The ancient Areni variety is new to me as of late, and this presentation of the grape is an excellent standard for quality. The wine is 100% Areni Noir from high elevation vineyards in the Vayots Dzor region of Armenia. Armenians are very proud of their heritage, which spans over 6,000 years by some accounts. “6100” years is the most common estimate.
It presents translucent and ruby in the glass. On the palate, the wine is delicious with juicy red fruit, nice acidity, medium tannins, and a long, gentle finish. We were surprised by the 14.5% alcohol, which is not apparent in a single blind tasting. The wine carries the alcohol quite well.
This is a light to medium-bodied wine built for food pairing. Think classic Burgundy or Gamay Noir. Drink chilled during aperativo or at room temperature with food. Grilled pork tenderloin, lamb or roast chicken would be a wonderful pairing.
Read Hovakim Saghatelyan’s Wine Characters interview and learn why this is their flagship wine.
Note: this wine was reviewed by a two-person panel, including myself and Ken Collura – Somm at Large – and former Wine Direct/Somm at Bern’s Steak House in Tampa, the largest wine list in the U.S., with over 500,000 bottles, and Andina in Portland.