Aaron Rawlins tarllc '041' Vayots Dzor Red 2020

100% Sev Areni from the Vayots Dzor region of Armenia, 150 year-old ungrafted vines at 6500 ft elevation. The vines had been abandoned for the past 30 years. Only 1500 bottles produced. Aaron Rawlins left the US at age 18 to cook in France, Spain, and the UK, before moving to the Georgian and Armenian Caucasus to make wine. He lives an ascetic, almost hermetic existence making compelling wines from the region with the world's oldest archaelogical evidence of winemaking.

Haunting and floral, with notes of old books, sage, and Pisco. The palate has a lot of cherry cordial notes along with velvety, stewed fruit. Brambly raspberry, chocolate milk, burnt tomatoes, and iron. The darker, earthier flavors are lifted up at the end by lively, tangy acids. There's a little bit of texture and grip, but not too much. The juxtaposition of all these flavors in a medium-bodied wine is deeply compelling, and though it has elements of funky natural wine as well as more classic notes of Right Bank Bordeaux, it is in neither camp. This will make it satisfyingly delicious to many and confounding to others, but everyone will have thoughts about this wine, make no mistake about it. Pair with braised meats and stews for maximum enjoyment. Zero sulfur added.