F’AUTOR | *310 Altitudine | Cabernet Sauvignon – Feteasca Neagra | 2016
cabernet sauvignon | feteasca neagra

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The wine we are going to review tonight is neither new nor old, as it was released on the market a couple of seasons ago, yet it is still relatively unnoticed by the wine lovers – *310 Altitudine Cabernet Sauvignon – Feteasca Neagra 2016 from Fautor Winery. This wine is a blend made of cabernet sauvignon and feteasca neagra grape varieties, where cabernet sauvignon forms the body and structure, while feteasca neagra adds the primary fruit and local terrior notes to the final blend. The wine is part of the *310 Altitudine wine series, that consists mainly of fresh, appealing and easy to drink wines that can be enjoyed without too much fuss. That said, let’s get straight to the tasting!
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

Visual
Deep and noble garnet color, with pale ruby shades towards the rim of the glass.

Olfactory
The nose is strong, filled mostly with black fruit flavours: blackberry, blackcurrant, black cherry, black plum, ripe sour cherry, black mulberry, dried black plum, dried black cherry and nuanced notes of cherry tree wood. An instant later the nose is filled with notes of roasted wood, black pepper, nutmeg, allspice, nise, tobacco and some subtle hints of oak bark.

Gustatory
The wine is dry, with high alcohol level, high acidity and ripe tannin. It tastes ripe and firm, with a quie noble and seedy accent and a touch of alcoholic warmth. This is a quite complex, fine and spicy wine blend, as it feels supple and tannic, lacking maybe just a bit of harmony and finesse on the mouthfeel. The wine has a fair overall balance, with a fruity and a bit angular accent.

Aftertaste
This is a wine with a long finish and a seedy-ripe aftertaste.
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This is definitely a fine Wine of Moldova and the overall rating says the same, with 90.6 points scored it is right there, among the best wines we’ve tasted so far. Please click on the chart icon on the left in order to get to the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines we’ve tasted to date.

Conclusion: this is a fine wine blend that is right at the summit of its prime form – maybe just a bit angular, yet a wine that is ready to be uncorked or kept for a couple more years of bottle ageing, s this is a wine with a decent ageing potential. Due to its slight austerity, we would suggest to pair it with spicy meaty dishes that are rich in natural fat and umami flavours, like for example a ribeye steak with red wine sauce or some spicy roasted ribs, as those smooth-irony accents will complement almost to perfection all the angularity in the wine. Enjoy!

WineStatistics tasting results:

F’AUTOR
*310 Altitudine | Cabernet Sauvignon – Feteasca Neagra | 2016

grape: | cabernet sauvignon | feteasca neagra |

region: Moldova | Valul lui Traian

overall rating: | 90.6 |

maturity: in its prime

conclusion: fine | highly recommended

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(c) The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. There are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.