Stori Saperavi Dry Red 2015 | Red wine

• Country of origin: Georgia
• Producer: Stori
• Type / style: Red / Dry
• Grape variety: Saperavi 100%
• Classification: PDO Mukuzani
• Alcohol by volume: 13%
• Residual sugar: 3.1 g/l
• Acidity: 5.3 g/l
• Body: medium
• Bottle volume: 750 ml
• Closure: pressed cork
• Readiness for drinking: now~2028
• Price range: 2,000~2,999 Yen
• JAN Code: 4860107270111

About the winery

Stori is a small producer in the Tsinandali district of Kakheti, in eastern Georgia. It only started in 2014, but the idea behind it is a simple one — to bring back the way Georgians have always made wine. The bottles have plenty of character, and wine lovers around the world have started to take notice.

Everything comes from their own vineyards, and the wine is made in an old-fashioned qvevri cellar. The grapes are organically grown, and very little in the way of preservatives ever goes in.

Qvevri are clay vessels buried in the ground, so the temperature stays even on its own and fermentation takes its time. Once it finishes, the vessel is sealed and the wine rests on the skins for another two to six months.

When the qvevri is opened, roughly the top 30% — they call it the first fraction — is beautifully clear. That is the only part that gets bottled, and it is what makes its way to Japan.

What is Mukuzani?

Mukuzani is a place — a stretch of vineyard on the southern side of the Alazani Valley, in Kakheti. To put the name on a label, the wine has to be made from Saperavi alone and properly aged in oak. Georgians have long said that if you want a Saperavi built to spend time in the cellar, you want a Mukuzani.

And then there is the qvevri itself: a clay vessel Georgians have used for around 8,000 years, added to the UNESCO cultural heritage list in 2013. Fermenting and resting on the skins inside a buried jar gives the wine a texture and depth that is genuinely hard to find anywhere else.

Why choose this wine?

It has been about a decade since these grapes were picked, and the wine has landed right in the middle of its drinking window. The bold fruit of its youth has quietened down, and in its place you get leather and damp earth — the sort of thing only time in the bottle gives you. The colour is gentler than most Saperavi, and the tannins have gone completely smooth.

If you have ever wondered what an aged wine actually tastes like, this is a lovely place to start. Just don't leave it too long — a wine at its peak doesn't stay there forever. Two to three years is about right.

Tasting notes

Appearance

Clear, with a soft ruby colour. Not the near-black density you might picture when someone says Saperavi — hold it up to the light and there is still real brightness in the glass.

Nose

Bring your nose to the glass and the fruit comes first: cherry, black cherry, something like cherry jam cooked down slowly. A little black pepper drifts in behind it, and then the older notes arrive — leather, forest floor after rain, a hint of hay. Nothing shouts for attention, but it keeps changing in the glass, which is half the pleasure.

Palate

The first thing you notice is the acidity, bright and easy, keeping everything neat and lifted. The tannins have had a decade to settle and are now completely smooth. Neither the alcohol nor the fruit pushes too hard, so the wine stays light on its feet from start to finish. The finish lingers longer than you would expect, leaving sweet cherry and a gentle bitterness behind. This is a bottle you can keep going back to.

Food pairing

This is an unfussy wine, so put it next to everyday food. Pizza, barbecue and curry rice all work happily. Try it with sautéed mushrooms, beef braised in red wine, or a cheese with a bit of age — the earthy side of the wine slots right in.

Service

• Service temperature: 16~18°C
• Decanting: not needed

Vineyard

• Region: Kakheti
• Viticultural region: Gardabani
• Village: Mukuzani
• Vineyard: estate-owned
• Grower: Stori

Winemaking

• Ingredients: 100% grapes
• Producer: Stori
• Production place: Stori
• Fermentation vessel: stainless steel tank
• Maturing: 12 months in qvevri / 6 months in oak barrel
• Bottling place: Stori
• Bottling date: listed on the package

Import information

• Import method: container import
  
• Quality control method during transportation: use of temperature-controlled containers

Storage information

• Seller: Daniel's Wine Club
• Storage place: Daniel's Wine Club - Yokohama
• Storage temperature: 16~18°C

Gifts, wrapping, noshi

You can find gift boxes, along with packaging and noshi (traditional Japanese ceremonial wrapping) options, on the "Accessories and Gifts" page.

If you’d like to add a personal touch to your gift, we can also include a card or message in the package. Please feel free to contact us if you need assistance. We will do our best to ensure your gift arrives in perfect condition.