Red Wine Barbale Danakharuli Tavkveri 2020. No need to decant. Located in the village of Bolnisi, in the Kartli region, not far from the border with Azerbaijan, Barbale is one of the most promising and interesting wineries in the emerging Georgia wine scene. The winery was founded in 2016 and is now led by the oenologist Berdia Berishvili. Here, traditional Georgian and European-style wines are produced from indigenous grapes from organically grown vines in the historic Kartli and Kakheti wine regions. This dry red wine is a blend of two indigenous grapes, the rather rare and ink-colored Danakharuli and the much more popular and light Tavkveri. The wine spends 8 months in Qvevri jars according to traditional Georgian winemaking techniques. The grapes come from the Shida Kartli sub-area. Barbale Danakharuli Tavkveri has a medium ruby color with violet reflections. On the nose, the wine enhances a vibrant palette of roses, red plums, black cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and delicate spicy notes. On the palate, it has a relatively light body with medium acidity, velvety tannins and a good balance. The finish is elegant and recalls hints of licorice. It goes well with poultry and especially guinea fowl, grilled vegetables, and medium-aged cheeses.
2020
Red Wine Barbale Danakharuli Tavkveri 2020
Red Wine Barbale Shavkapito Reserve 2020. Barbale Winery is a relatively young company located in one of the oldest wine producing areas in Georgia. It produces organic wines under the guidance of the oenologist Berdia Berishvili, from indigenous grapes from the subregions of Kartli and Kakheti. Founded in 2016, it was named in honor of a Georgian goddess who represents fertility. Shavkapito is a rare indigenous grape variety from eastern Georgia, and more precisely from the Kartli region, which exhibits similar characteristics to the more common Saperavi but with a thinner profile and a slightly lighter body. The grapes for this Exceptional Harvest wine are organically grown and come from the Shida Kartli sub-area around the historic village of Mejvriskhevi. The aromatic palette is rich in notes of ripe black cherry, then black currant jam, plum, cherry tart, sweet spices and wood smoke tones. On the palate, all the wild berries flavors come back together with elegant and velvety tannins, and a full body. The acidity is moderate and perfectly integrated, and the spicy aftertaste is long and pleasant. Overall, the wine is extremely affordable and food friendly. It works deliciously with grilled meat and roast pork.
2020
Red Wine Belle Glos Clark Telephone Pinot Noir 2020. Decant 2 hours. Deep ruby in colour, the nose displays ripe cherry, black berry and plum with additional notes of cranberry, leather, cedar and cloves. The palate releases a beautiful mix of flavours such as strawberry jam, ripe raspberry, gingerbread and caramel perfectly mingled with toast and cigar. The mouth feel is almost full bodied with good levels of tannin balanced perfectly with acid and alcohol. This is a beautifully complex wine with many layers – a top quality Pinot that is a joy to drink. The finish is long and persistent with just a hint of raspberry and cinnamon at the end. Great to drink on its own or even better when paired with salmon, pork, pasta, beef, or ham. The Belle Glos name comes from the winemaker, Joseph Wagner, who named it in honour of his grandmother Lorna Belle Glos Wagner who was the co-founder of Caymus. The grapes were harvested early morning while still cool. Hand sorted and de-stemmed prior to a cold maceration in stainless steel tanks that can last up to 2 weeks. Only the free run juice is used which ensures top quality, superb wines. This juice was barrelled in French oak of which 60% was new, for 9 months prior to bottling.
2020