Kartlia is the heart of Georgia. The two capitals of the country are located in the region, just over 30 kilometers apart. Mtskheta, the cradle of Georgian Christianity and residence of the old kingdom of Iberia. And, of course, its successor and today’s capital, Tbilisi. Ancient long-distance trade routes cross the country, connecting Asia with the Black Sea and the Middle East with Russia via the Caucasian “Great Military Road”. It is no wonder that the Georgian royal family awarded the most beautiful lands in the region to favored family members. Like Mukhrani, which fell to a branch of the ruling Bagratid dynasty as early as 1512.
The back story
In 1801, East and Central Georgia were annexed by Russia. But the Mukhran-Batoni family remained the owners of the Mukhrani lands. Prince Ivan Mukhran-Batoni even made a military career in Russia and became military governor of Western Georgia. Like several other outstanding Georgian noblemen of the time, he was influenced not only by the culture of Tsarist Russia, but also by Europe, especially France. Viticulture had verifiably existed here for centuries. However, after trips to Champagne and Bordeaux, Prince Ivane first founded a proper wine estate in 1878 and then, from 1885, even a château based on the Médoc model (with the first parquet floors in Georgia). The park was designed by garden architects from Versailles. The wines went to the Russian tsar’s court, but also – by ship via Batumi – to Western Europe, where they were very well received. A sparkling wine from Mukhran-Batoni won first prize at the 1889 World Exhibition in Paris.
After Prince Ivane’s death, his son sold the winery to the state, which placed it under the Ministry of Agriculture. Following the communist takeover, Mukhrani was absorbed by the “Samtrest”, the state wine-growing authority of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, as a production site for sparkling wine, the “Shampankombinat”. After independence and civil war in the early 1990s, the estate was destroyed down to its foundations. In 2001, two Georgian investors acquired the castle and the land on a 50-year lease. They were soon joined by manager Jacques Fleury. He had made one of the most important Georgian trademarks, Borjomi mineral water, shine again. In 2006, Swedish billionaire Frederik Paulsen, a chemist by training and owner of the pharmaceutical company Ferring, joined the group of investors. Paulsen, who also owns the Marussia Beverages Group (which also took over the largest Georgian wine company Georgian Wine and Spirits Company (GWS) from Pernod Ricard in 2011), now owns Muhkrani completely.
The estate today
Today, the winery owns 102 hectares of vineyards and does not buy in. 87 hectares were planted in 2003/04 by Italian specialists on the plateau close to the castle. The first wines were bottled in 2007, following the reconstruction of the vineyard, part of which was located above the exposed cellars of the original complex. Since 2009, the name Château Mukhrani has been in use. Danish architects Ellgaard reconstructed the original château in 2010, which is now connected to the winery by an underground tunnel. In 2015, another 15 hectares of vineyards were planted on nearby hills with more calcareous soils. Today, 14 grape varieties are cultivated at Château Mukhrani, including some rare indigenous varieties in addition to the traditional Georgian ones. But also international classics like Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Cabernet Sauvignon. All vineyards are now certified organic.
The latest chapter of the winery began in 2014, when Patrick Honnef became the responsible winemaker. Honnef had originally studied economics. But after a few years in an advertising agency, he added a few more semesters of viticulture studies in Heilbronn. He soon moved to Bordeaux, where he worked for ten years for wine consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt at Chateau d’Aiguilhe in the Côtes de Castillon. He first came into contact with Château Mukhrani in 2009 and five years later became its CEO and Technical Director. Honnef sees Georgia’s viticulture “through European glasses”, as Lisa Granik put it in her book “The Wines of Georgia”. It is true that there are no unquestioned traditions for him and that he has fully internalized the modern tools of fine winemaking. Ten years after his start in Georgia, he is constantly experimenting with the cuvées, using new and old methods side by side (as can be seen in the pictures) and combining them when it benefits the end product.
The wines
Chinebuli 2021 comes from the grape variety usually called Chinuri, one of the most important in Kartli, which is also used for sparkling wine production. The wine is fresh, complex and concentrated. The Goruli Mtsvane 2022 is more voluptuous, with a nice body and good acidity. Collection Secrète 2020 is a blend of Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Rkatsiteli. It impresses with its beautiful texture and density, but also has a noticeable alcohol content. The white Qvevri 2019 is also a blend, here from Rkatsiteli and Goruli Mtsvane. It is the most impressive wine of the quartet. In the glass, the amber color is quite pale, but the nose is expressive with honey, black tea and almonds. On the palate, the wine is creamy and with plenty of glycerine, yet powerful and long-lasting (93 p.). Honnef has been accused of using the Qvevris merely as a tool to increase the tension of the wine. I like his intuition to combine traditional methods with elegance and finesse.
The collection begins with two indigenous grape variety wines, Shavkapito 2021 and Tavkveri 2017. The first has cherry and chocolate notes with high acidity, giving it an attractive flavor profile. The second is softer, slightly smoky and dominated by a blackberry aroma. The red Collection Secrète 2019 is a fierce blend of Saperavi, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Petit Verdot, which is somewhat weakened by unripe fruit. The final trio is clearly superior. Qvevri 2020 from Saperavi and Takveri with a good third Cabernet Sauvignon is dense, spicy and smooth. Reserve Royale Shavkapito 2018 has matured for almost two years in small oak barrels, it shows the appropriate aromas (cherry, blackberry, vanilla) and has aged excellently. Saperavi Reserve Royale 2012 is then a real fine wine. Still very dense pigmentation, the red and black berry fruit notes are complemented by spice aromas, leather and cocoa (95 P.). “Grand Vins de Georgie” is the slogan on the wine labels. This is without doubt justified.
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Stefan Pegatzky / Time Tunnel Images
