Har'el Merlot, Clos de Gat

Clos de Gat is situated in foothills of the Judean Mountains, bordering Israel’s biblical Ayalon Valley, where Joshua defeated the five kings. An ancient “Gat” (Hebrew for winepress), pre-dating the Roman period, is located in the grounds of the modern winery, set in the heart of the Clos de Gat vineyards, which cover an area of forty-seven acres (nineteen hectares). The regions rolling hills and valley have supported grapevine cultivation for thousands of years. The combination of thin topsoil on limestone- bedrock, coupled with a micro-climate makes it possible to grow grapes of outstanding quality. Clos de Gat relies on the vineyard’s natural yeasts for the fermentation process, imparting greater layers of complexity to the wines granting the fullest expression of the estate’s superb “terroir”.