Wine Of The Week: Covenant Cabernet Sauvignon

A former musician and wine critic now makes kosher California wines suitable for any occasion.

Jeff Morgan started his career as a musician until, as life does, he fell into wine criticism, landing a writing role at Wine Spectator. He’s since settled in Berkeley, California and launched Covenant Winery with the late Leslie Rudd (of Rudd Estates and Press) in a bid to conjure Napa, Carneros, and Santa Barbara grapes into excellent kosher wines. (Kosher wine is made in essentially the same way as most wines, except they need to be made by Sabbath-observant hands.)

As owner Morgan will attest to, often Jewish-owned wines get lumped under categories — strictly for kosher settings or high holidays wine round-ups. But it would be a mistake to restrict any of Covenant’s wines to certain situations. 

Case and point: his Napa Valley Cabernet ($120). It’s full-bodied, powerful and intensely fruity, with rich black fruit balanced out by oak structure and soft tannins.

On the white side of wines, the recent release of Chardonnay is also gorgeous — richly textured with a line of lifted acidity to cut through the toasted cream and pear notes. If you’re in the Berkeley area, swing by — Morgan and his musician friends often come out of retirement for a song or two. 

Kate Dingwall is a SET-trained sommelier and spirits writer. Her work has appeared in Wine Enthusiast, Eater, Forbes.com, and Food & Wine, and she pours wine at one of Canada’s top restaurants.