Gotsa Family Wines Tsitska-Tsolikouri Kartli 2019

The Gotsadze family has been making wine since the 19th century, though they draw on Georgian winemaking techniques that go back 80 centuries before that. Their vineyards and winery are surrounded by forested mountains at the edge of a national park, and they make their wines in the traditional large clay vessels called kvevri. The family’s organically farmed vineyard includes 14 varieties of Georgian grapes; their wines ferment spontaneously, are not fined, and contain no added sulfur. This cuvée highlights two native grapes of the region: tsitska and tsolikouri, blended in equal parts. Spontaneously fermented in kvevri, it sees two months of skin contact, and is aged in kvevri for 16 months. Bright and pure on the palate, it delivers zesty stone fruit flavors alongside floral notes and a dash of dusty wildflower pollen. Refreshing acidity offsets a rich, viscous mouthfeel. Organically grown, low-intervention/natural wine, skin-fermented, vegan.