Kapistoni Budeshuri Saperavi 2022

Kapistoni, the Chochishvili family winery in Saguramo just north of Tbilisi, is run today by Niko Chochishvili, the seventh generation of his family to make wine, working a marani of 58 qvevri, the buried clay fermenting vessels at the heart of Georgia's 8,000-year winemaking tradition. Everything is sourced from ecologically cultivated vineyards in Kartli planted to ancient indigenous varieties; Budeshuri is a distinct subvariety of Saperavi prized for its higher natural acidity. Fermented roughly three weeks on the skins in qvevri, racked monthly to fresh vessels, and bottled unfiltered, the 2022 release pours a deep, nearly opaque ruby: blackberry and black cherry lead into ripe plum, dark chocolate, and a peppery edge of wild rose petal, carried on a full, velvety frame. Qvevri wine the way seven generations intended.