Dugladze Ranina Rkatsiteli 2018

Deep amber, this is a skin-fermented white in the Georgian tradition, featuring a riot of roasted nuts, hay, dried apple, honey and heavy acetaldehyde – sherry-like aromatics – a complex and compelling expression. The palate is fully dry, pleasantly bitter, with more of the same dried fruit flavours, decidedly oxidized in the traditional manner. Length and depth are exceptional in the price category. Fans of orange wines shelling out dozens of dollars for a fashionable bottle from elsewhere should came back to the origins of the style – you won’t find any better or more authentic anywhere near this price. A recommended experience. Drink or hold indefinitely – where is this wine going? Nowhere, slowly. Tasted November 2021. Score – 90. (John Szabo, MS, winealign.com)