Ellen Clifford

8.9

There is a punch of pepper—green, black, and pink, and a smooth cocoa finish. Undercurrents of damp clay and pencil circulate through. It is bright and surprisingly light on its toes, and the tannins are smooth and unobtrusively integrated. With time, the nose grows a mocha note, speaking to both the roasty coffee bean notes and the cocoa. — 4 months ago

Emily Kresie-Harrington

8.9

2018 vintage. Definite savory edge to this one. A stewed tomato quality, stewed tart cherry, dried herbs, dried cranberry, dried blueberry, a light floral touch. Interesting. First Armenian wine experience. Definitely well-made, but for sure shows the more savory side of Eastern bloc/Ancient World wines. — 2 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.2

2019 vintage. A new wine from the historical Maran winery (I believe 2018 was the first vintage, but not sure). A blend of local grapes Voskehat and Areni Noir (vinified as a white for this original wine), and Aligoté from the Ararat Valley. Impressive in every respect. Mineral, aromatic, concentrated, profound, perfectly balanced and long. Powerful and elegant at the same time, reminds me of white Hermitage. Abv. 14%. — 4 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

8.9

2018 vintage. Historical producer tracing back to the beginning of the 19th century. 100% Areni Noir from the Vayots Dzor region from 40 years old vines at 1300 - 1400 m. Calcareous and volcanic soils. Aged 6 months in used Armenian oak barrels. A very good introduction to the wonderful Areni Noir grape. Brilliant transparent ruby. Attractive nose with pomegranate, red cherries, flowers and a hint of vanilla. Elegant taste with bright red fruit, fresh acidity and a nice ripe tannic bite. Amazing value at about 13 euro. Abv. 14%, but hardly noticed. — 4 years ago

Ellen Clifford

9.1

Quite smooth with a peppery bite and a good bit of herbal punch—sage, bay, mint, remaining earthy with soft fine tannins and a most pleasant aftertaste. — 2 months ago

Marc Ouellette

9.0

A garnet and ruby color with a broad reddish rim. Little bits of micro pieces of volcanic sediment with vibrant notes of plums, currants, cherries and spices. Lots of peppery spices on the palate along with oak, cherries and blueberries. This medium bodied Armenian red is supple and yet balanced with a ton of red fruits with gentle tannins and a zippy finish! Yum!! — 4 months ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.0

2018 vintage from the new Malahi range of the historical Maran winery. This is a blend from 3 grapes, each from different zones. 50 % Areni Noir (this grape used to be called "Black Mahani" up to 1947, hence the name) from Vayots Dzor, 25% Khndoghni from Artsakh (aka Nagorno-Karabakh), and 25% fruit from young Malbec vines from the Ararat Valley. 6 months in used oak. Deep dark colour. Blackberry fruit and spices in nose and mouth. Nice balance and fine-grained tannic structure. A very good wine, but still I would love to see a high end 100% Areni from this estate, as I believe this wine is a bit too internationally styled to compete with European wines in the same price range (about 24 euros). — 4 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.2

Another excellent vintage of a wine made from an ancient varietal. Scarlet red color with blue highlights. Aromas of bramble berries, smoke and wet soil. Dark berry fruit on the palate with hints of spices, fresh herbs, graphite and black pepper. Distinct mineral note on the finish. Brimming with acidity. Quite savory and expressive. A unique experience. — 4 months ago

Lauren Golanty

9.0

Loved this! Medium weight, easy drinking red with bright little acid-and-tannic notes, strawberry jam up front, sort of a plum cassis thing in back… delish!! — 2 years ago

Vanessa

9.1

Fascinating red blend produced by Mas de Daumas Gassac coming from the St Guilhem-le-Désert – Cité d'Aniane IGP in the Languedoc region of Southern France. 🇫🇷

Mas de Daumas Gassac is known for its unique red glacial soils that are well-draining and rich in mineral oxides (iron, copper, etc.), helping to nourish but also stress (in a good way!) the approx. 42-year-old vines, which can enhance concentration of fruit character. It is also known for its philosophy of respecting the land it farms and honoring the ecosystem of the Gassac Valley. 🌳

When I say fascinating blend, I mean, look at the list of varieties comprising this wine, based upon the winemaker’s tech sheet:
76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Pinot Noir, 2% Malbec, and 4% rare grape varieties, including: Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, Montepulciano (Italy), Armigne (Switzerland), Arenie, Areni Noir (Armenia), Bastardo, Souzon (Portugal), Saperavie (Russia), Tchkaveri, Tchekavesi (Georgia), Brancalleo (Galicia), Carmenere, Abouriou (old French grape varieties) and Plavac Mali (Croatia). 🍇🍇🍇

👀This wine has a medium purple hue and noteworthy staining and tearing on the glass.

👃On the nose, it has youthful and robust, primary notes of ripe black fruit, such as black cherry, plum, blackberry bramble, also anise, violet, dried lavender, licorice,
pipe tobacco, also secondary notes of dark chocolate, nutmeg, and cedar. The intensity is medium(+).

👄On the palate, this wine is dry. It has medium(+) acidity, a full body, high alcohol (14.1%), and medium(+) tannins that are supple but very present. The intensity of flavors is medium(+) and more tart than ripe, but otherwise consistent with the nose. The finish is medium(+).

👏👏👏 This wine is delicious and could age for many more years, but even in its youth, it’s delightful, complex, and full of intense dark fruit character.  — 3 years ago

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