This is an unaged pomace brandy from the country of Georgia. "Saperavi" is the name of the grape varietal (apparently one of hundreds used in Georgia for wine and spirits). This is the second bottle I've tried from Marani, after the mtsvane chacha.
Sweetness is what I notice most in the aroma. It smells a bit like fresh red grapes, which I guess makes sense since that's what it's made from. There is a faint grassy bit in the background and maybe another soft sweet smell, like some kind of melon.
The taste is mostly grape, sort of like white grape juice. It's quite mild overall. It has the same "effervescent" quality I noticed in the mtsvane, but it's less pronounced here. That tingly feeling builds and is joined by something like lime, and both carry through into a pleasant, sparkly finish that lingers for quite a while.
I don't find either the smell or the taste very complex. To me they are dominated by grape notes, and lack the richer interplay of aromas and flavors I found in the mtsvane. Perhaps if I were a wine drinker I would detect more about this particular grape, but in my benighted state it's pretty much just grape to me. That's not to say it's bad by any means. It's got a nice solid aroma, a pleasant enough taste, and a satisfying finish. It's quite refreshing, either neat or chilled.
I definitely prefer the mtsvane to this, so probably won't get this one again, but it does make me want to try more kinds of chacha if I can find them. For some reason this was a couple bucks more than the mtsvane, at $23. It's definitely worth trying at that price.
23.0
USD
per
Bottle
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