Chateau Niagara Saperavi 2016

Chateau Niagara Saperavi 2016

This is another example of what can come out of the Niagara Region of New York State. Jim and Kathy put their heart and soul into everything they make. Chateau Niagara Saperavi 2016 is a perfect example of what they can do. You can see reviews of Jim’s other wines here.

Chateau Niagara is a small vineyard that Jim and Kathy Baker dreamt of until it became a reality in June 2006. That is when they purchased 31 acres of prime farmland in Newfane, N.Y. in the Niagara region and began growing high-quality vinifera wine grapes. Varieties include well-known wine grapes Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and  Bleaufrankish as well as some exotic varieties- Saperavi and Turan.  These grapes are part of long-term effort to create very innovative wines as well as classic styles interpreted with a sense of the Niagara Lake Plain influence.

The Grape

The Saperavi grape is native to the Republic of Georgia which was part of the old USSR or the Soviet Union. Georgia is known as one of the oldest winemaking regions of the world. The archeological research showing evidence of cultivation dating to 5000 BCE. It is one of the most important and oldest grapes in Georgia. The word Saperavi means paint or ink with the color of the berry being black.

Saperavi is a hardy variety, known for its ability to handle extremely cold weather and is popular for growing in high altitude and inland regions.   It is a teinturier grape (flesh and juice are red), containing the red anthrocyanin within the grape pulp as well as the skin and is unusual in being one of very few such grapes used in single-varietal winemaking.

What I found

After bringing the wine to about 64 degrees, perfect for a hearty wine like this and letting it breathe a while I found a beautiful dark almost grape juice color, almost inky.  It has long lasting fingers giving way to a plum and black pepper aroma with some oak in the background. This is a full-bodied wine with flavors of black fruit, spice, oak, and earth. The acidity is noticeable giving a long spicy finish. The alcohol content is 13.6%.   It best goes with steak, wild game or spicy food. We paired it with Chili Verdi Chicken, grilled summer squash and tomato and marinated mozzarella Cheese. This wine complimented the chicken perfectly.  I highly recommend you give this and Jim’s other wines a try. You can order it directly from Chateau Niagara.

Until next week Cheers and be safe!

Lew