Michael Franzese Areni 2023
I've seen this wine at costco for years, but I have an instinctive dislike for 'celebrity' wines. Michael Franzese was apparently a famous (and now reformed) mobster, so not sure if that counts as a celebrity. Anyway, my suspicion of a 'branded' wine was overcome by my love of wines from the Caucasus.
Nose is pepper, spice, orange. Taste is bright, berry, citrus (lime/lemon), Very acidic, low viscosity, subtle tannins. Maybe a little too acidic. Flavor fades quickly, lack of anything really complicated as you drink. It's a pretty straightforward wine.
Its interesting, a little too complex to be an easy drinking table wine. Areni is a grape related to Pinot Noir, but this tastes substantially different than a california pinot, maybe a little closer to french wines that use the grape. My only real issue is that the acidity and tartness really overwhelm it, and you don't get much else other than that. That may be a choice on their part, and it doesn't taste bad, but for a wine all the way from Armenia I was hoping for a little more character.
It's not the best example of Armenian wine, but it is definitely worth trying. There is another brand called Karas that I really enjoy though is slightly more expensive at ~$20. I've actually got a bottle saved, and looking forward to rating it on here. Anyway, glad I finally tried a bottle of this, but I doubt I'll be buying another. One glass was enough to get a sense of this one.
NatScore: 3/5 Competent