Kakheti

This is an inexpensive white wine from Georgia.  It is 100% Rkatsiteli made in the western style, that is fermented, followed by three months in stainless and a year in oak.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is generic with a touch of apple.  Light bodied.  On the palate, this is easy drinking.  Innocuous.  It has some refreshing qualities but mostly tastes as a generic white wine.  A nice wine for a hot summer day.  Drink now.  

Sadly this was quite corked (TCA) and not worth drinking.  It is a blend of 85% Rkatsiteli and 15% Mtsvane.  

Fascinating and controversial wine.  Tasting with a group, I liked this wine much more than most.  On opening there seemed to be a significant amount of Brettanomyces on the nose.  Yet, it blew off over the next few hours until it was hardly noticeable.  That is not a trait of Brett so perhaps it was just bottle stink coming from the Kvevri (Amphorae).  It was undrinkable to some, but again, I found it delicious with its highest mark coming at about three hours after opening.  Made from the Rkatsiteli Deep amber in color, cloudy and opaque.

This is a very nice white wine that was fermented and cured in Kvevri (Amphorae).  A blend of Kisi, Mtsvane and Rkatsiteli grapes.  Deep golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has oranges, honey and Indian spices.  Medium bodied.  Drying tannins.  On the palate, this is clean.  Orange peel, slight honey, with a bit of almonds.  Nice finish.  A very nice complexity here.  It took a couple of hours to really open up.  It does not drink like a what one thinks of as a usual white wine.  It probably should be consumed in the next few years.  In terms of food matching, it would go well with

The cork on this was soaked all the way thru on most sides and a bit on the top, but the wine seemed sound.  This is made from Saperavi grapes and aged in Kvevri (Amphorae) on stems and pips.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is interesting with cherries, cinnamon, tobacco, and slight anise.  Medium bodied.  Strong acidity.  Complex and deep.  The palate has lots of cherries, some black cherries, and spice.  Nice finish.  This got better with air which was interesting given the condition of the cork.  It seems like it should have another ten years or so to go.  This works

An interesting wine from the country of Georgia made from 100% Saperavi grapes.  It is aged for three years in French oak barrels.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, flat and mostly opaque.  The nose is nice with black cherries, some black raspberries, baking spices and slight char.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, there is some residual sugar left here leaving a light sweetness.  It seems to work well though giving some lift and energy.  The sweetness is minimal but present.  Flavors of black cherries, slight cassis and a bit of a cough syrup note.  It drinks easy with a nice finish

This is made from the Saperavi grape in the country of Georgia.  It is, however, fermented and raised in new French oak for 12 months.  Inky purple in color, but a bit flat.  Opaque.  The nose is nice with a "Bordeaux-ish quality.  Earthy, musty, cigar box along with black raspberries and char.  Medium bodied.  Strong acidity.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, black cherries, black raspberries with a slight char.  Moderate finish.  This seems to be at peak and should drink well for the next five to eight years.  It works better with food.  Chakapuli, a traditional Georgian herbed lamb stew fro

This is a blend of 60% Saperavi and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon from Georgia.  The wine was fermented in Kvevri (Amphorae) and aged for 12 months in French Oak.  Purple in color with some ruby swirls.  The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, baking spices and slight char.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, black raspberries, baking spices, slight vanilla.  Some complexity.  Nice finish.  The oak is a bit obtrusive on this but it may yet integrate with further cellaring.  Probably best to hold for a few years and drink over the next five to eight.  Nice on its own, bu

I am not a believer in "natural wines" as it seems to judge a wine on its merits and not on some nebulous term.  That said, most of the ones I have tried seem like chemistry experiments gone wrong.  This is the exception and one of the best "natural wines" I have tasted.  It is made from the Saperavi grape in Georgia.  It is made with no fining, filtering or addition of sulfites.  That said, it is also made in a more "modern" style for Georgian wines, that is fermented for 8 days in temperature controlled vats, pressed off the solids leaving no residual sugar and finished in stainless steel

This is from the country of Georgia, and is a blend of 40% of Rkatsiteli (rah-kah-see-tell-y), 40% Kisi (key-see), and 20% Khikhvi (khee-kh-vee) grapes.  It is fermented in Kvevri (Amphorae) where it is allowed to macerate for six months.  The winery provides itself on being a "natural" wine meaning unfiltered and no use of sulfites.  At a recent tasting it proved to be a bit controversial and I liked it decidedly more than most of the group.  Golden in color with orange hues.  There is a lot of VA (volatile acidity) on the nose that was the chief problem others had.  A little can be nice a