ALPHA ESTATE | Ecosystem | Sauvignon Blanc | Fumé | 2016
sauvignon blanc
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Tonight we are going to review a wine that conquered our hearts from the first glimpse – Ecosystem Sauvignon Blanc Fumé 2016 from Alpha Estate. This is a single-varietal, barrel fermented sauvignon blanc wine from the Amyndeon plateau, situated at the 660m altitude in north-western Macedonia. Lately, oaked sauvignon blanc wines are called ‘fumé wines’ – a name that was made-up by Robert Mondavi in an effort to increase the popularity of sauvignon blanc wines. He came up with the term ‘Fumé Blanc‘, which is a word-game that derives from the famous Pouilly-Fumé region in France and the name of the grape variety that made this region so famous all over the world. But enough theory, without further ado, let’s move on to the tasting and find out just how good this wine is!
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:
Visual
Pale straw-green color with some pastel-yellow hues towards the rim of the glass.
Olfactory
The nose is strong, filled mostly with citrus fruits and mineral flavours: lemon, green grass, lime, green apricot, fresh cut grass, hay, gooseberry, wormwood, green pear, quince, straw grass, lemon grass, fresh oakwood, chalkstone, wetstone and some delicate hints of moist wood.
Gustatory
The wine is dry, with high alcohol level, high acidity and ripe tannin. This is a crisp, lean and refreshing sauvignon blanc wine, with a citrusy-mineral profile. It tastes delicate, elegant and refined, with a fair overall balance and quite zesty mouthfeel due to its nuanced acidity and ripe tannins. The wine is more fruity than oaky, as it feels noble and fine, especially towards the end of the palate.
Aftertaste
It has a long finish and a balanced, crispy-citrusy aftertaste.
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This is definitely a fine Wine of Greece and the overall rating says the same, with 91.5 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 sauvignon blanc wine that is right at the summit of its prime form, yet a wine that can certainly age for another year or two in the bottle. What makes this wine truly unique, is that it made history, as it has been awarded 93 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, which is no small feat. In order to explore the wine’s elegance at its best, we recommend to pair it with delicate and fine-textured dishes, like for example tagliolini al tartufo bianco (tagliolini with white truffle and butter) or some saint jacques scallops with lemon butter, as those are fine pairings indeed. Enjoy!
WineStatistics tasting results:
ALPHA ESTATE
Ecosystem | Sauvignon Blanc | Fumé | 2016
grape: | sauvignon blanc |
overall rating: | 91.5 |
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.
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