2003 Covenant Cabernet Sauvignon, California

What if you could have a kosher wine that holds its own when tasted against some of Napa Valley’s top Cabernets? This is no pipe dream. It’s the first vintage of Covenant, a handcrafted kosher wine from Jeff Morgan of SoloRosa Winery and Leslie Rudd of Rudd Winery, both in Napa Valley. The grapes come from a single vineyard, a parcel of the historic Larkmead vineyard in Napa Valley, and the wine is aged in French oak.

By any measure, the 2003 Covenant is a compelling Cabernet. Velvety and intense, and tasting of black currants and tobacco, it has the kind of complexity that holds interest glass after glass.

There’s no reason a kosher wine can’t be as great as any other wine. But these were the guys to articulate that idea and actually make a wine for the kosher table that stands up to the big boys. This is a seriously good Cabernet, to drink now and over the next decade.

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Quick swirl

Region: Napa Valley

Price: About $75

Style: Rich and opulent

Food it goes with: Roasted meats and game

Where you find it: Duke of Bourbon in Canoga Park, (818) 341-1234; Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa, (949) 650-8463; Liquid Partyworks in Chatworth, (818) 709-5019; Mission Wines in South Pasadena, (626) 403-9463; Twenty Twenty Wine Co. in Los Angeles, (310) 447-2020; Vendome in Studio City, (818) 766-5272; Wally’s in West Los Angeles, (310) 475-0606.

-- S. Irene Virbila