2014 Black Russian Red

McGregor Saperavi: America's first success with Saperavi. A total of 4.46 tons of estate grown Saperavi & Sereksiya Charni was harvested by hand on October 17, 2014. The grapes had 21 brix natural sugar, 1.32 TA and a 3.10 pH. The grapes were destemmed, cold soaked overnight and then inoculated with yeast and fermented at 61-74 degrees for nine days. A full malolactic fermentation was completed. The wine was then pressed and transferred into a combination of new and used American oak barrels for 28 months of aging. After this time, the wine was transferred into a stainless steel tank, egg white fined, cold stabilized and then filtered and bottled on June 26, 2017. The finished wine has 0.70 TA, a 3.65 pH, 0.5% residual sugar and 12.4% alcohol. 278 cases produced.

If you’re a fan of the 2013 vintage, you’ll surely enjoy this year’s offering. It has slightly more acidity than the 2013 and needs more cellaring time than did its predecessor. This wine should mature beautifully in the bottle. It also features bright aromatics of cranberry, red cherry, dust and oak. These aromas are all present on the palate along with pomegranate, raspberry and black currant. It has the telltale signs of aging gracefully and easily into the late 2020s. Pair with venison, pheasant, ribeye steaks, dark chocolate and grilled pork skewers.