The “New Wine Company” represents in Moscow a new millesize of one of the best wines of modern Armenia – Karas Reserve 2013. Every year the output of this wine of a new crop becomes a real event, as the individual blend for him personally is made by the master of world enology Michel Rolland. Connoisseurs of wine can compare the style of 2013 with 2012, which is also presented in a limited quality in the range of NWC. The style and potential of the wine is assessed by the head of the NWC project, the Head of the Sommelier Union and experts of RussiaArthur Sarkisyan.
In the range of the Karas brand, the reserve version of the red blend takes a special place. This wine is an experiment, one of the best reflections of the creative work of modern winemaking in Armenia. No wonder his label says: Winemaker’s Selection Blend. Each vintage differs from the previous one by a selection of varieties chosen by the winemaker. And Winemaker in this case is the main consultant of the project, the master of world enology Michel Rolland.
The choice of the maestro is great enough. Karas brand has more than 400 hectares of vineyards laid by 23 varieties and located more than 1000-1100 m above sea level in the Armavir region on the Ararat valley. We have already dwelt in sufficient detail on the difficult climatic conditions of this hot region, where, with due care, the “new light” thermophilic varieties feel great.
The best grapes of each vintage are collected in boxes of 20 kg, passes a strict double selection on vibrating tables and cold maceration for 5 days.
Vinify and aging each variety separately in barrels of Armenian or French oak for over a year. Then Michel Rolland personally selects the best barrels and “collects” his blends from a variety of variations of flavor and taste . In total, the wine spends 14 months in oak and for another year is additionally bottled before selling. Karas Reserve-2013 went on sale only before the New Year holidays, and 2012 harvest year is now very difficult to find even in Armenia .
For the reserve version of the 2012 Karas, Michel Rolland selected Sira, Ancelotta, Montepulciano and Petit Verdot. In the range of the 2013 crop blend, Ancelotta replaced Malbec. In addition, Michel Rolland added Tannat to the blend . The result – “national stars team of the Old and New World”: with the dominant of Syrah and Montepulciano Petit Verdot, Malbec and Tannat plays harmoniously and beautifully.
The wine has a bright ruby-cherry color. The bouquet deserves at least an hour for detail introduction. Bright colors of ripe black berries with shades of dogwood and pomegranate, gradually noble shades of aging, chocolate, vanilla tones, light santal notes and a rich range of spices.
The taste is powerful, much more dense than in the previous vintage. 14.5% of alcohol is affected, perfectly integrated, thanks to the excellent balance of tannins and acidity. In the taste there are continued berry tones and shades of aging. Aftertaste long enough, spicy.
At the same time, wine is ready for use right now and guarantees maximum positive for any style of use. It will be great to drink pur eor with a wide choice of dishes – from cold meat snacks to game and meat with complex sauces. The feed at a temperature of 15-16 C. Decanters – “by taste”, depending on the availability of time and desire to get introduced with the wine in the process of its disclosure in the glass.