Advent Wine Blind Tasting Seven
After several days of no blind tasting I felt sufficiently recovered to tackle another today. As I spent all weekend making Christmas goodies I was ready for some wine! Coquito ice cream, decorated orange-spice sugar cookies, two kinds of truffles…I definitely needed the wine!
Young, moderate alcohol, not Turkish. Georgian maybe. Probably Kakheti. Saperavi.
Apparently I just needed a wee break to jumpstart my blind tasting guessing abilities! ‘Twas the meat and tannins that gave it away though.
Telavi Wine Cellar Marani Saperavi, NV
The label does not display a vintage. The only date information it gives is the wine’s bottling date (2018). So whether that means the wine comes from the 2018 vintage … I dunno.
Telavi Wine Cellar (Marani) represents one of Georgia’s largest commercial wineries. Their wines span a huge range of styles. Grapes come from vineyards in Kondoli, Alazani River, and Kindzmarauli in Kakheti. Part of the winery’s Regional Range, the Marani Saperavi aged three to four months in French oak.
Appearance: clear, medium opaque ruby, consistent to rim
Alcohol: 13.5% abv
Nose: Rich and intense with black fruits (black mulberry, black cherry, and plum), flowers, mint, and a hint of white pepper
Palate: Medium-bodied, unexpectedly high tannins persistent all the way through and beyond the finish, and medium plus, mouthwatering acidity. Palate flavors present more red fruit with sour cherry followed by leather, meat, and pepper.