Pheasant's Tears, Saperavi 2024

100% Saperavi 

Kakheti, Republic of Georgia

Vineyard in the village of Tibaani. Sandstone and Quartz soils. 4 hectares of 25 year old vines, with a mixed planting of 4 clones. The climate is comparable to a semi-desert, hot and dry in the day and cool and windy at night. 

Dark and earthy, with notes of plum, black currant, and smoke. Saperavi is a powerful tertiary grape and Tibaani is the hottest, driest, part of Georgia. The semi carbonic maceration helps lighten the extraction, and give more finesse to the otherwise broad shouldered variety. One half of grapes are destemmed and gently crushed into qvevri; the other half goes in whole bunch and is gently pressed after 10 days, so it’s semi carbonic. VEGAN.

Born in New Mexico and raised in Virginia by artist parents, American John Wurdeman was drawn to Georgia from a young age, after being introduced to traditional Georgian folk music. John moved to Georgia in 1996 soon after his first time visiting. He met farmer and winemaker Gela Patalishvili a few years later, and the two of them opened Pheasant’s Tears in 2007. The winery’s name is a nod to a Georgian folk tale, which states that only a truly superlative wine could make a pheasant cry tears of joy.

Today, they work with hundreds of near-extinct ancient varieties that they sought out and initially propagated themselves. They ferment and age the majority of their wines in qvevris, traditional amphorae that are buried underground. Organic farming practices and minimal intervention in both the vineyards and cellar have been integral to their mission. The winery is based in Tibaani, but their vineyards are located both nearby and across the country, from the western region of Adjara to the volcanic terroir of Meshketi in the south, totaling 17 hectares. It's no exaggeration to say that John Wurdeman has had quite the impact on the wine world; igniting global interest in Georgian wines, protecting Georgian wine history and tradition, and promoting natural winemaking within Georgia.