Pheasant's Tears Rkatsiteli Mtsvane Tibaani Organic 2024 750ml

Pheasant's Tears | Rkatsiteli-Mtsvane | Tibaani | Qvevri Amber Wine | Kakheti, Republic of Georgia | 2024 | Organic

Pheasant's Tears is one of Georgia's most celebrated natural wine producers, founded by Gela Patalishvili — an 8th-generation winemaker from the Kakheti region — and John Wurdeman, an American painter who fell in love with Georgia and its ancient wine culture in 1998. Since 2007, they have farmed their vineyards with minimal intervention, using wild yeasts and traditional qvevri winemaking to best showcase the extraordinary terroir of Kakheti. The name comes from an old Georgian tale claiming that only the best wine could make a pheasant cry.

Tibaani is a sub-zone of Kakheti, in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, where the ancient Georgian grape varieties Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane have been cultivated for millennia. This blend of the two varieties is vinified in the traditional Georgian manner: fermented and aged in qvevri — traditional clay amphorae buried in the earth — with a full month of skin maceration, producing a wine of remarkable depth, texture, and complexity. The wine is unfiltered and unfined, allowing for natural sedimentation in the bottle.

The 2024 is deep golden in the glass. The nose offers honey blossom, dried apricot, quince, and a hint of walnut, with an earthy, ancient quality that speaks directly to the qvevri and the land. On the palate, full-bodied and dry with a nutty, textured richness, bright acidity, and a long, complex finish. A wine of genuine character that transports you to the cradle of wine civilization.

Made from certified organic grapes. Pair with roasted meats, spiced lamb, charcuterie, aged hard cheeses, washed-rind cheeses, and dishes with Caucasian or Middle Eastern spice profiles. Decant before serving; a little sedimentation is natural and expected.

• Producer: Pheasant's Tears
• Grapes: Rkatsiteli, Mtsvane
• Sub-zone: Tibaani, Kakheti, Republic of Georgia
• Style: Qvevri Amber Wine (Orange Wine)
• Vintage: 2024
• Farming: Certified Organic
• Vinification: Fermented and aged in qvevri (buried clay amphorae); 1-month skin maceration; unfiltered & unfined
• Bottle Size: 750ml