The winemaker Itay Lahat is a pioneer in the local wine industry, contributing through teaching, guiding, and his private label wines produced in the Western Galilee.
After thirty harvests and extensive experience in the Israeli wine world, Lahat partnered with Barkan Winery to enhance his capabilities and support his unique style and identity. This partnership includes budget assistance, vineyard planting, and potentially building a winery and new projects. We spoke with the winemaker and tasted his creations.
Lahat focuses on his home region, the Upper Western Galilee, combining his extensive knowledge and experience with his unique winemaking philosophy and Mediterranean grape varieties.
If I were more spiritual, I would wonder what the number three means to Lahat: thirty harvests, around thirty thousand bottles produced annually, three white wines, and three red wines, with most based on three grape varieties.
Lahat's involvement in the wine world began in 1995. He is a vine agronomist, enologist, and winemaker. For many years, he has been involved in growing and making wine, teaching, and advising wineries across Israel. This work exposed him to the diverse Israeli terroir, and he is well-acquainted with the important wine regions in the country.
After years of experience, Lahat focused his work on the Upper Galilee, with a special emphasis on the Upper Western Galilee. He calls this his 'personal terroir,' where he expresses his essential personal touch through wines that reflect his philosophy and have a clear, unique identity.
Mediterranean Style and Identity
"Since 2018, the Upper Galilee has been my grape-growing home," says Lahat. "The Upper Western Galilee is the home of my central vineyard. Except for one, all grape varieties are Mediterranean, associated with the Rhône Valley. Roussanne leads the whites, along with Grenache Blanc, Viognier, and Marsanne. Syrah leads the reds, joined by Grenache, Mourvèdre, and once with Cabernet Sauvignon."
Talking with Lahat reveals a winemaker who aims to unify all his wines into one harmonious symphony, as he describes. Elegant wines with a clear Mediterranean style and identity, fresh, clean, precise, restrained, and balanced, with high acidity and moderate alcohol, emphasizing primary fruit aromas.
The white wines are complex with rich aromas, minerality, and spicy flavors, while the reds are fruity, juicy, spicy, earthy, with pleasant acidity. These culinary wines are suited for nearly all Mediterranean dishes.
Menage a Trois
Lahat Winery produces six wines, two symmetrical trilogies: a white trilogy based on Roussanne and a red trilogy based on Syrah.
"I make white wines in a red style and red wines in a white style to bring them closer to each other, suiting local cuisine and culture. Typically, a couple in a restaurant orders one bottle of wine, and here they have a wine, white or red, that suits various dishes," Lahat explains.
About the white wines, he says: "More body, slightly less alcohol. Between an acidic, fresh wine and a full, rich one, the challenge is finding the balance where the wine is harmonious, complex, crisp, and fresh, yet still clearly expresses the grape varieties and terroir."
"The position of this balance depends heavily on the season, weather before harvest, harvest timing, and winemaking processes. Comfortable weather in August 2023 provided the needed winemaking flexibility to stretch the wine slightly towards fullness without losing the desired freshness and harmonious balance."
Lahat, White 2023
Three grape varieties—Roussanne, Viognier, and Marsanne from the Upper Galilee, harvested from seven plots—fermented and aged on lees in 500-liter barrels for nine months before blending.
This created a highly harmonious culinary wine with rich aromatic scents, suitable for nearly any Mediterranean dish. Delightful. Price: NIS 120.
Lahat, Leichter 2023
Roussanne, Marsanne, and Grenache Blanc from the Upper Western Galilee, aged on lees in non-new barrels for nine months before final blending.
An elegant wine, rich in aromas and complex flavors, yet sharp with precise acidity and very culinary. Worth savoring as each moment reveals additional interesting nuances. Price: NIS 135.
Lahat, Roussanne 2023
This wine will hit the market in about two months. Roussanne from the Upper Western Galilee, fermented and aged on lees in 320-liter amphorae for nine months.
An aromatic and floral wine, sharp and mineral, yet rich and delightful. Worth the wait. Price: NIS 150.
All the Stars Align
The red wines also come in a trio. They are based on Syrah, joined by other varieties in different blends—Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre, and occasionally a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon.
About the red wines, Lahat says: "There are harvests when all the stars align, everything works smoothly, things fall into place at the right time, and the results—without much effort or divine intervention—are good."
"Such was the 2022 harvest... The phenolic ripening, that of aromas and flavors, was good even at relatively low sugar levels in the grapes. This allowed for the production of solid, fruity wines without unripe flavors, moderate alcohol concentration, and sharp, precise acidity. The vinification process, as usual, contributed earthy and spicy flavors, typical of Syrah in general and the Syrah components in Lahat wines in particular."
Lahat, Red 2022
Syrah grapes and a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Upper Western Galilee. "The 2022 harvest was one of the best and most joyful for me," says Lahat. The wine finishes fermentation in 400- and 500-liter barrels. After blending the varieties and numerous plots, the wine returns to barrels for 15 months of aging.
A precise and balanced wine, juicy and spicy, red fruit, minerality, and earthiness, with the addition of Cabernet Sauvignon providing accessibility. A good and culinary wine. Price: NIS 125.
Lahat, Leivo GSM 2022
Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre from the Upper Western Galilee fermented in small tanks and transferred to old 400-liter barrels.
A harmonious, deep, and complex wine, with balanced acidity, earthiness, and spiciness elegantly combined with rich yet delicate fruit flavors. An excellent wine that will be enjoyable in the future. Price: NIS 150.
Lahat, Syrah 2022
Syrah grapes from two plots in the Upper Western Galilee. The wine finishes fermentation in non-new barrels and ages in wood for about 15 months.
All the typical characteristics of Syrah are present in this wine, its body is quite light and thin, the alcohol is moderate, and the acidity is dominant, with delightful spiciness combined with elegant fruit, tight tannins, and a significant finish. One of the best Syrah wines. Price: NIS 180.
In Conclusion, Are There Plans for Expansion?
"Not in regions, the focus will remain the Upper Galilee with an emphasis on the Upper Western Galilee. The varieties will stay the same, no changes. I'm not looking to change. There will be an expansion in wines, and there will be a rosé in the future, based on Mourvèdre and Syrah."