Iberieli Saperavi Kakheti 2022

Iberieli Winery has vineyards and production in two regions of Georgia: Kakheti in the East and Guria in the West. Zurab Topuridze, founder and winemaker, is a co-founder of the Natural Wine Association of Georgia; with his team and family, he produces some of the very best wines in Georgia, all according to strict natural and highest quality standards.

Taste of macerated raspberries, blackberry, bell paper. Long finish with mineral sensation

After manual harvest, Zurab and his team crush and press the red-skinned, red-fleshed Saperavi grape (a teinturier), pulling the juice off its skins, seeds and stems before adding back just a few bucket-fulls of must to the juice fermenting in qvevri. After two weeks, he removes this must, as well, to allow the wine to age without skins for its last 11 months. Malolactic fermentation is completed naturally.

The Saperavi grapes for this wine are from Iberieli’s vineyard located on gently sloping alluvial hillsides in the village of Tsinandali, in the prestigious Teliani Appellation of Georgia’s famed Kakheti Valley. Vines are planted at 480-490m (1600 feet) on sandy, clay loam with alluvial stones. Viticulture is wholly organic in accordance with the criteria of the Natural Wine Association of Georgia.

Organic fertilization.
Copper based contact fungicides and biological fungicides and insecticides (e.g. Bacillus Subtrillis);
Irrigation only if draught.
Trellis, vertical shoot positioning, grown mainly on bilateral cordons or arched canes.

Sandy clay loam with river stones (alluvium)
Slope-facing to south-east. Elevation 480-490 m

Winemaker(s): Zurab Topuridze
Varietal Breakdown: Saperavi (100%)
ABV: 13.5%
SO2: free 14, total 39mg/L
Fermentation: Qvevri, skin contact tradition, native yeast
Filtration/Fining: Unfiltered/Unfined
Bottles Produced: 2310