Nose
Aromas of autumn berries, ripe dark fruits, cassis and spice, with some earthy and smoky notes. This follows through to aromas of cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant and plum, together with hints of leather, licorice, chocolate, coffee and even tobacco.
Palate
The nose follows through to the palate with flavours of cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant and plum, together with hints of leather, licorice, chocolate and coffee. It is medium-bodied wine with pleasant acidity, balanced content of tannin and a particularly soft finish. This is dry wine but you can still taste some sweetness.
Growing Conditions
The wine is made from Saperavi grapes grown in the village of Tibaani, Kakheti region. The vineyard was planted in 2011 and sits on the eastern part of the right side of Alazani Gorge, 360 meters above sea level. Climatic conditions in the Tinaani microzone are moderately humid subtropical, characterised by moderately cold winters and hot summers, with a double minimum of precipitation during the year. The average annual air temperature of the viticulture zone is quite high at +12.4°C, the warmest month average temperature is 24.2°C, and of the coldest month is close to +1.0°C. In the extreme Southern part, the soil is black whilst in the Northern and Western parts, the alluvial and diluvial-proluvial soil varieties differ from each other, as too does profile thickness leptosol grade (depth of soil over hard rock). This location has great potential for growing high quality grapes with marked acidity and producing wines distinguished with unique taste and aroma.
Harvest
2019 was a pretty balanced winemaking year in Georgia regarding temperature and rain. Harvest for these grapes took place on September 11, with each bunch being carefully selected and placed in a platter box in the afternoon. The distance between the vineyards and the cellar is a 10 minute drive In the once at the cellar, grapes were crushed into a qvevri in the evening when the temperature was already low.
Bottling
This Saperavi is unfiltered and has no additives! Burgundian style bottles are used and the wine is bottled by hand using a mechanical method. The label has also been designed by winemaker, Nino Meris.
Winemaking
The 2019 Saperavi 2019 was made in qvevri according to the traditional Georgian method. The wine-making process involved pressing the grapes and then pouring the juice, grape skins, stalks and pips into the Qvevri, which is sealed and buried in the ground. The qveris hold 1000lt and the wine remained in skin contact for one month. Note/ after sorting the grapes. They were loaded into the qvevri, typically with all or part of the marc and stalks, to three-quarters of the vessel’s capacity. Fermentation took place without intervention, using naturally occurring yeasts and natural (underground) temperature control. The wine was held in Qvevri, as a rule of Qvevri winemaking method, and was bottled in January 2020. Nino Meris is a young winemaker who is “Proud to call myself a Georgian woman winemaker”. The wines are made only by women (Nina and her mother predominately) with “ no man entering the wine cellar during the winemaking process” ie. from receiving the grapes through to bottling, women carry out all the duties. .Nino started producing wines a few years ago and with only one Qvevri. In two years, she has raised production from 700 bottles to 7tons and gained recognition at many international and local wine exhibitions. Nino Meris learned traditional winemaking techniques from her two grandfathers and went on to create her own family business where she passionately produces natural red and white wines.
Aging
Saperavi Qvevri 2019 was bottled in January 2020 after ageing for a short time in bottle. Although it was not kept in oak barrels, this variety of Saperavi from Tibaani naturally has notes of vanilla and makes a very aromatic wine. Since the sugar is not completely dissolved, you can taste some sweetness in this dry wine.
Appearance
The colour is vibrant cherry with a purple rim in the glass.
Food Pairing
Saperavi Qvevri 2019 pairs with roasted lamb and pork skewers, hard cheeses, aged Cheeses, ragout and oyster mushrooms. More elegant and lighter examples of Saperavi go well with moderately seasoned meat dishes such as Chanakhi (lamb dish), beef stews, roasted piglet, veal and Chakhokhbili (chicken stew).