Arpa Valley (Vyots Dzor)

Interesting wine made from the Areni grape in Armenia.  Deep garnet in color, clear and bright.  The nose has rhubarb, cranberries, spice and coffee.  Medium to full bodied.  Good acidity.  Light tannins.  On the palate more like cherries with good acidity.  Some spice.  Good finish.  This is better with food.  It is clean and drinks somewhat like a combination of Gamay and Merlot.  It would work well with roasted foul.  drink over the next few years.

This is a collaboration with flying winemaker Paul Hobbs.  It is 100% Areni grapes.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cranberries, black cherries, spice and dust.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has some depth.  Light tannins.  Black cherry fruit with underlying spices.  Good acidity.  Short finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue to do so for five to seven years.  It will work well with roasted chicken or turkey.  

This is a white wine that is a blend of Voskeat and Garandmak grape,  two ancient Armenian varietals.  It is an outstanding wine.  Green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is full of minerality with some white floral notes.  Medium bodied.  This is a vibrant wine.  On the palate, crisp acidity, with minerals and slight lime notes.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This drinks great on its own but will be better with cheese.  Salmon or tuna steaks would work well.  Drink over the next three to five years.  

This is a wine made from the Voskehat grape, that tasted blind, might easily be pegged for California Chardonnay.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has a nice minerality but also plenty of oak (Caucasian Oak) that gives is color and spice.  With air some peach comes out as well.  Medium bodied with a nice oily texture.  On the palate, there is some tangerine and an interesting wheat quality.  Some lemon on the finish that is slightly astringent.  This took about 30 minutes to open and then opened nicely.  It is a big wine with a fair amount of oak.  It drinks well on its own and

This is a very interesting wine (and good, too).  100% Areni grapes grown at 4,000 feet altitude.  Fermented in temperature controlled concrete vats ad then aged for 12 months in traditional amphorae.  Ruby in color with a purple core, opaque but flat in appearance.  The nose has black cherries, cherries, cranberries, black pepper and slight dried flowers.  Medium to full bodied.  It has a "warm" quality which seems different from alcohol.  Complex with layers of fruit and spice.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  This seems on the young side, it should drink well for another seven to ten years.

This is a joint venture with the Yacoubian family and Paul Hobbs (who makes wine all over the world).  Tasted side by side with the 2015 vintage, I preferred the 2015.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cranberries, black cherries and dust.  With air some black pepper.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, cranberries and black pepper.  Tart fruit.  Long finish.  Very similar to the 2015 but everything turned down a notch.  Is it the vintage?  Does it need more time?  Some other reason?  I truly have no idea, but this is still a fine and interesting wine.  It drinks

This is a joint venture between traveling winemaker Paul Hobbs and the Yacoubian family made from 100% Areni grapes grown at 4,000 feet elevation.  Tasted side by side with the 2016, this seemed to be clearly better.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cranberries, black cherries, slight baking spices, and a bit of dried flowers.  Medium to full  bodied.  On the palate, the cranberries and black cherries come thru with a bit of underlying dust.  Good balance.  Lively energy.  Long finish.  This has depth and complexity.  It seems like it should drink well for another fi

This is made from the Areni Grape, one of the oldest known varieties in the world, in Armenia.  Aged for 24 months in Armenian oak barrels.  Ruby in color, garnet at the core, a bit flat and cloudy.  On the nose, this is full of spices, with black cherries and slight cranberries.  A nice backbone of acidity.  The black cherries and cranberries carry thru to the palate.  Tart fruit.  Depth and complexity.  This works better with food; Chikofte or Armenian "Steak Tartare" would probably work well as would a burger off the grill.  Drink over the next five to seven years (a guess).