Zeev Dunie has been crafting wines at the Sea Horse Winery in Moshav Bar Giora in the Judean Hills for twenty-five years. One might assume that after a quarter-century, the winery and its winemaker have a clear, smooth path, but not with Dunie, whose mind is always racing and exploring, seeking new ways and never adhering to conventions.
Nevertheless, he remains humble when presenting his wines. "I read in an article by wine critic Eric Asimov that you can't make wine if you're not humble. That's when I understood that a winemaker is essentially the midwife of the wine," he says.
We attended a conceptual tasting, "against the usual logic," that he conducted and were left in awe of the uniqueness and wonderful maturity of the winery's wines.
Dunie is a well-known figure in the Israeli wine world, and everyone knows the story of his transition from the film industry to the world of wine. The film industry may have lost a passionate and thoughtful individual, but the wine world gained a creative and original artist.
His unique, personal touch creates wines that resemble their individualistic creator, who doesn't like rules. Sometimes he is wild, passionate, and turbulent, and sometimes softer, introverted, and more restrained. These are wines free from conventions, each with a story, all combined into one great soul.
In a Dark, Cool PlaceDunie entered the wine world almost by accident. In 1994, he directed a documentary about the wine world in Israel, called "Lying Down in a Dark, Cool Place," and the result was that Zeev fell in love with this world and left everything to establish a winery and produce wines, in his unique philosophical and autodidactic way that advocates for trial, error, and curiosity.
The name of the film he created, whose final episode was filmed in the 'Derech HaYayin' cellar, was drawn from the inscription on Carmel Winery's wine bottles at the time: "Recommended to store lying down, in a dark, cool place."
The winery was established in 2000 by Zeev and his partner Orly, who still operate it today, with the help of Hadar Ben Shalosh (winemaker) and Adam Platz. Believing in the natural way, the first organic vineyard was planted in Bar Giora. In recent years, this approach has led the winery to use wild yeast from the vineyard, without adding cultivated yeast.
"We started to see how it works," Dunie says. "It took five years. I realized that if I want to make local wines, I can't take yeast from other countries."
The choice of grape varieties is also not always the common choice in the country. The first variety Dunie planted was Zinfandel, followed by Syrah. There's also Cabernet Sauvignon because it's a variety that succeeds everywhere and people look for it, but alongside it are Chenin Blanc, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Counoise, and more.
The tasting was conducted according to a different logic, Dunie's logic. Tasting along a timeline, with white and red wines mixed according to an order that made sense to the winemaker, and with the tasting, it also made sense to us.
Sea Horse Winery, ElulThe first harvest was in 2000, "and the wine continues to accompany us to this day," Dunie says. In 2003, the vineyard moved from Neve Ilan to Kerem Ben Zimra in the Upper Galilee, and the varieties that make up the wine are Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Petite Sirah.
We tasted three wines from three vintages, very balanced wines that age beautifully. "It's not hard to make good Cabernet, a variety that's very easy to grow if you have good grapes."
The 2011 vintage aged wonderfully, and we loved it immediately until the 2013 vintage came along and managed to surpass it. A perfect wine in every way, deep and complex, that can accompany us for several more good years. The 2014 vintage felt very young in comparison, fruity and fresh.
Sea Horse Winery, Lennon"I love Zinfandel," declares Dunie, who created a classic Californian blend as early as 2003. The wine is made from Zinfandel grapes and a bit of Petite Sirah and Mourvèdre from the vineyard in Bar Giora. The 2009 wine Dunie calls "Gypsy" as an antithesis to the more polished wines, and indeed, the spiciness, leather, and tobacco explain the name.
The 2017 vintage continues the line as an elegant version of Zinfandel, with the exoticism typical of the variety and the seasoning of the other two varieties.
'Wild Zinfandel 2020' is a lighter, fun wine. 100% Zinfandel fermented with wild yeast. Dunie refers to the wild yeast as a "starter culture." He ferments wine grapes in a small tank for a few days in advance, and then when the harvest arrives, the winery already has active yeast.
Sea Horse Winery, AntoineAntoine was inspired by the Rhône Valley, which Dunie loves. The wine from the 2008 vintage is a Mediterranean blend based on Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Grenache from the organic vineyard in Bar Giora. A complex and rich wine in flavors.
In the 2016 vintage, Cinsault and Counoise grapes were also added, varieties Dunie refers to as spices. "I stick to the musical element; in my imagination, there are the leading instruments in the music and the instruments playing in the background. You can do without them, but the little things they add make the difference. Mourvèdre, Cinsault, and Counoise are the background instruments that make the difference in the wine."
In 2021, the first entirely "wild" blend was created. Spontaneous fermentation with wild yeast. Here too, the complexity and richness of flavors are evident in the wine.
Sea Horse Winery, Chenin Blanc"I discovered the variety in 2007; it wasn't in the country then, and I hadn't made white wine until then, and luckily it succeeded. The first grapes came from a vineyard in Kedron, and in 2010 there was also a first harvest in Bar Giora.
'James 2013' is a wine that symbolizes the non-conformist nature of the winemaker and the winery. The wine was made from vines in Moshav Kedron in the Shephelah region. The variety's aroma is rich and enjoyable.
'Sea Horse Wild Chenin 2020' was made from grapes from the organic vineyard in Bar Giora and fermented with wild yeast only. A cool, refreshing wine, light and airy, with wonderful flavor richness and a fascinating character.
Sea Horse Winery, Oz 2021An unconventional blend of Cinsault, Grenache, and a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah from vineyard plots in the Upper Galilee and the Judean Hills.
The idea was to create a wine that does not correspond with any other region in the world, "a wine that speaks Hebrew." So far, every wine had a connection or inspiration from another place. "When the wine woke up, after a year, it made me very happy, and a wine was created that is both light and complex."
Indeed, although the wine's body is relatively light, it is full of developing flavors that fill the palate.
Sea Horse Winery, Pure Counoise 2022An exceptional and rare wine from the Counoise variety typical of the southern Rhône Valley. The wine has a unique character, spiced with surprising flavors. "I didn't know the variety, the first time I tasted it was when it arrived to us."
Sea Horse Winery, Roussanne 2021Another variety originally characteristic of the northern Rhône Valley. The grapes come from a vineyard near Kfar Kish in the Lower Galilee, from which only a few hundred bottles were produced. A delightful wine combining moderate exoticism and rich flavors.
Sea Horse Winery, Cinsault 2022A wine that has not yet been bottled. One of the fun wines, with a light body, a red that will suit even the summer, with young, fresh red fruit flavors and even a slight saltiness. Something to look forward to.
Sea Horse Winery, Labyrinth 2023A new white wine that has not yet been bottled. The variety is Grenache Blanc. "A phone call in the middle of the harvest informed us there was Grenache Blanc. I didn't know the grape and had no idea what would come of it, and then it surprised us. We were happy, added some Roussanne, and this is the new wine, of which about two thousand bottles will be released at Rosh Hashanah."
A wonderful wine combining tropical elements with white summer fruits, balanced, refreshing, and light, with moderate developing flavors. Magic in a bottle.