Day 3 - to Sighnaghi.
After the breakfast we left our guesthouse and walked to the nearest metro station. After having purchased a travel card one needs to use the metro, we traveled to the Isani metro station which is supposed to be the best place to get a taxi to Kakheti, since it is located right next to the Kakheti-Tbilisi highway. And it sure was: we didn’t need to take more than one step from the metro station when we were surrounded by taxi drivers offering trips to several places. A few were interested when I asked “Sighnaghi?” and finally we settled with one after haggling the price to 50 GEL (approx. 18€ or $20).
The trip from Tbilisi to Kakheti is quite horrible. Well, it actually could be quite pretty and enjoyable, if the locals didn’t drive like crazy. The speed limits were either 60 or 80 kmph for the most part, but our taxi drove almost constantly at 130 kmph (80 mph). When you take into account that the road isn’t in a particularly good shape in some parts, everybody is trying to speed past each other, there are only two lanes - one in each direction - and the cars have no seat belts, you are going to be afraid for your life for the majority of the 110 km (70 miles) that takes an hour or so. They don’t seem to slow down even when they are crossing the tall Gombori mountains that separate the Kakheti valley from the rest of the mkhare (region) of Kakheti.
Against all odds, we managed to arrive in Sighnaghi in one piece. After the chaotic buzz and street vendors of Tbilisi, the calmness of this small (1500 inhabitants) and beautiful mountainside town was soothing. Walking there is maybe not that relaxing compared to Tbilisi, since the town is built on the Gombori mountains and everything is either uphill or downhill, everywhere.
This is how Sighnaghi looks like for the most part:
After we had rested a bit in our hotel, we left for the Pheasant’s Tears restaurant - the key reason why we decided on visiting Sighnaghi in the first place. After having traveled the town up, down and up again for a kilometer or so, we found a rather inconspicuous but promising little doorway.
For those who don’t know,
Pheasant’s Tears is one of the first Georgian wineries that gained some recognition abroad. Founded by an American painter
John Wurdeman, who settled in Sighnaghi back in 1998, and
Gela Patalishvili, an 8th-generation winemaker. They met in 2006 and Patalishvili implored Wurdeman to help him found a winery that could fight back the “Europeanization” of the Georgian wines and return to the traditional roots of Georgian winemaking that had almost disappeared during the Soviet rule. They could use Gela’s winemaking knowledge and John’s recognition as an artist, foreign connections and skills in marketing. To my understanding, Wurdeman was basically enforced to the winemaking world when Patalishvili appeared outside his door with a truckload of Saperavi with which he was going to need some help.
They purchased their first Saperavi vineyard in 2007, which was also the same vintage they released commercially. Since the beginning, they have made all their wines true to Patalishvili’s vision: all vinified in earthenware kvevris, fermented spontaneously and vinified with hands-off approach. Originally the wines were rustic and quite hard around the edges, as all the varieties were vinified the same way - with full skin contact over 6 months or so. However, they have since started to use fruit from all around Georgia and the wines are normally vinified according to the local regional tradition, some wines using shorter maceration periods or even no skin contact.
Furthermore, Pheasant’s Tears are keen on searching out for local varieties and help them survive from the brink of extinction. They have a “library” vineyard where +400 different local varieties grow, which are vinified into one single wine, Polyphony. They also try to cultivate different rare varieties, vinifying them into blends and varietal wines, experimenting how these varieties respond to different vinification methods and which ones suit them best. What I learned there was how different varieties work very differently - some red varieties could never make a good rosé, while others don’t benefit can’t survive long skin macerations that well. Some white varieties show best varietal character only when vinified without skins, whereas others are dull and neutral, until macerated for a long time in kvevris. You just don’t know these things until you’ve experimented enough.
Since we weren’t hungry yet, we just ordered the normal wine tasting set (30 GEL / 10€ / $11 per person). However, as I discussed with the waiter enthusiastically about the wines, some more wines started appearing in our table, as he seemed to be as enthusiastic about the wines as I was.
-
2018 Pheasant’s Tears Tsolikouri - Georgia, West Georgia, Imereti (2.9.2019)
A rare white wine (i.e. no skin contact) by Pheasant’s Tears, made from Tsolikouri grapes sourced from Shua Gora, located in the Imereti region. Made in non-interventionist fashion and bottled with minimal sulfites. 11,5% alcohol.
Slightly hazy yellow color. Quite wild and waxy nose with aromas of pear, some honeydew melon, a little bit of burnt hair and a lifted hint of volatile character. The wine is full-bodied, rich and oily on the palate, but surprisingly lithe and fresh at the same time. There are quite fruity flavors of cider apples, some pear, a little bit of quince, a hint of sweet volatile acidity and a touch of stony minerality. The wine is high in acidity, but the rich, oily body seems to mask away some of the brightest cut. The finish is fresh, long and lively with flavors of ripe Granny Smith apple, some quince, a little bit of grassy greenness and a lifted hint of VA.
A wonderfully fresh yet quite rich and subtly wild Georgian white wine that isn’t an amber wine with skin contact, but isn’t an “European-styled” modern white wine either (as so many Georgian non-skin contact white wines are). Made in the idiosyncratic, funky Pheasant’s Tears style, the wine certainly doesn’t hide is wild features, but isn’t as tough and robust as the wines that see more skin contact. Bright and delightful effort - but perhaps one better suited for earlier consumption than cellaring. Perhaps slightly pricey at 60 GEL (20€) in the Pheasant’s Tears restaurant.
(89 pts.)
-
2018 Pheasant’s Tears Chinuri - Georgia, Kartli (2.9.2019)
A white wine made from Chinuri grapes sourced from Gori, located in the historical region of Kartli. The wine sees 2 hours of skin maceration before pressing the wine. Made in non-interventionist fashion and bottled with minimal sulfites. 12% alcohol.
Slightly hazy golden yellow color. Fragrant, somewhat wild and slightly animal nose with aromas of bruised pear, some smoky tones, a little bit of nuts and slivered almonds and a hint of resinous, phenolic spice. The wine is light-to-medium-bodied and quite wild on the palate with flavors of sweet golden apples, some leather and animal funk, a little bit of smoke, light notes of hay, a hint of acetic roughness and a touch of savory resinous character. The wine is moderately high in acidity with no discernible tannins. The finish is long, wild and quite nutty with flavors of hay, some wizened pear, a little bit of leathery funk, light smoky tones and a vinegary hint of acetic roughness and burn. Overall the wine feels so funky and acetic I was expecting to taste some mousiness in the aftertaste, but no - the wine remains clean.
A wild yet quite approachable and enjoyable wine that isn’t really white wine, but isn’t a tough, savory Georgian amber wine either - more like a missing link between the two. Overall the wine is quite wild and very much alive, making it quite fascinating in its own right, but perhaps I would’ve hoped to see some more noticeable Chinuri character. The wine is very sauvage with quite noticeable “natty” character and while it really isn’t faulty in any way, maybe a little less funk would go a long way. Perhaps slightly pricey at 60 GEL (20€) in the Pheasant’s Tears restaurant.
(88 pts.)
-
2018 Pheasant’s Tears Goruli Mtsvane - Georgia, Kartli (2.9.2019)
An amber wine made from Goruli Mtsvane grapes (different variety from Kakhetian Mtsvane) sourced from Gori, Kartli. Fermented and macerated with the skins for 2 weeks, then aged in sealed kvevri. Made in non-interventionist fashion and bottled with minimal sulfites. 12% alcohol.
Relatively cloudy and quite deep orange color with a pale amber rim. Rather sweet-toned and fragrant nose with aromas of butterscotch, dried stone fruits, some wizened sweet peach, a little bit of honeywaffle, light nutty tones and a lactic hint of creamy Brie cheese. The wine is dry, full-bodied and oily on the palate with complex, savory flavors of peppery spice, some phenolic bitterness, a little bit of wizened stone fruit, light fruity notes of ripe apricots and a hint of chopped nuts. The wine is quite round and mellow with its medium-to-moderate acidity, but the restrained tannins lend some nice firmness to the mouthfeel. The finish is long, savory and very gently tannic with complex flavors of chopped nuts, hay, some dried apricots, a little bit of apple jam, light notes of cooked cream and butterscotch and a touch of leathery funk.
A very pleasant, harmonious and quite complex orange wine that feels - true to the Kartli style of wines - quite smooth and approachable, at least if compared to the often more serious and structured Kakhuri (Kakhetian) amber wines. Overall the wine feels rather wild and somewhat funky, as so many Pheasant’s Tear wines do, but the emphasis is still on the fruit notes and the complexity that comes from the skin contact, not on the natty funk tones. Although I would’ve enjoyed a bit more acidity and/or more noticeable tannic backbone, the wine is nevertheless pretty attractive, nuanced and very drinkable.
(91 pts.)
-
2018 Pheasant’s Tears Chinuri-Danakharuli - Georgia, Kartli (2.9.2019)
According to the bottle, this is supposed to be a “rosé”, but this really isn’t your run-of-the-mill rosé, but instead more like a Georgian take on the traditional Spanish clarete: the wine is a blend of white Chinuri and extremely rare red Danakharuli, both macerated with the skins for 2 weeks. Made in non-interventionist fashion and bottled with minimal sulfites. 12% alcohol.
Deep, youthful ruby color with subtly purple overtones - overall the appearance reminds me more of a Beaujolais Nouveau than anything remotely “rosé”. The nose is wild, pungent and very distinctive with aromas of beetroot, some burnt hair, a little bit of floral violet character, light lingonberry tones and a funky hint of sweet leather. Once you come to grips with the nose, it feels quite attractive and fascinating. The wine is lively, light-bodied and quite wild on the palate with dry flavors of tart lingonberries, some beetroot, a little bit of ripe cranberry, light sappy notes of herbal spice and a nuanced hint of almost floral bretty funk. The structure relies more on the fresh, high acidity than on the quite light and easy tannins. The finish is dry, quite long and lively with gentle tannic grip and fresh flavors of tart lingonberries, some beetroot, a little bit of brambly raspberry and a hint of earthy funk.
A very fresh, enjoyably crunchy and very easy-drinking “rosé” that feels more like a light red wine. Bright, dry and lively, the wine drinks wonderfully on its own, but its good acidity makes it also a versatile food wine. The nose feels quite striking at first, but after getting used to it, the wine is very balanced, sophisticated and harmonious with good emphasis on the purity of fruit and only a subtle undertone of more “natural” funk lending some nice complexity to the wine. Recommended.
(92 pts.)
-
2018 Pheasant’s Tears Chitistvala - Georgia, Kakheti (2.9.2019) (not pictured)
Tasting the wine at the Pheasant’s Tears restaurant, we were told that as far as everybody knows, Pheasant’s Tears is the only winery in the world making varietal Chitistvala wine at the moment - this 2018 was either their 2nd or 3rd commercial vintage. However, they expected a few wineries to start producing Chitistvala in a few years. Made in a non-interventionist fashion from grapes that are crushed and moved to earthenware kvevris to ferment and macerate with the skins. After the fermentation is complete after 2 weeks, the wine is racked to another kvevri to age. Bottled with minimal sulfites. 12,5% alcohol.
Youthful, luminous and beautifully translucent raspberry red color. Aromatic, fruity and quite crunchy nose with fragrant aromas of raspberry marmalade, some blueberry jam, a little bit of overripe red cherry and a hint of boysenberry. The wine is lively, sappy and medium-bodied on the palate with crunchy, acid-driven flavors of tart cranberries, brambly raspberries, some peppery spice, a little bit of stony minerality, a hint of boysenberry and a touch of ripe blackberry. Contrasting the sweet-toned nose, the wine is wonderfully bright and crunchy on the palate with high acidity and balanced medium tannins. The finish is lively, fresh and gently grippy with long, dry flavors of boysenberries, some brambly raspberries, a little bit of tart cranberry, a hint of stony minerality and a touch of bitterness.
A wonderfully delicate yet focused and serious effort from a variety nobody’s ever heard from. Contrasting the muscular and extracted red wines of Kakheti, this felt more like a high-quality Cru Beaujolais in comparison. Very elegant and enormously drinkable, this is great stuff with or without food. Priced according to its quality at 75 GEL (25€).
(93 pts.)
-
2018 Pheasant’s Tears Saperavi - Georgia, Kakheti (2.9.2019)
A very traditionalist Georgian Saperavi: made in a non-interventionist fashion from Saperavi grapes that are crushed and moved to earthenware kvevris to ferment. After the fermentation is complete, the kvevri is sealed with the wine, grape skins and stems. The wine is left to age on the skins for 6 months, after which the wine is racked to another kvevri to settle. Bottled with minimal sulfites. 12,5% alcohol.
Dense, fully opaque and quite youthful purplish black color. Sweet, dense and still rather lactic nose with bold, concentrated aromas of blueberry pie, ripe dark plums, some blackcurrant jam, a little bit of ink and light floral notes of violets. The wine is ripe yet surprisingly dry, crunchy and medium-bodied on the palate with lively flavors of tart lingonberries, fresh blackcurrants, some blueberry yoghurt, a little bit of ripe bilberry, a hint of sweet plummy fruit and a touch of sappy herbal spice. Overall the taste is remarkably pure and fruity for a Pheasant’s Tears wine since the wines are quite known for the noticeably funky overall character. The wine feels very balanced with the structure relying surprisingly on the high acidity instead of the tannins that feel surprisingly ripe and round, only growing slowly in intensity by piling up on the gums. The finish is juicy, fresh and gently grippy with bright flavors of blackcurrants, some lactic blueberry yoghurt tones, a little bit of tart lingonberry, a hint of inky character and a sweet touch of ripe plummy fruit.
A very nice and really tasty Saperavi that feels remarkably pure and clean for a Pheasant’s Tears wine, but also all too primary; the overall taste is quite dominated by the lactic notes of blueberry yoghurt, and I imagine it will take some years before they disappear. Good stuff that is bound to get better with age. Perhaps now a bit all over the place, but will definitely get better as it settles down and loses that lactic tone.
(92 pts.)
-
2007 Pheasant’s Tears Saperavi Black Wine - Georgia, Kakheti (2.9.2019)
This is a special edition of the original Pheasant’s Tears Saperavi 2007. The 2007 vintage was the first commercial vintage of Pheasant’s Tears, but as other kvevris of this wine were bottled in normal schedule, one kvevri was left sealed in the way traditional Georgian kvevri wines were made: kept sealed for a special occasion. This wine was made just like the original vintage 2007 was made: in a non-interventionist manner, crushing the grapes, moving the must with the skins and stems into a kvevri, fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts and then left to age with the skins in a sealed kvevri for 6 months. However, after the 6 months the wine was transferred to another kvevri which was sealed and kept unopened for 10 years. Bottled unfiltered and with minimum sulfites. 12,5% alcohol. This wine was sampled in the Pheasant’s Tears restaurant alongside the most recent vintage of Saperavi, 2018. Prior to opening the bottle and tasting the wine I was informed that all the bottles had shown a noticeably musty nose that is reminiscent of TCA, but since kvevris don’t see any contact with chlorinated materials and the aroma seems to disappear with air, it isn’t TCA, but instead some other kind of fault. The sommelier suspected that the wine might’ve been not completely fermented when it was racked to another kvevri and the off aromas might’ve come from the Saperavi continuing to ferment in a sealed kvevri (as normally kvevris aren’t sealed before the wine has fermented to dryness).
Dark, somewhat translucent and slightly maroon-hued blackish-red color. Sure enough, the nose feels very funky, earthy and rather corked upon the first sniff - not very pleasant. However, there are some aromas besides the corky off aroma: wizened dark forest berries, some inky tones, a little bit of animal funk, light sandy soil, a hint of sous-bois and a touch of ripe plummy fruit. With some air the musty, corky note really seems to dissipate, slowly being replaced with a sweeter aroma of cooked vegetables. The wine is ripe, slightly sweet-toned and silky on the palate with medium body and fascinating, complex and somewhat savory flavors of ripe blackcurrants, some wizened bilberries, a little bit of leather and cedar that reminds me of aged Bordeaux, light musty notes of cork, a hint of beetroot and a touch of damp leaves and sous-bois. The wine is wonderfully high in acidity, but the firm, robust tannins typical of Saperavi have resolved pretty much, lending more firmness than grip to the mouthfeel. The finish is more dry than sweet-toned with somewhat funky and complex flavors of sous-bois, animal funk, some sweet cooked beet root notes, a little bit of something reminding me of sausage, light bitter notes of chokeberries and lingonberries, a hint of burnt hair and a developed touch of cedar.
A complex, fascinating and rather weird old Georgian red that seems very musty and somewhat corked at first, but slowly starts to clean out in the glass with air. Over the half an hour or so the corky note never disappeared completely, but faded away so much that the wine became quite pleasant to drink after awhile. Based on this, it is highly recommended to decant the wine at least for an hour or two before serving it and letting the people know that the nose can still be quite offensive, but the wine itself is nonetheless in sound condition. It really doesn’t feel like the wine needs further aging, but I can imagine it keeping well for years more. Priced according to its quality at 120 GEL (40€).
(93 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
While discussing with the waiter about the wines I learned that while they try to work as naturally as possible, they do employ sulfites. I didn’t catch who thought it was a good idea to make wines without any sulfites and which one of the winery people argued against it, saying that using no sulfites would be acceptable if the wines were consumed only within Georgia, but if the wines are to be exported, some sulfites are needed to make the wines survive the trip to other countries. I was somewhat surprised to hear this, since I’ve had my share of very funky and mousy Pheasant’s Tears wines in the past, but nevertheless thought it’s only a good thing to have some sulfites there. If I recall correctly, the amount they used was something in the ballpark of 20-30 mg/l.
At some point some people in the nearby courtyard broke into song and sang a haunting, beautiful Georgian polyphonic song. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience be sitting in a restaurant in Sighnaghi, drinking Georgian wines and hear some people just randomly start to sing songs in the unique, local style of harmonization. At times the backing voices sounded something not unlike an accordion underneath the lead singing. Really exceptional. (When I later went to see what was happening there, I saw John Wurdeman sitting there with a bunch of people, a bottle of chacha (local grappa-like distillate) and several bottles of wine.)
Another quite Georgian experience was when we left the restaurant and headed back to our hotel: we were guided by a local turkey. That, however, felt less magical and more absurd.
There she goes, our guide turkey:
In the evening we went to eat in the local restaurant Nikala. We had some vine leaf
dolma, eggplant with walnuts (I didn’t eat these) and a bunch of
khinkali dumplings filled with mushrooms and
sulguni cheese. Cost us something like 80 GEL (26€ / $28) with wine, tea, Georgian brandy and tips included.
Finally, as we arrived to our hotel, the hotel owner was there pouring samples of his own wines (as
everybody seems to be making their own wines in Georgia) and while sampling his wines I mentioned we were going to travel to the town of Lagodekhi the next day and he contacted his friend to pick us up the next morning and drive us to our next destination!