MYSTERY GEM I BAROSSA, SAPERAVI 2022
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Set in the rugged heart of the Moppa district in Barossa Valley, this 2023 Saperavi is a true expression of the region. The 2023 Barossa vintage was the latest picking season this millennium, shaped by late autumn rain in May 2022, a very wet winter and spring, and moderated temperatures that delayed veraison until February. A dry, even summer with few heat spikes then allowed slow ripening and a cool-month harvest through March and April, building fragrance, depth, and natural balance in the fruit.
Made with a gentle, hands-off philosophy to let variety and place speak clearly, the wine was harvested on April 20 and fermented as whole berries in small open-top vessels for eight days. Gentle pump-overs and hand plunging guided extraction before the wine spent 14 months in seasoned French oak hogsheads, then was filtered prior to bottling in August 2024.
The result is a fragrant, personality-filled Moppa red with a naturally textured shape and a savoury Barossa edge. It is built to drink beautifully now, while offering five years or more of cellaring for added complexity and polish.
The result is a fragrant, personality-filled Moppa red with a naturally textured shape and a savoury Barossa edge. It is built to drink beautifully now, while offering five years or more of cellaring for added complexity and polish.
95 points Q-Wine, Oct 2024
"Barossa Valley Saperavi! You have my attention. Like all the Arila Gardens wines, this is a fabulous expression of the variety.
I tasted this with winemaker Adam Clay after wandering his vineyards just prior to vintage 2023. The fruit for this wine is sourced from a grower nearby. Saperavi is a variety I love and I was thrilled to come across a Barossa example. Until now, I didn't they existed. Made well, Saperavi is wonderfully expressive and perfumed, precisely what I found here.
From one of two vineyards in the district, it saw old oak for ten months. Scents of dried petals, beetroot, blueberries and thyme greet you on opening. The generosity cannot be denied and the aromas blue fruits and violets build to whisk your senses away. A wine that goes deep, the colour is captivating as it fills the mouth with oceans of plums rounding out with an exotic spice and Five spice tail that runs long. For a debut release, this has nailed the brief."
94 points, Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, May 2023
"This is bold and robust, showing dark fruit richness, mint, cake spice, toasted almond and rich floral aromas, followed by a concentrated palate delivering terrific weight and density. Tannins are fine and silky, providing excellent frame to this sturdy wine."
92 points, Halliday Wine Companion, May 2023
"Saperavi has been grown here and there in Australia for decades, always flaunting its impenetrable colour (the name comes from its origin Georgia and means 'dyer'), with a combination of tannins and acidity pointing firmly to the cellar."
92 points, Ken Gargett Wine Pilot, May 2023
"Fascinating to see the signature grape of Georgia done with a local accent. Whole berries were used in the fermentation, in small open top receptacles for 8 days with pumpovers, hand plunging and ten months maturation in seasoned French oak. The colour is like exploding purple – imagine that of a freshly opened can of sliced beetroot. We have aromas of plums, bay leaves, chocolate, blackberries, spices and florals. This is big, burly and yet balanced with lots of grip plus quite grainy tannins. With decent length, this will provide pleasure over the next six to eight years. It just screams for a big steak and is a fine example of Saperavi."