Orgo 'Dila-o' Saperavi Kakheti 2023

Young Georgian winemaker Temur Dakishvili grew up in the family of winemaking legend Gogi Dakishvili, the founding force behind several iconic Georgian wine producers and leader of the qvervi (large clay jars buried in the ground) renaissance in winemaking. Together at Orgo, they combine youthful energy with decades of experience to continue to elevate Georgian wine traditions. Orgo sources grapes from several villages in Kakheti, including the Kurdgelauri and Tsinandali villages in Telavi, along the right bank of the Alazani river. All of the vineyards are 50-80 years old, a rarity in Georgia, as most older vines were ripped up and replanted to increase production during Soviet times. Dila-o (pronounced “dee-la-oh”) is 100% saperavi fermented in qvervri (large clay jars buried in the ground) with native yeast, bottled without filtration and with minimal sulfur. The name saperavi means “paint or dye”, and the wines it produces are quite inky in color as a result. (Fun fact: saperavi is part of a rare category of grapes known as teinturier grapes, with pigmented pulp as well as skin, which distinguishes them from many other grapes which have dark skins but light pulp. This extra pigment comes from anthocyanins, making saperavi higher in antioxidants as well!) Deep and dark in the glass - yet light and lively on the palate - this yields exuberant layers of bright sour cherry, brambly wild berries, pomegranate, and earth, with hints of cracked pepper, fennel pollen, dried rose petal and green herbs on the finish. Organically grown, low-intervention/natural wine.