Tried this Georgian Amber Wine last night:
1. PapariVlly Chinuri-Rkatsiteli Amber Wine Georgia (12.5%; 3 Qvevri Terraces; Frmtd & aged on skins for 3 mo., 3 mo. in clean qvervi; Black Lamb Wine/Oakland) Shaiva Kurkadzi/Kakheti/Georgia 2020: Deep golden color; somewhat resinous/phenolic/VinoMacerati/skin-contact fairly floral/fragrant/marigolds bit pungent slight orangey some complex rather interesting/attractive nose w/ no oxidation; rather tart/tangy fairly rich some phenolic/VM/resinous some orangey/floral/marigolds bit complex/interesting flavor w/ slight tannic bite; very long orangey/floral/bit phenolic finish that follows flavor; no signs of oxidation character whatsoever; quite an interesting/attractive rendition of a qvevri wine w/ just enough VM character to make it interesting; a lovely amber wine. $33.00 (SFW&S)
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More kakhabelli from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. This was a new producer for me. Been making wines in Georgia since 2015. The Chinuri grape is indigenous to Georgia & is a high-acid white grape that is usually blended w/ other varieties.
This is one of the best Georgian wines I can recall. They are usually dominated by the VM character; very dry/austere, and often lots of oxidative character. This wine showed a great balance between VM character and interesting floral character.
Clearly, from this wine, Chinuri is clearly a grape they should be planting all up&down the Coast of Calif. There's a lot of interesting indigenous wines in Georgia that Calif winemakers have been slow to embrace.
Tom