Zorah Karasi Areni Noir 2021

Zorah Karasi Areni Noir 

Region: Yeghegnadzor, Vayots Dzor, Armenia

Vintage: 2021

Bottle size: 75cl

Grape: Areni Noir

ABV: 14%

This wine boasts aromas of spiced red and dark berries with subtle hints of toast. On the palate, rich fruit flavours are interwoven with smooth, mature tannins and a lifted acidity that lingers on the long finish.

Zorah has 15 hectares of vineyards, surrounded by mountains, situated at 1400-1600 metres above sea level in the small rural village of Rind, in the heart of Vayots Dzor. Long dry summers with plenty of sunlight and high daytime temperatures that contrast with cool nights encourage a lengthy growing season. The soils consist of a sandy top layer over rocky, low vigour limestone which helps to maintain moisture for the vines during the intense summer heat. The indigenous vines are grown on ungrafted rootstocks as the area is unaffected by Phylloxera and are trellised using the single guyot system with drip irrigation. Extremely resistant to disease and with a very thick skin, Areni Noir has developed the unique capacity to adapt perfectly to the extreme climate of Vayots Dzor, its natural habitat.

In 2006, Zorik Gharibian planted a six-hectare vineyard in Armenia’s Yeghegnadzor Valley, under the guidance of Italian viticulturist Stefano Bartolomei. Here, the indigenous Areni grape variety thrives at an elevation of 1,370 metres, close to Mount Ararat and just two kilometres from one of the world's oldest wineries, dating back 6,100 years. The vineyard is also ungrafted, as phylloxera has never reached this remote area of Armenia. It was from these vines that the Zorah project was born.

https://www.zorahwines.com