Zorah Chilar 2021

Zorah Chilar

Region: Yeghegnadzor, Vayots Dzor, Armenia

Vintage: 2021

Bottle size: 75cl

Grape: Chilar

ABV: 13.5%

Pale lemon in colour, despite the skin contact, this wine is beautifully balanced and textural. The nose boasts fresh pear and white peach aromas, with subtle notes of fennel. There is a harmonious depth to the palate, with flavours of citrus on the long finish.

Zorah has 15 hectares of vineyards, surrounded by mountains, at 1,400 metres above sea level and only a little over a kilometre from a 6,100 year old winery. The vineyards are situated in the small rural village of Rind, in the heart of Vayotz Dzor. Long dry summers with plenty of sunlight and high daytime temperatures that contrast with cool nights encourage a lengthy growing season. The phylloxera-free soils are rocky and rich in limestone, helping maintain moisture for the vines during the intense summer heat. With no vineyards dedicated solely to Chilar, the grapes are sourced from 30 to 40-year-old vines that are planted among the other varieties on the estate.

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