Recanati Chardonnay

Recanati Chardonnay is a full-bodied, 100% Chardonnay white wine from Upper Galilee, Israel, bottled at 12% ABV in a standard 750ml format. Sourced entirely from the Manara Vineyard in northern Galilee and aged sur lie in French oak for nine months, this single-vineyard expression represents one of Israel's most acclaimed wineries — Recanati has been the only Israeli producer invited to Wine Spectator's New York Wine Experience for nearly a decade running.

Quick Facts: ABV: 12%  |  Origin: Upper Galilee, Israel  |  100% Chardonnay  |  Winery: Recanati Winery

Production & Heritage

Recanati Winery, based in Israel's Galilee region, has built a reputation as one of the country's top producers, consistently earning 90+ point scores across its portfolio and standing shoulder to shoulder with the world's top 250 wineries at Wine Spectator's annual New York Wine Experience. The Chardonnay grapes are handpicked from the Manara Vineyard in Upper Galilee, then destemmed and pressed before fermentation takes place entirely in French oak barrels. The wine rests sur lie — on its spent yeast cells — for nine months, a technique that builds body, textural richness, and the distinctive hazelnut and caramel nuances that define this bottling. The single-vineyard sourcing from Manara sets this apart from blended Israeli Chardonnays, allowing the terroir of Upper Galilee's high-altitude vineyards to express itself clearly.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with pale straw-gold clarity and delicate layers of tropical fruit — think ripe peach and yellow plum — followed by subtle nuances of hazelnut and caramel drawn from extended lees contact and French oak maturation. There is an underlying warmth that invites a second inhale.

Taste: The entry is generous and round, with white grapefruit and stone fruit arriving together on the mid-palate. The wine builds into a full-bodied, harmonious profile with well-balanced acidity that keeps the richness in check, revealing a mineral backbone that speaks to the Galilee terroir.

Finish: The finish is long, smooth, and gently mineral, with lingering echoes of toasted almond and caramel. It leaves the palate clean despite the wine's weight, a sign of the acidity doing its work.

How to Drink Recanati Chardonnay

Serve lightly chilled to around 10–12°C (50–54°F) to let the oak-derived complexity shine without muting the fruit. This wine is best appreciated in a wide-bowled glass that allows the aromas to develop fully. It also works well in wine-based cocktails: a White Wine Spritzer benefits from its full body holding up against soda and citrus; a French 75 variation substituting this Chardonnay for Champagne adds tropical richness to the classic template; and a Sangria Blanca gains depth from the hazelnut and stone-fruit character that cheaper Chardonnays cannot provide.

Best For

• Hosting a dinner party featuring Mediterranean or Middle Eastern cuisine
• Gifting to a wine enthusiast exploring Israeli wine regions
• Pairing with a multi-course seafood meal
• Adding a distinctive single-vineyard Chardonnay to a curated collection

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Recanati Chardonnay taste like? It is a full-bodied Chardonnay dominated by tropical fruit, white grapefruit, and stone-fruit flavors, with secondary notes of hazelnut, caramel, and a mineral finish drawn from nine months of sur lie aging in French oak.

How does Recanati Chardonnay compare to Barkan Classic Chardonnay? Barkan Classic Chardonnay is sourced from central Israeli vineyards and leans toward a fruit-forward profile of guava and pear, while Recanati Chardonnay draws from a single Upper Galilee vineyard and gains additional complexity from extended French oak lees aging. The result is a richer, more textured wine with pronounced hazelnut and mineral character that Barkan's broader-sourced bottling does not typically deliver.

Is Recanati Chardonnay good for sipping on its own? Yes — the balanced acidity, full body, and layered oak-influenced flavors make it well-suited to drinking on its own, particularly when served slightly chilled.

Where is Recanati Chardonnay made? It is produced by Recanati Winery in Israel, using 100% Chardonnay grapes handpicked from the Manara Vineyard in the Upper Galilee region, one of Israel's premier high-altitude growing areas.

What foods pair well with Recanati Chardonnay? Roasted chicken with herbs complements the wine's oak and stone-fruit character; grilled white fish such as sea bass matches its mineral finish; creamy pasta dishes echo the richness from lees aging; aged semi-hard cheeses like Gruyère mirror the hazelnut notes; and hummus or tahini-based dishes create a natural regional pairing.

What sizes does Recanati Chardonnay come in? The standard release is available in 750ml bottles.

Is Recanati Chardonnay worth the price? It positions as a mid-range single-vineyard Chardonnay, and the combination of French oak fermentation, nine months of sur lie aging, and dedicated Upper Galilee fruit sourcing delivers complexity that often exceeds its price tier.

Why Recanati Chardonnay?

What distinguishes this bottling is the convergence of single-vineyard sourcing from Manara in Upper Galilee and an unusually generous nine-month sur lie aging regime in French oak — a production commitment that many Israeli Chardonnays at this level do not match. Recanati Winery's consistent presence at Wine Spectator's New York Wine Experience, as the sole Israeli representative among the world's top 250 producers, speaks to the quality standard behind this label. The wine delivers genuine textural weight and terroir-driven minerality without sacrificing drinkability, placing it firmly among the most compelling Chardonnays coming out of the eastern Mediterranean today.