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Today we are going to review another single varietal syrah wine, but this time one from Moldova – Shyraz 2016 by Cricova. Syrah and Shiraz are the two names for the same variety: Syrah represents the old-world style of vinification while Shiraz is the name for the new-world style. Old-world syrah wines tend to have green tannins and more acidity, with earthy-herbaceous aromas, while the new-world shiraz wines are usually fruit-forward with ripe tannins and lots of spicy-smoky flavours. This syrah wine comes from the famous Valul lui Traian region and it has been aged for 12 months in oak barriques. 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
Deep, but not opaque ruby color, with pale garnet shades towards the rim of the glass.
Olfactory
The nose is strong, filled mostly with black fruit flavours: black cherry, black plum, blackberry, blackcurrant, overripe sour cherry, black mulberry, dried black plum and some delicate hints of black currant marmalade. An instant later the nose is filled with notes of black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, roasted oakwood, tobacco and some insistent hints of wood polish.
Gustatory
The wine is medium-dry, with high alcohol level, high acidity and green tannin. It feels rough, angular and austere, with a quite seedy-green accent. This is a quite opulent, tart and quite sharp syrah wine, as it tastes round and lean, yet aggressive on the mouthfeel – definitely off its balance, as it lacks any form of harmony and elegance. This wine has a very nuanced touch of alcoholic warmth on the mouthfeel and a poor overall balance.
Aftertaste
The wine has a medium finish and a rough, green and tart aftertaste.
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This is definitely a good wine of Moldova and, with a total of 89.2 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 quite rough and angular syrah wine that is quite a bit off its balance – a wine that already there, at its best, therefore there’s no more reason for further bottle ageing, as it lacks any form of harmony and or finesse on the palate. The wine feels sharp and seedy, with green tannins and a coarse mouthfeel. Overall this is a medium to full-bodied syrah wine, with a bitter-tart accent, therefore we would suggest to pair it with spicy or barbequed meats, or dishes with strong flavours, like for example a beef steak served with creamy gorgonzola sauce and flavored with rosemary and garlic, in order to counter-balance all the sharp edges in the wine with the flavours of the food. Noroc!
WineStatistics tasting results:
CRICOVA
Shyraz | 2016
grape: | syrah |
region: Moldova | Valul lui Traian
overall rating: | 89.2 |
maturity: in its prime
conclusion: good | (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.
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