle are grown in the region. There are production mandates as well. One of the top wineries in the new AO (Appellation of Origin) is Agur Winery, established in 1999 by Shuki Yashuv, a pioneer of the Judean Hills region and led today by partners Elad Katz and Eyal Drory. Katz, a resident of nearby Ellah Valley, is a former CEO of Israel’s famed Domaine du Castel, and winemaker Drory studied wines in Piedmont, Crete, and Israel.

Israeli wine expert Adam Montefiore says, “All Agur’s wines are vibrant and fresh, with a mineral core and linear texture that runs through from start to finish. They show great drinkability. The whites were outstanding, the rosé still a pioneer, and the Layam was my favorite red. They are medium-bodied, sinewy and complex. The wines are a beautiful expression of founder ShukiYashuv’s dream and winemaker EyalDrory’s extraordinary talent.”

I recently visited Agur and spent some time with winemaker Eyal Drory, who told me that the winery currently produces 70-75,000 bottles yearly, but only 10 percent of sales are outside Israel. All of the wines are blends intended to reflect the terroir unique to each of Agur’s vineyards in Mata, Givat Yeshayahu, and Ein Kerem. The AO administrator might consider a third sub-appellation called Judean Valley for areas like Givat Yeshayahu, which is markedly cooler due to cool air from the nearby mountains and ridges blocking hot breezes.

The Agur wines, reds and whites, are all blends, and blending is a key part of the winery’s philosophy. Kessem 2022 is a Cabernet, Syrah, and Merlot (note the play on the wine’s name) plus Cabernet Franc, Carignan, and Garnacha Tintorera, while the Special Reserve, aged 24 months in new and old French oak, is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.

Agur also makes what Drory calls a “serious” rosé, meaning a Bandol-style rosé. Bandol is a respected appellation famed for rosés that are typically fuller and more substantial than typical Provencal rosés.

I recently hosted a wine tasting in Jerusalem with a few leading Israeli experts, sampling some of the highest-scored Israeli wines and some top California wines. Yechiel Chovav, a member of the winemaking team at Agur, brought along an Agur Sauvignon Blanc blend, which was the clear favorite of the tasting. I very much enjoy the Agur reds and rosé, but it is the whites that I think may be among the most enjoyable Israeli white wines I have tasted.

If you are in Israel, I highly recommend visiting the winery. It’s an easy drive from Jerusalem, and you’ll enjoy its lovely tasting facility. Poignantly, a chair is reserved for Dror Or, cheesemaker at Beeri Dairy, who was murdered along with his wife by the Hamas attack on October 7. He is renowned for a wine-edged cheese made with Agur wine, a tradition now carried on by Beeri Dairy and served at the winery.

Agur is distributed online in the US here and in select retail stores.

PHOTO GALLERY (Photos by author J. Polonetsky):