NV “Origins” Brut - Keush

Lemon pith, dried sea salt, fresh yellow cherry. Asian pear, wild herbs, honeydew melon rind. Delightfully fresh yet beautifully developing notes of white peach, shaved grapefruit peel, and tangerine shine with highly unique and nuanced complexity as notes of fresh thyme and bitter almond elegantly emerge to impart lightly savory underpinnings. Hints of cheese rind, sesame seed, and yeast gradually reveal deeper autolytic and umami charms that integrate seamlessly with dainty floral tones of orange blossoms and daisies. Impressions of parched earth and saline minerality round out the attack with clean reflections of terroir before concluding in an intriguing chalky-textured finish. Engagingly dry, deep, and tense on the palate with excellent freshness, tension, and verve; exhibiting a surprisingly savory and earthy yet completely delicious presentation carried by streaks of lively evervescence. Medium in body and well balanced by moderate acidity. This NV "Origins" Brut by Keush is an alluringly distinct and fascinating sparkling wine from Armenia.

Though it has remained largely off-the-radar to most western consumers, Armenia is one of the world's oldest wine producing regions and continues to put out a great deal of spectacular wine to this day. This bottling, crafted in Méthode Traditionelle by Keush using a blend of the indiginous Voskehat and Khatouni grapes grown in Armenia's Vayots Dzor region, beautifully showcases the unique yet unquestionably delicious creations this ancient terroir is capable of producing. Made solely from fruit grown by 100+ year old bush vines planted at around 5750 feet above sea level, this wine radiates a range of deep yet spirited citrus-led fruit complicated by delightfully herbal savory tones and gorgeous earthiness. It is simultaneously familiar yet completely unexpected in the best possible way, and has been an absolute pleasure to taste, analyze, and experience. Outstanding.