“This is probably the darling of the 2024’s for me,” says John. “The wine develops a tiny amount of flor, so it has that slight oxidative note which makes it food-friendly, easy-going and approachable. And for such a young wine, it’s got quite a long, developed, almost mature palate.”

Grapes: 50% Rkatsiteli, 50% Mtsvane

Vineyard: Tibaani, Kakheti; sandstone and quartz soil. “This is a very dry, hot area — technically a semi-desert. Hot throughout the days, windy and cold in the evenings.”

Making of (2024): Grapes are hand-harvested and macerate for 3 weeks on skins. The wine then ages in qvevri for 6 months where it develops a small amount of flor, before being transferred to stainless steel in the spring. Racked twice for gravity filtration and bottled in June. 

Personality: This one’s a treat! Sophisticated and mouthwatering aromas of caramel and honey, orange blossom, honeysuckle, sea salt and apricot; marmalade on the palate.

From John: “Mtsvane is more floral, with exotic aromas — while Rkatsiteli is more stoic, more quiet, more structured. And I think they lend something to one another; the Rkatsiteli gives the Mtsvane a touch more structure, and the Mtsvane has this beautiful aroma but suspended across the Rkatsiteli so it’s not too overwhelming.”