La Petit Mort Qvevri 2020 Saperavi

La Petit Mort means the little dead, and is a side project of the better know Granite Belt operation Bent Road in ballandean in Queensland. This region is doing some great things with experimental wine, and this is a great example thereof.

Saperavi is a Georgian wine, and Georgia is one of the former states of the USSR, not the Georgia in the USA. They have been growing and making this wine for 8000 years, give or take. It is one of the very few grapes with red skins and red flesh, producing an almost black wine. The literal translation is paint or dye so that might offer a hint.

There are a couple of Australian regions making really strong attempts at Saperavi, namely the Granite Belt in Qld, King Valley in Victoria, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale and Murray Darling. But it seems the Queenslanders are ahead of the pack.

La Petit Mort spends almost 200 days on skins in amphora or clay urns. The result, apart from the inky black colour is a really intense mouthful of wine. Loads of dark, brooding black fruits with dominant cassis and licorice notes, dark chocolate and some herby, straw like notes.

Its a medium bodied, and big robust mouthfeel with more dark fruit and chocolate, and a rustic, with fine silky thanks to the amphora maturation vs oak infusion. For a big rich wine, it still has some lovely acidity and brightness about it. It will sit just as easily with a big old lump of bbq'd steak as it will with a rich dark chocolate dessert. It's certainly unusual and something i'll be trying even more of.

RRP $37 at fine wine stores or online

https://www.winecult.org/collections/la-petite-mort

QLD | 2020 | Granite Belt | 12.9% ABV