K'AVSHIRI White Assemblage 2023

9 Sept

I don’t have alcohol or price details for this Georgian white wine (grown in the Kakheti and Imereti regions) but it’s a blend of eleven different varieties: Mtsvane (20%); Rkatsiteli (15%); Rkatsiteli Kakhuri (15%); Krakhuna (15%); Tsitska (10%); Tsolikouri (8%); Khikhvi (7%); Aligoté (3%); Muscat (2%); Kisi (2%) and Mtsvivane (3%). It was raised in qvevri, stainless steel and seasoned oak and a minor portion spent time on skins. Basically it’s the landscape of Georgian white winemaking all combined into one.

It’s accessible in general but then it also has tannin, salt and lemongrass characters, and it also has a good, purposeful finish. It’s pretty impressive, and feels perfectly pitched. I love the squeaky, grippy finish, I like the lemon pith characters, I like the fruity aromatics and I like the way phenolics have been used to advantage. 91 points.

K'AVSHIRIGeorgia

Campbell Mattinson

This article was written by Campbell Mattinson, former chief editor of the Halliday Wine Companion book, former editor of Halliday magazine, former editor of Australian Sommelier Magazine and founder of the highly respected The Winefront site.

Mattinson has been an independent wine critic and photo-journalist since 1987. He’s the only Australian to have won the Australian Wine Communicator of the Year Award more than once. He’s a past winner of a Louis Roederer International Wine Media Award; is the author of the award-winning book The Wine Hunter; and is the author of the best-selling novel We Were Not Men. He’s also a winner of a St Kilda Film Festival Award (as writer-director) and is a former winner of the prized Best Australian Sports Writing Award.

Mattinson, who is 100% independent, puts a score out of 100 on every wine that he reviews. But what he’d rather do, is tell you the wine’s story.

https://www.campbellmattinson.com

K'AVSHIRI White Assemblage 2023

Tolpuddle Pinot Noir 2024

Rameau d’Or Rosé Côtes de Provence 2024