PRIPA | Rara Neagra | 2016
rara neagra

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Tonight we are going to review a wine that is new on the local market, yet one that has quite some reputation amongst the wine enthusiasts – Rara Neagra 2016 by Domeniile Pripa. This is a single varietal wine made of rara neagra grapes, also known as babeasca neagra in Romania, which is an indigenous grape variety that is famous for its ability to highlight terroir. The wine has been aged for 6 months in veritable moldovan oak barrels and produced in an extremely limited edition of only 260 bottles – which is a rarity even here in Moldova – this is a microvinification of an unprecedented level. But let’s not get carried away by all that theory, without further ado – on to the tasting!
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

Visual
Noble and transparent ruby color, with elegant indigo-purple shades towards the rim of the glass.

Olfactory
The nose is strong, filled mostly with red fruit flavours: ripe sour cherry, ripe red plum, redcurrant, ripe wolfberry, overripe blueberry, red mulberry, jostaberry and some hints of sweet wood. An instant later the nose is filled with noble notes of roasted oakwood, red pepper, nutmeg, allspice, sweet tobacco and some subtle hints of vanilla.

Gustatory
The wine is dry, with high alcohol level, high acidity and fine tannin. It tastes tart, fruity and supple, with a well structured and round body, crisp acidity and a refined grippy accent. This is a quite opulent and crisp rara neagra wine, with a fair overall balance and a voluptuous mouthfeel – a wine that lacks some harmony and finesse on the palate.

Aftertaste
The wine has a long finish and an balanced, fruity-tart aftertaste.
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This is definitely a fine wine of Moldova and, with a total of 91.1 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Conclusion: this is a very fine rara neagra wine – fruity, round and supple – a wine that is still on the rise. Certainly, it can resist some more bottle ageing (2 to 3 years), yet we would not recommend it, as this is a fine example of a wine that should be enjoyed sooner rather than later. There are wines that might gain some elegance with age (if you’re lucky enough) while losing most of the flamboyance, but there are also wines that are elegant in their youth and age will take its toll on them. That said, we would suggest to pair this wine with dishes that are rich in natural meaty accents and smooth textures, like for example a rare sirloin steak or a very rare ribeye steak with butter. Cheers!

WineStatistics tasting results:

PRIPA
Rara Neagra | 2016

grape: | rara neagra |

region: Moldova | Stefan-Voda

overall rating: | 91.1 |

maturity: on the rise

conclusion: fine | (highly recommended)

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© 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. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.