The history of Tchotiashvili family began in the 18th century, on the banks of the Lopota River, in the Alazani Valley. Today, the 8th generation continues the family traditions, producing wines from indigenous grape varieties and vinified in qvevri. Two brothers, Kakha and Ucha, are at the head of the family business, and since 2002 they have chosen to focus on rare Georgian grape varieties and create high-quality wines.
Terroir and vineyard
The Tchotiashvili vineyard is located in the famous Kakheti region, near the Caucasus Mountains and the Lopota and Stori rivers. The mountains and rivers create favorable conditions for viticulture and the production of quality wines from local grape varieties Rkatsiteli and Saperavi (in this article you can learn more about the Kakheti terroir). But the Chotiashvili family also cultivates rare grape varieties Kisi, Mtsvane, Kakhuri Mtsvivani, Tavkveri, Khikhvi. Viticulture on the Chotiashvili vineyards is respectful of the soils and the specific conditions of a vintage, in order to minimize interventions and treatments.
Winemaking
The wines are produced by the traditional method of winemaking in qvevri, which requires a lot of labor and time. The bunches are placed whole in the qvevri, where they ferment in contact with the skin, seeds and stalks for several months. For this, not only the grapes with stalks and seeds must be ripe, but also the stalks, which gives the wine an exceptional concentration, an amber color and tannins unusual for a white wine. I talk in detail about the peculiarities of the unique technique of wine production in qvevri in this article. It is truly an art, very complex, but which produces extraordinary wines.
The production of these wines is really small. Each bottle is numbered by hand and each cuvée has only a few thousand bottles.
Tasting: Rcheuli Qvevri, Kisi Limited 2019
For this cuvée, the Kisi grapes underwent a maceration in qvevri in contact with skins, seeds and stalks for 7.5 months. During the winemaking process, no inputs were used (except sulphites to disinfect the qvevris) and the wine was not filtered before bottling.
Color: amber, slightly orange
Aromas: are discreet at first but honeyed, warm, even exotic (exotic fruits, passion fruit, papaya in the background, mango, dried pineapple), then distinct aromas of spices (saffron, ground cumin, cloves) of tobacco, of infused and dried black tea appear, completed by notes of yellow peach, dried apricot, dried golden apple, dried flowers (chamomile, linden, calendula), dried herbs (hay, basil), wax, chestnut honey, caramelized walnuts, fresh walnuts, toasted almonds and fresh hazelnuts after aeration.
Palate: offers well-marked tannins (even medium plus) and high acidity, flavors of lemon, bitter orange and dried grapefruit and citrus zest at the beginning and a long and fresh finish. There is also a nice freshness on the palate: notes of fresh lemon, green apple, dried apple skin and fresh herbs, combined with notes of cumin, clove, black tea and dried green tea, chamomile infusion, fresh lime blossom, chestnut honey and wax, fresh walnuts in the background, dried apricots and fresh almonds. A surprising and structured wine with the complexity and surprising freshness of fresh quince, as well as a good bitterness of grapefruit and dried lime. The finish is long, chiseled and fresh, very complex, with pleasant touches of dried and candied apple.
Evaluation of quality: A very good wine, even exceptional, atypical for European tastes, surprising, deep and complex, with a solid tannic structure and lively acidity, which give the wine a good base and development potential.
Food and wine pairings: I recommend to enjoy this wine on its own, without accompaniment. But I think, Georgian dishes, rich in spices, which are also found in the profile of this wine, or white meat dishes in a saffron sauce.
