2024 Gianiani - Saperavi-Pinot Noir (750ml)

This distinctive red blend comes from Gianiani, a winery based in Kakheti, Georgia's most prominent wine region and the source of roughly 70 percent of the country's total production. Kakheti's sunny, dry valleys are ideally suited to ripening Saperavi, Georgia's flagship red grape, and one of a small number of teinturier varieties whose flesh itself, not just the skin, carries deep color.

Here, Saperavi is blended with Pinot Noir and vinified using qvevri, the large, egg-shaped clay vessels lined with beeswax and buried in the ground, where grapes ferment in contact with their skins and seeds under the earth's natural temperature regulation. This 8,000-year-old method, recognized by UNESCO as part of Georgia's Intangible Cultural Heritage, produces wines with a texture and depth that stainless steel or oak simply can't replicate.

The result is a light ruby-colored wine with aromas of red berry fruit, light-bodied and velvety on the palate. Saperavi's aromatics are famously sensitive to terroir, and when grown in cooler sites it tends toward red berry character and elegance rather than the heavier, meatier profile typical of warmer vineyards. The Pinot Noir component softens Saperavi's naturally firm structure, resulting in an approachable, food-friendly red.

Pair with grilled lamb, Georgian khinkali, or soft cheeses for an authentic taste of the Caucasus.