Zorah, Armenia.
Zorah was founded by Zorik Gharibian, an Armenian who studied in Venice and Milan before embarking on a successful fashion career built on the principles of tradition, innovation and excellence. In the 2000s he decided to pour his heart and soul in his real love: wine. For Gharibian the only path was to look to the land of his forefathers. He planted vineyards surrounded by dramatic snow-capped mountains, 1,400m above sea level in the small rural village of Rind in the heart of Yeghegnadzor, Armenia’s top grapegrowing region. It’s here that he set out to create wines that reflect his ethos: contemporary yet with profound traditional roots.
Zorah’s 40-hectare ungrafted vineyard sits on rocky, limestone-rich soils. It’s planted to carefully selected indigenous vines derived from the abandoned vineyards of a nearby 13th century monastery. The region enjoys long, dry summers, with remarkably vivid sunlight and high daytime temperatures contrasting with cool nights, giving a lengthy growing season that lasts to the end of October.
‘Karasì’ Areni Noir 2021
Stainless steel tanks have given way to temperature-controlled rough concrete vats in which the wines are fermented exclusively with indigenous yeast. The micro-oxygenation in the concrete is similar to that of the traditional clay amphorae ‘karas’ in which the wine is then aged for around twelve months. The ‘karas’ used are of varying sizes. Some are buried in the ground while others are above ground, each giving their own unique nuances to the wine they contain. After very light filtration the wine is aged for a further six months in bottle.
The vineyards are at altitudes of 1400m. It’s a phylloxera-free terroir with low-vigour, sub-alkaline sandy soil, rich in limestone and large stones. The cuttings of the vines come from ancient abandoned vineyards of a nearby 13th century monastery. The unique confluence of the environment - high altitudes, low-vigour soil, huge day/night temperature swings of 20°C and late October harvest - all contribute to the creation of a wine of tremendous character.
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