Friday, November 04, 2005

Kakhetian Wines Kindzmaraul 1996 (NW) [Real Time Review]

Alcohol on the nose, but with some air a sweet cherry bouquet emerges
Sweet cherry and plum on the palate
Silky smooth, but also sweet and heavy

This is an unusual wine! It is from the Republic of Georgia, which is one of the regions credited for developing the tradition of wine making around 3,000 B.C. The wine is made from the Saperavi grape varietal, according to the label, and has been aged in oak barrels for at least three years.

Although only 11% alcohol, I would say this wine has some characteristics of fortified wine and some characteristics of dessert wine. Overall, though, it is somewhere in between dry table wine and a dessert wine. It is thicker than dry table wine but not syrup-like or ultra heavy. I don't quite know how to describe it, but it's fun to try to figure it out.

The packaging is interesting, as the wine is bottled in a brown ceramic bottle with a heavy, clay feel to it and a matte finish. The label is also ceramic in feel and pressed into a notch on the front of the bottle.

Four of us are now tasting the wine and have decided to put it aside during dinner and see how it measures up to dessert. Our friends paid $14 for the bottle, and yes, it is a 750 mL. size. Raise a glass, and be adventurous!

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